After a 14-year hiatus, the “Final Destination” series returns with Bloodlines, a film that gleefully embraces the franchise’s twisted humour and inventive death scenes.
This sixth entry in the cult horror series premiered to cheers from fans and horror enthusiasts alike, offering a night of gruesome thrills that’s equal parts hilarious and harrowing.
At its core, “Final Destination: Bloodlines” sticks to the franchise’s winning formula: a group of people who cheated death must now pay the price, as death itself hunts them down with a darkly comedic flair. Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein helm the film, infusing it with perfect comic timing and suspenseful set pieces that captivate you.
The story centres on Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), who returns home from college to uncover the dark secrets of her family’s past. Her grandmother Iris (Gabrielle Rose) once had a premonition that saved dozens of people from a deadly tragedy. But Death hasn’t forgotten—it’s been taking out survivors and their descendants ever since. Now, Stefani’s family is the last on Death’s list, and she’s determined to stop the carnage.
“Bloodlines” wisely weaves this family history into the film’s plot, giving the story a gothic, tragic air reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe. The idea of a family cursed for generations adds weight to the otherwise delightfully over-the-top death scenes.
And let’s talk about those death scenes. As always, they’re the star of the show—gruesome, creative, and executed with impeccable suspense. One standout sequence involves a shard of glass in a cup of crushed ice, a scene so nerve-wracking it would make Hitchcock proud. Lipovsky and Stein masterfully build tension, turning every household object into a potential instrument of doom.
Yet, for all its blood and guts, “Final Destination: Bloodlines” is a funny film at heart. The kills are so outrageous that they elicit gasps and laughter in equal measure. Each death is both a payoff and a punchline, playing fair but playing for keeps.
One of the film’s only stumbles is a mid-film twist that seems to call an earlier kill into question. But in the “Final Destination” universe, where death is a petty, mischievous entity, these quirks only add to the fun.
Ultimately, “Final Destination: Bloodlines” is a glorious reminder of what makes this series so beloved. Death is never noble or enlightening here—it’s just a cosmic jerk with a taste for elaborate Rube Goldberg contraptions. And in the twisted world of “Final Destination,” that’s exactly how it should be.
