Death’s back for round six with ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’

Log trucks. Ever since 2003, the world has been wary of driving behind them.

Why? The release of the horror film “Final Destination 2,” which has a memorable premonition sequence featuring a log truck causing mass carnage, of course.

Whether or not you’ve actually seen any of them, the Final Destination franchise is a staple of horror, although more under the radar than your Friday the 13ths or Halloweens. In fact, the first one began life as an X-Files script.

Debuting in 2000, each film follows the same pattern: someone has a premonition of a terrible accident (be it a plane explosion or bridge collapse), saves a bunch of lives and then survivors get picked off one by one by Death in the order they were supposed to die.

Though the franchise has received middling reviews — with the fourth entry despised by both fans and critics — the newest entry, “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” might be turning things around.

First announced in 2019, “Final Destination: Bloodlines” saw multiple changes through production, such as initial reports of being set in the world of first responders But the movie finally hit theaters on May 16, 2025, 14 years after the fifth entry.

I like the Final Destination franchise, and I’ve been following production news on this movie for a while now. I even rewatched the entire franchise — yes, all five of them — after coming home from “Bloodlines.”

From its critical score being the highest of the six flicks so far to taking a radical new approach to the familiar formula, “Bloodlines” is easily the best of the franchise.

“Bloodlines” takes the Final Destination concept to a new level, exploring the idea of being marked for death simply because you were born, when you shouldn’t exist in the first place. It also explores an idea last seen in the second installment: that being brought back from the dead a la resuscitation lets you off the hook and you escape your fate.

“Bloodlines” also briefly touches on an idea in “Final Destination 5,” where killing someone grants you their remaining years, though it doesn’t work out as well for the characters trying it in this film.

In many ways, “Bloodlines” is a return to form for the franchise. For one, the film has a story it wants to tell. “The Final Destination” and “Final Destination 5” have very loose plots, focusing more on the gory deaths that sometimes lean into slapstick.

But while “Bloodlines” also focuses on gory, cartoonish deaths, it takes time to carve out its characters. It makes you care about them. The characters aren’t just one dimensional meatbags you want to see die. You want them to make it out and the movie’s surprise ending might crush you in more ways than one.

“Bloodlines” also has one more item of note: the return of star Tony Todd in his final film role. Todd passed away on Nov. 6, 2024 at age 69.

Todd was cast to play enigmatic mortician William Bludworth in the original film, as writer Glen Morgan felt the actor’s deep voice would lend an eerie tone to the film. The well-known character actor has been in almost every Final Destination film, including a voice cameo in the third film. He was noticeably absent from four.

Todd’s appearance in this film is a double-edged sword. He’s there to pass along the knowledge of Death’s design and as a final send off to his character. Todd’s screen presence and his final words, which are unscripted, are a goodbye to his loyal fans.

I had the opportunity to meet Tony Todd at a horror convention in 2023. He signed my copies of “Candyman” and “Final Destination” and then he surprised me and asked if it was OK if he could sign my cricket bat (I was cosplaying Shaun from “Shaun of the Dead” at the time).

It was an amazing experience to meet Todd so seeing him in “Bloodlines” hit hard for me. It’s a nice farewell to a legend, and might even get a tear out of you.

And of course, I can’t ignore the premonition sequence that starts every film. The opening sequence of this film sees Iris (Brec Bassinger) and her boyfriend Paul (Max Lloyd-Jones) arriving at the hot new spot, the Skyview Restaurant, a Space Needle-like tower.

The duo sneak into the building, where Paul proposes — and “Bloodlines” blasts off, as a penny tossed by a bratty little boy sets off the chain reaction the Final Destination franchise is known for. Move over, Rube Goldberg!

When the sequence ends, we meet our protagonist, Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana). Though she believes she’s only having a nightmare, Stefani is soon sucked into the mystery surrounding her grandmother and the curse she passed on through her family bloodline. All because Iris cheated Death that night at the Skyview.

I liked revisiting some of the older plot points from previous movies. And of course, there are all those fun Easter eggs long-time fans of the franchise will appreciate, including a very deep-cut woodchipper nod.

I also enjoyed some of the more creative aspects of the deaths, and a twist concerning one of the characters. The characters feel organic again, they’re not just someone given a name and BOOM! time to die. You care about these people, you’re rooting for them to survive.

There’s actually a lot to like about the newest entry in the Final Destination franchise. The Skyview set piece kept me on the edge of my seat, the performances were great, and it’s a huge step up from the previous two 3D outings.

And let’s not forget about those log trucks. They are EVERYWHERE in this movie. Don’t be surprised when you see them. In fact, they are so synonymous with the franchise now that the studio used them as a way to advertise the movie.

Yeah, that’s right. Spotted on roads were trucks with fake logs attached to them, along with the film’s logo, a few even sporting “how’s my driving?” on them. It seems New Line Cinema is not only well aware of the 22-year-old trauma they’ve caused, they’re playing along with it.

That just goes to show the staying power of the Final Destination franchise.

“Final Destination: Bloodlines” currently sits at a 93% on the Tomatometer, marking it as the highest-rated entry of the franchise. It also sits at a 88% on the Popcornmeter, meaning audiences are dying for it, pun intended. Letterboxd has it at a 3.4, weighing in with 52.7k worth of four stars.

FINAL VERDICT: Four out of Five stars.

“Final Destination: Bloodlines” is currently playing in theaters.

Adrien Coakley is a writer who not only enjoys horror movies, but every aspect of movie making. He is getting ready to launch a new podcast, where Gen Z and Gen X go the movies and offer their takes on new and classic films.