From “Scream” to “Halloween” to “Evil Dead,” countless horror franchises have been adapted to fit into modern genre conventions, and countless attempts have failed. Yet, “Final Destination Bloodlines” takes a bold swing with its new, smarter version, and hits it dead on.
Since 2000, the “Final Destination” franchise has become known for cheap thrills, bad acting and mediocre plotlines, but “Bloodlines” strives to change that. The series is notorious for creative death scenes with plenty of gore, where almost no characters make it out alive. Previous entries began with premonitions of a mass catastrophe, like a plane crash. The lead often saves the people around them, but death quickly comes for the survivors, picking them off in the order in which they died in the vision.
“Bloodlines” still offers what is expected of a “Final Destination” movie, but adds something new: substance. This sequel begins with the premonition, but the differences start here. The film’s protagonist, Stefani Reyes, sees a vision originally granted to her grandmother, Iris Campbell, in 1968, and goes on a brief journey to find what this vision means. In this search, Reyes forms a tighter bond with her somewhat estranged family, albeit losing those bonds as soon as the people around her start dying.
The family dynamic in this film really shouldn’t work. The cliches are there: the moody teenage brother, the goth cousin and the dad who just doesn’t understand. However, this franchise knows its cliches and how to work with them. These stereotypes are cemented but played so realistically and lovingly that you fear for the characters’ imminent deaths — something rare for a “Final Destination” film.
The emotional high point in this film is when William Bludworth, played by actor Tony Todd, appears. Todd died of cancer in 2024, shortly after he filmed his scene, and his monologue here is a fitting farewell to the character. His heartfelt positing on the inescapability of family and heritage, and the contemplation of fate, adds yet another meaningful moment to this often superficial franchise.
The story explains why all the events in the franchise happened: Campbell prevented their deaths, and death has been coming for their familial bloodlines. Once death has set its sights on the Reyes-Campbell family, it is up to Stefani to save them.
Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein do an impeccable job of playing with audience expectations. The film constantly baits audiences with apparent setups for deaths, only to deliver twists that are both fresh and faithful to the six-film series. The deaths are fun, gory and as off-putting as ever. The Rube-Goldberg traps that death sets in place are unpredictable, even when you swear you see it coming. The movie adheres to rules established by earlier installments, but has just enough red herrings to keep the audience guessing.
Knowing how formulaic this series is, it can be especially easy for a film like this to fall into corny jokes that don’t stick, but Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor’s writing is so self-aware that these well-trodden tropes come off as charming as ever. This film recaptures the humor that made the third installment a fan favorite.
No, this isn’t the greatest or most innovative horror movie this year, but it triumphs where it matters for “Final Destination,” with some of the best deaths of the franchise and undoubtedly some of the best acting. While the future of the franchise is uncertain, “Bloodlines” sets up a new beginning, ready to kill.