Spoilers ahead for the plot and ending of Final Destination Bloodlines.
The “Final Destination” series is particularly challenging to spoil, given its unique premise: when individuals manage to cheat death by foreseeing impending disasters, they find themselves hunted by Death itself. Notably, very few characters in these films escape unscathed, with the majority meeting their fate in creative and gruesome ways. Death exhibits a dark sense of humor and a fondness for intricate Rube Goldberg-like sequences, making each sequel a showcase of increasingly elaborate deaths. To its merit, “Final Destination: Bloodlines” introduces a twist, even if it adheres to the predictable ending formula.
The movie Bloodlines immediately sets itself apart from the Final Destination series by its unique narrative approach. The story begins in 1968, showing a young woman named Iris Campbell (played by Brec Bassinger) experiencing a sudden vision where the Skyview, a tall building with a luxury restaurant at the top, falls down. This disaster was meant to kill Iris, her fiancé Paul (Max Lloyd-Jones), and everyone else inside. However, unlike most films in this genre, the story doesn’t pick up after Iris wakes from her vision. Instead, it moves forward to the present day where Iris’ granddaughter Stefanie (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) keeps having nightmares about this event. In this version of events, Death is not targeting the survivors of the Skyview but rather going after their descendants.
1968 saw Iris miraculously rescue everyone who would have died in a tower collapse, causing Death to face an unusually high number of people to claim. Due to the delay in Death’s collection process, these survivors went on to have children that were never meant to be born. Generations later, those descendants are still alive, and Death now has a significant task of rectifying this anomaly. (This is why you should always delegate tasks!) Eventually, Death claims Iris herself (played by Gabrielle Rose), and then begins taking her offspring in the order they were supposed to have been born.
How it all ends
In the final scenes of “Bloodlines”, Death meticulously carries out his duties. He starts by fatally injuring Howard (Alex Zahara) with a lawnmower. Later, Howard’s daughter, Julia (Anna Lore), meets her untimely end when a trash compactor crushes her head. Howard’s son, Bobby (Owen Patrick Joyner), suffers a tragic fate as well, receiving severe brain damage from an overly powerful MRI machine. Interestingly, it is revealed that another of Howard’s children, Erik (Richard Harmon), is not biologically his, but he too meets a brutal end at the hands of the same MRI machine. To add to this tragic chain of events, Iris’ daughter, Darlene (Rya Kihlstedt), and her estranged children Stefanie and Charlie (Teo Briones) also succumb to Death’s relentless pursuit.
Prior to Iris’ eventual, long-overdue passing, she resided in a fortified shelter meant to shield her from Death’s snares. Although it wasn’t the most enjoyable location, it was likely their only sanctuary ensuring the survival of Stefanie and her kin. With Darlene being Death’s next target, if they could safeguard her, both Stefanie and Charlie would be secure. The trio made their way to Iris’ cabin in Darlene’s RV, but they met with an accident just outside the door, leaving Stefanie trapped by a jammed seatbelt. She instructed Charlie to help Darlene enter the cabin while she struggled to free herself. However, Death was not going to tolerate such defiance and engineered a series of events that led to the explosion of the cabin, pinning Charlie beneath debris and propelling the RV into water with Stefanie still ensnared within.
In a dramatic turn of events, Darlene manages to move a substantial part of Charlie’s cabin, only for her to be struck by a tumbling lamppost afterward. This unfortunate incident signifies Stefanie’s imminent peril, as she is already struggling in the RV. In an attempt to save her, Charlie swiftly cuts through her seatbelt but finds Stefanie unconscious. The situation seems dire for Stefanie, until Charlie successfully revives her using CPR, and she regains consciousness, struggling to breathe. Although this incident is incredibly harrowing, it might be the key to her survival: As previously mentioned by Death expert William Bludworth (Tony Todd), there are two ways to remove oneself from Death’s list – either by killing someone else and taking their remaining years (as depicted in Final Destination 5) or by dying and being resurrected (as shown in Final Destination 2). Given the latter option appears to be the more compassionate one, it also seems to be the most effective, as Death appears to abandon the list entirely and skip over any remaining victims.
Through an apparent drowning and resuscitation, Stefanie believed she had saved herself and her brother. However, in the climactic scene of Bloodlines, the father of Charlie’s prom date clarifies that Stefanie’s heart never ceased beating, implying she didn’t truly die. This revelation leaves Stefanie and Charlie in a dire predicament. Moments later, a stray penny lands on the railway tracks, echoing the incident from Iris’ 1968 vision that triggered a tower collapse. This penny triggers a train derailment, sending the vehicle careening through the neighborhood. Despite their attempts to escape, Stefanie and Charlie are overtaken by multiple logs (another reference to Final Destination 2) that ultimately claim Stefanie’s life before taking Charlie as well.
With the success of Bloodlines at the box office, it seems another installment in the series is all but guaranteed. Although movies in this franchise typically have tenuous connections, the storytelling in the sixth film feels like an effort to construct a more interconnected universe, similar to Final Destination. As we ponder what a seventh film might bring, our predictions are based on the established patterns and unresolved threads within the series.
What’s going to happen in Final Destination 7?
Option A: The sole survivors return
The movie “Final Destination” hasn’t managed to create a sequel that mirrors the success of recent reboots like “Scream” or “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, primarily due to the limited number of characters left, except for Tony Todd’s Bludworth. Unfortunately, with Todd’s passing, this film serves as his final role. The movie titled “Bloodlines” comes closest, featuring a reference to Kimberly Corman, the protagonist from “Final Destination 2” (portrayed by A.J. Cook). Interestingly, it’s not clear if she might reappear. Strangely enough, Bludworth fails to mention Thomas Burke (played by Michael Landes), who was also saved by Kimberly’s selfless action, since he would have been the next one to perish. It leaves us wondering whether he could be involved in some way.
Bludworth’s mention of Kimberly as the lone survivor implies that a non-canonical scene from the “Final Destination 3” DVD titled “Choose Your Fate,” which shows Kimberly and Burke perishing in a woodchipper at a hardware store, did not occur. The woodchipper depicted in Iris’ notebook of Death traps in “Bloodlines” may suggest that Death has reenacted the “Fargo” plot numerous times over the last few decades.
In the potential next installment of “Final Destination 3”, another survivor from the original film, Wendy Christensen, portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, could make a comeback. The movie’s ending leaves some uncertainty; Wendy has a vision of a subway accident that would also claim her sister Julie (played by Amanda Crew) and her romantic interest Kevin (Ryan Merriman). However, the scene ends before we see the outcome. Interestingly, producer Craig Perry has stated that Wendy, Julie, and Kevin are indeed deceased, but actress Winstead suggests that Wendy’s fate remains undecided.
Surely, it’s possible that Final Destination 7 might reintroduce characters Stefanie and Charlie from Bloodlines, by subtly altering their demise by logs as another premonition. However, this seems like a manipulative move that doesn’t align with the essence of the series.
Option B: Surprise, more family members!
The concept presented in “Bloodlines” suggests that any descendants born after defeating Death would also be at risk, potentially leading to a multitude of complications. The film focuses solely on Iris’ lineage, but it’s plausible that several survivors from the Skyview incident later had offspring, who then multiplied the potential dangers. It’s also possible that Darlene, in her years of estrangement, could have hidden children. We are unaware of her activities during that time.
Prior to the premiere of Bloodlines, there were rumors among fans of Final Destination that the offspring of the film’s original characters, Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) and Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), might make an appearance.
One of the discarded endings for that movie depicted Alex’s death and Clear giving birth to their son, which could have spared Clear from Death because creating new life provides another escape route. Interestingly, Bludworth does not discuss this in Bloodlines, possibly because suggesting Stefanie conceive would be impolite. Evidently, the original Final Destination film steered clear of such a far-fetched ending, and Clear doesn’t refer to a child in Final Destination 2. (Notably, she perishes in that movie, indicating she remained on Death’s list.) However, if the next installment decides to continue with the family theme, there’s a chance for Alex Browning Jr. to make an appearance.
Option C: The Butterfly Effect
If delving deeper into additional family members isn’t suitable for the series, Final Destination 7 might instead focus on the butterfly effect – not referring to the Ashton Kutcher movie, but the idea presented in Final Destination 2. This concept suggests that anyone who is unintentionally saved by someone who should have perished is also marked for death. To put it simply: The survivors of the Route 23 accident in Final Destination 2 were all unknowingly saving individuals who were supposed to die, such as Kat Jennings (Keegan Connor Tracy) who avoided death by not boarding a bus that hit someone. That person was Terry Chaney (Amanda Detmer), whom we saw dying in the first Final Destination. Kat never made it to the bed and breakfast where she would have succumbed to a gas leak that claimed the lives of the guests. Although it may seem complex, this idea is indeed intricate.
Essentially, Death seems to have an obsession with control and views lives saved from its grasp as unresolved threads. The seventh movie could explore characters who’ve been given additional time by characters from previous films in the series. This would offer a chance to revisit memorable deaths within the franchise and strengthen the interconnectedness of the stories. However, contemplating this concept might be more taxing on the brain than any ‘Final Destination’ flick should be, leading me to question if it’s the wisest sequel approach.
Option D: Going back in time
In 2013, producer Craig Perry had an innovative concept for a sequel to Final Destination 5 – a journey to the 12th century. It wasn’t certain if this would have been an origin story or just a bloody period piece. With such conviction in his vision, Perry commissioned editor Alexander McNeill to create a concept trailer for Final Destination 6: The Dark Age. This tantalizing sneak peek offers a glimpse of what the abandoned idea might have become, albeit using clips from existing films and shows. The opening of Bloodlines in the ’60s hints that the series may follow the example set by the Predator franchise, which has proven that its core concept can succeed in any era.
Indeed, you’re correct that Final Destination 5 seems to travel back in time since it occurs prior to the original Final Destination. However, having a flip phone doesn’t automatically categorize it as a period piece.
The Only (Real) Option: A brand new story
To maintain authenticity within the “Final Destination” series, it would be most fitting if the upcoming film begins anew with fresh characters and situations. Provide us with a new protagonist, a new vision of death, and a group whose survival from the initial catastrophe sets them on a path to face even more chilling consequences. The strength of these movies lies in their ability to innovate rather than rely on established backgrounds. We’re not seeking familiar faces such as Alex and Clear’s child; instead, we’re eager to uncover the macabre methods Death employs.
In a time when films heavy with emotion and distress dominate, there’s a delightful straightforwardness in movies centered around inventive methods for transforming characters into slime. (Preferably using practical effects.) Instead of succumbing to the allure of interconnected film worlds as per our Marvel craze, the most captivating rendition of Final Destination 7 could hark back to its raw, fundamental roots.
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2025-05-22 04:55