“FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES” (2025, 109 min., directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein)
“Final Destination: Bloodlines” is all about getting the family together for a backyard barbecue… in more ways than one! It may be the sixth film in the series, but “Bloodlines” is easily the finest “Final Destination” yet.
For the uninitiated, the horror franchise has a hokey but endlessly iterative premise: a group of people escape their deaths after one of them has a premonition of a horrible disaster. Death – seriously, the spectral force of Death itself – proceeds to take its revenge by subjecting them each to a uniquely horrible end by the order in which they were originally meant to die.
The films always begin with a central set piece. In the first, a plane explodes. In the second, a log truck causes a massive freeway accident. In the third, a Satan-themed rollercoaster derails. In the fourth, a racetrack becomes a fast track to death. In the fifth, a suspension bridge snaps. “Final Destination” movies work best when preying upon our most intrusive thoughts and irrational fears, transmuting them to grisly reality for their characters. Six movies in, the series is still finding creative ways to kill people: characters in “Bloodlines” fall prey to lawnmowers, wind vanes and one particularly insidious penny.
But the absolute best thing about “Bloodlines” is it adds another layer to the kooky Rube Goldberg deaths and scarlet splatter, finding a way to innovate the series formula with fun for the whole family.
This time, instead of Death’s design falling upon a group of randomly assembled 20-somethings, the Grim Reaper’s shadow looms over a family tree. A family matriarch survived a horrible accident decades prior, and now, Death is coming for her bloodline.
The family framing device builds genuine emotion into the stakes of the story. You genuinely care for the characters meeting their bloody ends, elevated by committed performances from the cast. I was particularly impressed by Kaitlyn Santa Juana and Teo Briones, the film’s sibling deuteragonists, as well as Richard Harmon as the septum-pierced comic relief. The whole family had great chemistry, which supported the necessary plot beats in-between the horror set pieces.
To be clear, “Bloodlines” is for horror diehards. Viewers with a low or even moderate tolerance for gore should take pause before seeking it out. But, refreshingly, “Bloodlines” is not just for franchise fans. There are a few winks at previous installments and a handful of outright references, but where other series might find their sixth film weighted down with mythology or legacy characters, “Bloodlines” might just be the most accessible “Final Destination” yet.
One connection to the previous films is a major highlight, however. The film is dedicated to the late character actor Tony Todd, famous for his role as the titular antagonist of the “Candyman” series. Todd has been previously featured in most of the “Final Destination” films as ghoulish mortician William Bludworth, and “Bloodlines” is a beautiful send-off to the horror legend and his character. Fans may choke up at his final declaration.
“Bloodlines” is everything I want from this franchise. It’s got a fresh new direction, a sick sense of humor, great effects and a tight runtime. We can only hope Death’s design has a seventh “Final Destination” in store.
Rating: 4.5/5
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