Nerdly » ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Review

13th May2025

‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Review

by Matthew Turner

Stars: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Ted Briones, Richard Harmon, Brec Bassinger, Tony Todd, Rya Kihlstedt, Anna Lore, Gabrielle Rose | Written by Guy Busick, Lori Evans Taylor | Directed by Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein

Co-directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, Final Destination: Bloodlines is the sixth film in the popular Death-moves-in-mysterious-ways horror franchise, following the fifth instalment, back in 2011. As such, the directing duo are clearly fans of the series, because they deliver everything audiences could conceivably want from a sixth (and probably not final) Final Destination movie, even managing to give the mythology a satisfying little tweak in the process.

The time-honoured opening sequence takes place in the 1950s, where young Iris (Stargirl’s Brec Bassinger) finds herself in a horrific disaster at the top of a newly opened high-rise restaurant. At the moment of her death, the film cuts to the present day, and it transpires that college student Stefanie (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) has been having the same nightmare about Iris for two months.

Realising that Iris is a) her estranged grandmother (Gabrielle Rose) and b) still alive, Stefanie tracks her down, whereupon she discovers that Iris experienced the same vision while atop the tower and was able to save hundreds of lives. However, as Iris gravely informs her, Death is coming for those lives, one by one, including all their descendants, because they should never have been born in the first place.

After that, it is pretty much business as usual for the franchise, as the members of Stefanie’s family – including her kindly uncle (Alex Zahara) and smartass cousin (Richard Harmon) – meet grisly ends in ridiculously unlikely ways. To that end, the deaths are both inventive and blackly funny, with a pleasingly high splatter factor.

It’s often said that a key part of directing lies in getting the tone right. Accordingly, Lipovsky and Stein strike exactly the right note between horror and comedy, ensuring that each death has an emotional impact, alongside the gore and the laughter.

The cast are superb, across the board. Bassinger makes a strong impression in the opening sequence, generating warmth and sweetness as Iris, so that it’s genuinely wrenching to watch the disaster unfold around her. Similarly, Kaitlyn Santa Juana makes an appealing lead, and there’s strong support from Ted Briones as her younger brother Charlie, as well as a touching cameo from series regular Tony Todd, in his final screen appearance (the film is dedicated to him).

However, the supporting honours are roundly stolen by Richard Harmon (Continuum), who delivers the sort of performance that, if there is any justice, will give him a significant career boost. At any rate, he gets all the best lines and is front and centre for the film’s biggest laughs, all of which it would be churlish to reveal here.

Given that Final Destination: Bloodlines is the sixth film in the franchise, the directors could have been forgiven for indulging in a bit of fan service. In fact, there is a tiny bit, but it’s done in such a way as to not call attention to itself, so that die-hard fans will appreciate the detail, but it won’t detract from the film for anybody else. That’s basically a model that other franchise filmmakers would be well advised to follow.

On a final note, Final Destination: Bloodlines was filmed in IMAX, and the film has a bit of fun with the aspect ratio change in the crucial moments (it adds an extra level of anticipation), so you should make every effort to see it in an IMAX cinema, if possible.

In short, this is something of a wild ride, and way better than any sixth entry of a horror franchise has any right to be. You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, you’ll be traumatised by the mere sight of certain vehicles and objects for years to come. Highly recommended.