Knock on Wood

Time and time again, horror has proven itself at the box office. Most of the time (your Neon releases excepted), they tend to lay low for a few weeks, quietly accruing both revenue and cult status. The genre has become a reliable bet, and for a film of even sub-standard quality, it should be a slam dunk, especially for a new entry in an established franchise. So why the hell has it taken so long to get a new Final Destination movie!?

Studio politics aside, it has been 14 years since the release of Final Destination 5, more time than it took to release five franchise entries on a breezy two-per-year schedule. The series’ basic premise (which centers around a group that survives a cataclysmic disaster because of a premonition, only to be killed one by one by increasingly complex Rube Goldbergian death traps) is incredibly flexible and adaptable, and can theoretically be translated into any location and any time period. So far, we’ve only gotten contemporary stories, but the latest film, Final Destination Bloodlines, is a step in the right direction, kicking off with the accidental annihilation of a tower restaurant in the mid-20th century.

Present at the tower’s violent destruction is a young Iris (Stargirl’s Brec Bassinger), who experiences the series’ signature premonition and is able to save the lives of everyone who would have otherwise died. Decades later, we discover that Death has come for every person who should have died at the tower…but Iris (now played by Gabrielle Rose) has a family now, a family that was never supposed to exist. Her granddaughter Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) begins to unravel the mystery, one that could have deadly implications for every single one of her relatives. Because, as the series constantly reminds us, Death comes for us all…in more ways than one.

One of the most well-known aspects of the Final Destination franchise is the kills. Every entry so far has upped the ante, and I’m thrilled to say that Bloodlines doesn’t disappoint. In fact, it may be the series’ most graphic installment, which should be heaven on earth for fans of the franchise. Many of the deaths are brought to life through practical effects, which infuses a gooey believability into what might be the most (delightfully) disturbing deaths in the entire six-movie run. Even the CG-assisted deaths are gnarly and vicious, which reinforces just how mean this franchise is. After a decade-long hiatus, Final Destination is here to remind us exactly what it is, and despite being squeamish when it comes to extreme gore, I had a fantastic time with it.

The biggest strength of Bloodlines’ brutal return to form is a gleeful willingness to explore new avenues of the central premise, and to deliberately subvert expectations based on the franchise’s established rules. It gets the important cards on the table as early as possible – Death is on its way, and if we don’t do anything about it, we are all going to die – and then we can just have fun. The film plays with expectations, constantly interrogating its audience with questions like “who is going to die next? How are they going to die?” In true Final Destination fashion, the film does its due diligence in pointing out just how many innocuous things we walk past every day could shred us to bits if the wind chooses to blow in a slightly different direction. Heightening the tension is something the series does exceptionally well, and Bloodlines levels it up in some marvelously unexpected ways.

It’s also worth noting that Tony Todd, a mainstay of the Final Destination franchise (appearing in all the films so far but one), makes his long-awaited and, unfortunately (excuse the pun), final return to the series in Bloodlines. Todd, best known for playing Candyman in the eponymous horror franchise, passed away last year, and his scene in Bloodlines is as chilling and haunting a tribute as we could hope for. Todd’s deep, dulcet tones once again act as a guiding force for our protagonists, and even if it wasn’t intended to be his send-off, it’s a fitting final bow for the man who captivated millions with the awesome power of his voice.

Bloodlines delivers in spade after bloody spade. I made the torturous mistake of binge-watching every Final Destination film in one day a few years ago, and apart from the newfound irrational fear that I was in constant danger of being stabbed, buried, or skewered by everything around me, that experience gave me an undying love for this visceral, remorseless franchise. If you are even a tangential fan of any of the previous five films, Bloodlines will be just your speed – it’s a perfectly calibrated return to the ferocious world we love so well, and in true Final Destination fashion, you’ll be looking over your shoulder days after leaving the theater.

Final Destination Bloodlines opens in theaters on May 16.