Final Destination: Bloodlines is Bloody, Brilliant, and Brutal

If you thought you had outgrown your fear of random objects leading to your doom, Final Destination Bloodlines is here to remind you that Death’s plan is never truly done. This sixth entry, directed by Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, kicks the franchise back into high gear with a movie that’s both gloriously gory and surprisingly heartfelt. As a lifelong Final Destination fan, let me tell you: this ride is worth every white-knuckled minute.

The Good

Final Destination Bloodlines understands exactly why we show up to these movies, and it doesn’t waste a second getting to the chaos. The opening scene, set at a grand building opening in 1960s Seattle, immediately throws audiences into an anxiety-fueled deathtrap. Without even a single death on screen yet, my blood pressure was already spiking. When the inevitable carnage finally hits, it’s spectacular, setting a wicked tone for the entire film. New fears unlocked: never trust glass floors, never finish construction five months early, and absolutely never sip champagne while pregnant.

Kaitlyn Santa Juana leads the cast with a strong performance as Stefanie, a college student plagued by visions of doom, and Tony Todd’s return as the cryptic William Bludworth earns one of the loudest ovations I’ve heard at a horror screening. His final turn in the franchise is treated with the respect he deserves, and it brings an unexpected emotional weight to the blood-soaked mayhem.

The deaths in Final Destination Bloodlines are some of the most creative and gut-wrenching yet. From a backyard BBQ scene that had me literally looking away from the screen in pure anxiety to a tattoo parlor catastrophe that’s morbidly hilarious, the movie’s sense of dark humor is absolutely on point. Every setup feels like a nerve-shredding game of “Where’s Death gonna strike next?” And trust me, you will not be ready for the hospital scene! It’s pure chaos in the best way possible.

What’s especially fresh here is the new lore: the idea that Stefanie’s family was never supposed to exist at all because her grandmother cheated Death decades ago. This generational twist gives the story some real weight, making it more than just a string of gruesome Final Destination deaths — although don’t worry, there’s still plenty of those to go around.

The Bad

Even with all the energy and carnage, Final Destination Bloodlines isn’t completely flawless. Some of the plot twists are easy to spot if you’re a longtime fan of the series, and a few death sequences lean a little too heavily on CGI rather than practical effects, which can slightly pull you out of the moment. Also, while the film mostly nails its pacing, there are a few slower stretches where the movie tries to cram in a little too much backstory before getting back to what we really came for, the outrageous, gut-churning deaths.

Still, these are minor gripes when the overall experience is this much fun. It’s the kind of horror movie where the tension is so thick that you find yourself laughing just to relieve the stress. And when a film can pull that off? You know it’s doing something right.

Final Thoughts

Final Destination Bloodlines is everything I could’ve hoped for in a franchise revival: intense, hilarious, nostalgic, and absolutely unrelenting. It honors the legacy of the originals while finding clever new ways to stress out an entire theater full of horror fans. Whether you’re a longtime follower of Death’s handiwork or a newbie ready to see why everyone’s scared of log trucks, Final Destination Bloodlines delivers the goods.