After a lengthy 14-year break, the iconic “Final Destination” franchise is back, ready to give fans a whole new set of fears to obsess over. Known for its intricately designed death sequences, where seemingly ordinary situations take a terrifying turn, the series makes its grand return with Final Destination Bloodlines (hitting theaters on May 16). This marks the first new installment since 2011 and the first ever shot in IMAX. Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, newcomers to the franchise with a background in the sci-fi thriller Freaks, had one simple mission: Make everyday moments absolutely terrifying.
“The idea was to start with something we all experience every day,” explains Lipovsky, “something that feels ordinary—nothing out of the ordinary, but something we all come across in our day-to-day lives. Then, it’s about twisting that, making it so when you do it again, you can’t help but think of Final Destination.”
He jokes, “After you watch Bloodlines, you’ll never look at your wedding ring the same way again.”
Since its debut 25 years ago, Final Destination has followed a well-established pattern: A character experiences a premonition that helps them narrowly escape a deadly disaster, only to be hunted down by death in increasingly gruesome ways. The formula has remained largely the same throughout six films, but now, with Bloodlines, the filmmakers have flipped the script, aiming to keep fans on edge by shattering expectations.
“Predictability is always a challenge with Final Destination,” says Stein. “Everyone knows the characters are doomed. The question is, how do we keep it fresh?” And fresh it is. For the first time in the franchise’s history, Bloodlines takes a bold step by introducing characters who didn’t escape death personally. Instead, we follow Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), whose grandmother, Iris (Gabrielle Rose), survived a catastrophic tower collapse decades earlier after having a premonition. But there’s a catch: Iris was supposed to die before having children, meaning Stefani’s entire family shouldn’t even exist. Now, death is coming for them, and it’s only a matter of time before it claims what was never meant to be.
The twist in the plot allowed Lipovsky and Stein to overhaul the classic formula that fans have come to expect. For instance, instead of starting with a huge disaster, like in previous films, the opening disaster leads to a shift in perspective and introduces a new character in a different time period—a move that deviates sharply from the usual structure. “Even if you’re a die-hard fan of the franchise, this one takes you down a different path,” Lipovsky says.
Focusing on a family dynamic also raises the stakes in Bloodlines compared to earlier installments. In past movies, the victims were often strangers or friends, and while their deaths were tragic, there wasn’t the same emotional weight. “When it’s family members at risk, the stakes are much higher,” Stein adds. “In the past, the audience might shrug when someone dies, but in this film, each death carries real emotional impact.”
Despite these shifts in narrative and structure, Bloodlines still stays true to the franchise’s roots. Fans will be pleased to see the return of Tony Todd, who sadly passed away last year, in a heartfelt posthumous scene. The rules established in previous films for escaping death continue to play a key role, and one plot point even takes inspiration from the original film. Iris’s decision to lock herself away in a cabin to survive mirrors the extreme lengths Devon Sawa’s Alex went to in the first movie, proving that the original’s influence still looms large.
By embracing both old and new elements, Final Destination Bloodlines promises to thrill longtime fans while introducing a fresh narrative to keep things unpredictable and exciting. With the IMAX format bringing every suspenseful detail to life, this latest chapter in the Final Destination saga will leave audiences on the edge of their seats, second-guessing every ordinary moment in their own lives.
