Cast: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Rya Kihlstedt, with Brec Bassinger, and Tony Todd.
Genre: Horror
Director: Adam Stein & Zach Lipovsky
In Irish Cinemas: 14th May 2025
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 25 years since Final Destination first crashed onto screens, instantly etching itself into horror history with its uniquely twisted brand of death-by-design storytelling. The franchise became infamous for its elaborate, Rube Goldberg-esque death sequences—so creatively macabre they spawned nightmares and memes in equal measure. Each film built upon the last with ever-more intricate and anxiety-inducing setpieces, transforming seemingly mundane moments into ticking time bombs of suspense.
And yet, despite that lasting cultural footprint, it’s been 14 years since the last entry—2011’s Final Destination 5, a campy, blood-slicked instalment that cleverly looped the franchise’s timeline back to the beginning. In an era where horror thrives and audiences continue to crave originality amid real-world chaos, 2025 is the perfect moment for death’s return. Enter Final Destination: Bloodlines, a bold and chilling revival honouring the franchise’s twisted legacy and breathing fresh life into its blackened lungs.
As tradition dictates, Bloodlines opens with a spectacular disaster. But there’s a twist this time: the catastrophic event we witness occurred decades before the film’s main timeline. It’s here we meet Iris (Brec Bassinger), a young woman whose idyllic moment—getting proposed to atop the towering Skyview Tower—suddenly warps into a horrific vision of mass death. Her panicked reaction saves hundreds of lives from a fiery demise, defying death’s design and setting in motion a chain of terror that spans generations.
The Final Destination films are known for unforgettable setpieces—from the traumatising log truck in Final Destination 2 to the doomed rollercoaster ride in the third instalment—and the opening of Bloodlines lives up to that legacy. A feast of practical effects and tightly wound suspense, the sequence delivers visceral thrills and lays the emotional groundwork for what’s to come. It’s a harrowing, beautifully constructed opener that showcases directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein’s evident affection for the series. Eagle-eyed fans will be rewarded with deep-cut callbacks, smart easter eggs, and an expanded mythology that gives new weight to familiar and fresh characters.
After the explosive opening, the film shifts gears and leans into the current “legacy sequel” trend, recentering around a new generation cursed by death’s unrelenting pursuit. With the return of genre icon Tony Todd as the enigmatic William Bludworth—his deepest, most haunting turn yet—the connective tissue to the franchise’s past is maintained and deepened. We’re introduced to Iris’s modern-day descendants, led by Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), who begins experiencing eerie visions tied to the long-ago tower incident. Determined to uncover her family’s dark secret, she dives headfirst into the mystery alongside her brother Charlie (Teo Briones), forming a dynamic duo you can genuinely root for.
What sets Bloodlines apart is its layered approach to death, not just as a force of nature, but as a presence with history, grudges, and a grim sense of playfulness. Iris, now older and portrayed with gravitas by Gabrielle Rose, has spent her life locked in a metaphysical chess game with Death. The scenes between Iris and the unseen force stalking her family are some of the film’s most original, lending an almost mythological dimension to the franchise’s core conceit. Their dynamic gives Bloodlines emotional heft without sacrificing its signature tension or thrills.
The film also serves as a powerful swan song for Tony Todd’s Bludworth, the cryptic mortician who has long been the franchise’s sinewy, spectral anchor. Todd delivers a performance full of quiet menace and pathos, culminating in a farewell scene that, according to the directors, was unscripted and came directly from the heart. It’s a fitting tribute to both the actor and his character’s enduring mystery, which is further enriched by new revelations that deepen our understanding of his eerie connection to Death itself.
Of course, this wouldn’t be Final Destination without a cavalcade of inventive, brutal demises—and Bloodlines more than delivers. Lipovsky and Stein orchestrate each death with a meticulous sense of dread, balancing gruesome suspense with dark humour. Some sequences are so wince-inducing, they left preview audiences gasping, laughing, or both. The practical effects, clever misdirections, and razor-sharp editing make this a horror rollercoaster that is best experienced on the biggest screen possible. Because when someone’s about to be (SPOILER)ed by a (SPOILER) in their (SPOILER), why wouldn’t you want to witness every glorious detail in IMAX?
Bloodlines was indeed shot for IMAX, and the filmmakers cleverly play with aspect ratios to heighten tension and underscore the characters’ descent into fatal peril. The film boasts a large ensemble, meaning more victims, chaos, and opportunities for twisted ingenuity. Special praise goes to casting director Tiffany Mak, whose eye for chemistry gives us standout new characters like Erik (Richard Harmon), the cousins’ tattoo-artist burnout with a shop full of sharp implements and narrative potential. Without spoiling too much, let’s say: yes, that tattoo parlour becomes very important, and yes, what happens there will make you squirm—in the best possible way.
In the end, Final Destination: Bloodlines is not just a worthy continuation—it’s a triumphant return. It honours what made the original films unforgettable while introducing new elements that could carry the series forward for years. With a whip-smart script by Scream VI’s Guy Busick and a story developed by Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Jon Watts, this is a deft, gory, and wildly entertaining entry that feels custom-built for longtime fans and a new generation of horror devotees. It’s everything you could want from a summer screamfest: bloody, hilarious, knowing, and self-aware enough to make the carnage even more satisfying.
Strap in. Death’s design is back—and it’s never been sharper.
Overall: 6/10
Movie Reviewer
