Following a 14-year franchise absence,Final Destination: Bloodlinesbreathed new life into the moribund horror IP, becoming the best-reviewed andmost lucrative entry to date. For the first time since the original, the movie finally marries story, character, and elaborate death sequences into an emotionally compelling narrative that makes the others pale in comparison.
Yet, as controversial as it may sound, theFinal Destinationmovies would be wise to return to the most absurd, campy, and comedic deaths seen in the panned fourth entry. WhileThe Final Destination’s plot, characters,and 3D technologyare downright inexcusable, the reason horror fans tune into these movies is to root for death and cheer on the most over-the-top fatalities imaginable. The more ridiculously outlandish the better, withThe Final Destinationboasting at least two of the franchise’s most freakish fatalities to prove the point.
The Final Destination
The Best of The Final Destination’s Death Scenes, Highlighted
Between the subpar 3D, vapid plot, and poor performances,FD4remains the lowest-rated movie in the franchise’s history. The film boasts a paltry 22% Rotten Tomatoes and 30 Metascore. Yet,until the release ofBloodlinesin May 2025,FD4was the highest-grossing movie in the series, grossing over $186 million (viaBox Office Mojo). While increased 3D ticket prices partially account for the financial success, the campily comedic death sequences are also part of the compelling equation.
Often listed among the entire franchise’s best deaths,The Final Destinationhits the bullseye with its unforgettable swimming pool suction fatality. A dimwitted youngster named Hunt (Nick Zano) tries to retrieve a baseball thrown into the swimming pool, when an insanely improbable Rube Goldberg-like contraption builds so much pressure on the pool’s suction device that it gorily disembowels Hunt so badly that a giant geyser of gore erupts like a volcano.
10 Most Over-the-Top Kills in the ‘Final Destination’ Movies
The ‘Final Destination’ franchise has traumatized entire generations, but some of the kills are seriously over-the-top.
It’s exactly the kind of over-the-top death fans have come to know and love about the franchise, striking the right balance between comedic lunacy and visceral thrills. In many ways, the anticipatory build-up is as appealing and cheer-worthy as the death mode itself, with the tension and suspense leading up to the kill providing immense glee.
Another excellent example inFD4is the incredibly complex escalator death sequence seen later in the movie. While escaping the mall following the movie theater fire, Lori (Shantel VanSanten) is mercilessly yanked into the gears of a malfunctioning escalator, andher body is gruesomely chewed apart with such comedic excess that it draws just as many cheers as audible gasps. Unlike the forgettable deaths that claim the lives of many unknown characters in one fell swoop, the franchise works best when the ludicrous fatalities target the main characters.
The ‘Final Destination’ Franchise Needs To Embrace the Absurdity
To be clear, nobody is arguing for the return of 3D technology to intensifytheFinal Destination’sfearsome fatalities. Nor is anyone lobbying for the return of the uninspired mass murder of nondescript characters. What is being called for is prioritizing the unbelievably elaborate and humorously histrionic deaths that viewers tune in to see in the first place. Freakish fatalities like Nadia having her head decapitated by a car tire come off so silly due to the inferior 3D and sheer improbability.
But knowing what audiences crave, the director follows with an even more laughable shot of Nadia’s unrecognizably eviscerated body and focuses on her impossibly quivering legs. This is the director, David R. Ellis (Snakes on a Plane), leaning into the silliness and playing it for laughs as much as the horrific nature of the mishap.The more absurd, the better, and the more ridiculous and over-the-top the death, the louder the rousing cheers from audiences become. This is the bread and butter of the franchise and needs to be preserved moving forward.
14 Years Later, One Crazy Twist Made That Divisive ‘Final Destination’ Movie Actually Pretty Good
‘Final Destination 5’ could’ve easily been more of the same, but an ending plot twist made it one of the best entries of the franchise.
To reiterate, the primary appeal of theFDmovies will always be the dramatically drawn-out death sequences and how they induce nervous laughter in place of shrieking screams. Fans flock to theaters in droves to watch these silly kill parties together, with the fun deriving from the entertainment value of how far the violence will be pushed and how creative the setup and brutal knockdown will be.
Minus the 3D novelty ofFD4, the franchise should embrace thecampy and cartoonish killsthat made the swimming pool and escalator scenes so iconic.
