After Scream became a big hit, plenty of hip, self-aware horror films started making their way to the audience one after the other. It was very similar to how, after Halloween and Friday the 13th, horror fans all of the sudden had to choose between Graduation Day, Prom Night, Terror Train, The Burning, etc. as the object of their attention for that particular evening. It’s just, in the case of the post-Scream output, the production values were upped and a bunch of up-and-coming stars and teen heartthrobs were lined side by side on the poster. Valentine, Urban Legend, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, they all applied.
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But the best of those post-Scream IPs was definitely Final Destination, which hit theaters on March 17th, 2000, to better reviews than most of its peers. With a more creative plot and a certain palpable lack of predictability (even though its characters die in a pre-determined order), James Wong’s movie was perfect fodder to kick off a franchise.
What Makes Final Destination So Special & Why Is Now the Perfect Time to Keep the Gravy Train Rolling?
Like with any franchise, results have varied considerably with Final Destination. Their success comes down to a few factors. One is just how creative and intense the opening (narrowly avoided) disaster is. Two is just how creative the subsequent Rube Goldbergian deaths are. And three, just how well drawn the characters are. Plenty of horror films have put a lot of stock in memorable death scenes, but Final Destination has always been a cut above not only in that field, but in its capability in terms of fleshing out three-dimensional individuals, not just horror flick cannon fodder.
We get a pretty perfect merger of personalities in the original Final Destination. Devon Sawa’s Alex Browning is the quiet but kind everyman who experiences the premonition. Landman‘s Ali Larter plays the similarly quiet and brave Clear Rivers to perfection. Kerr Smith’s (My Bloody Valentine 3D) Carter Horton is the jock but written to show more depth than that archetype usually receives. Kristen Cloke’s Valerie Lewton is a teacher who finds herself even more freaked out by the whole plane exploding scenario than even her students. Chad E. Donella’s Tod Waggner is the most lovable of the bunch, which is what makes his early departure such an extra gut punch. Amanda Detmer’s Terry Chaney uses sarcasm to mask her fear. And, lastly, Seann William Scott, fresh off American Pie, plays Billy Hitchcock as a goofball, but a goofball who is a better person than his Steve Stifler.
The sequels have, for the most part, tried to include a similar variety of character traits. Even when they fail to bring that to the table there’s still at least adherence to the original film’s novel concept of having a disaster (one that jarringly doesn’t feel removed from reality) averted only to then have the survivors lose that title in succession.
Final Destination 2 was far better than many were expecting, with a dynamite opening scene and an effective adjusted focus on Clear. Final Destination 3 was wise to go for a rollercoaster disaster, because what other franchise could really prey on that widely held fear, but in spite of Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s efforts it often feels like a rehash. The Final Destination, which came out during the height of the post-Avatar 3D phase, is the nadir of the franchise, finding itself far too reliant on CGI and the blandest group of characters the saga is capable of. Final Destination 5 brought things back up to the first two films’ level, but it was ironically ignored by U.S. audiences of the time.
That poor fortune changed 14 years later when Final Destination Bloodlines hit theaters. Outside The Final Destination, none of the movies had exactly been panned, but save for Final Destination 5 none of them had received a “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, either. Bloodlines stood far above them all, securing a phenomenal 92% fresh thanks to its extra focus on character, its ability to still bring some elaborate death scenes into canon, and its toying with just how far back one of Death’s vengeance-fueled plans can extend. It was to this franchise what Radio Silence was to Scream: a well-needed injection of fresh blood without feeling the need to turn one’s back on what made the IP a household name to begin with.
It wasn’t just critics who responded positively, either, as Bloodlines became the highest-grossing installment to date, and that’s even after adjusting for inflation. To that point, we’re definitely getting another Final Destination. But the overarching point is that money really shouldn’t be the primary motive for that in this case, but rather because Bloodlines proved there is still gold to mine in this franchise. It’s sad we won’t have Tony Todd’s William Bludworth showing up anymore, but the fact remains that this is one big horror series that has yet to overstay its welcome.
Was Bloodlines your favorite Final Destination movie? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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