What if you had visions of tragedies before they happened and were able to save people from being involved? What if you had the power to cheat death, both your own and the deaths of others? A fan-favorite franchise based on a true story of someone cheating death, the gory and intriguing horror series, “Final Destination,” consists of two comic books, nine novels, and five movies. Each with their own unique story and subtle connections to the spooky world of premonitions and freak events as well as the other parts of the franchise, this is a series that you can’t miss out on.
Directed by James Wong, co-writer of the popular TV series, “The X Files,” the first “Final Destination” movie was released in 2000. Following a teenage boy who has a premonition of a tragedy, then saves several of his classmates from their early deaths, the first movie in the series explores premonitions, freak accidents, and the personification of death, posing a big question for many: do we have the power to cheat death? Throughout the movie, the classmates must work together to remain alive after death begins to come for the survivors one by one in the order they would have died in the tragedy.
Three years later, fans of the first movie were hooked. The gore, supernatural appeal, and tragedy inspired the second movie, “Final Destination 2,” released in 2003. Building on the tragedy in the first movie, a second teenager has a premonition of another deadly event and, like the first teenager, saves her friends from their sudden and untimely deaths. Once again, death begins to come after the survivors, and the main character of the sequel enlists the help of the last survivor from the first movie’s tragedy to help stop the chain. This time, death is coming after the survivors in reverse order, and it’s up to the teens to help stop the process before it’s too late for their friends. Starring A.J. Cook, now better known for her role as Jennifer Jareau in “Criminal Minds,” the second movie became a fan favorite.
In February of 2006, after the success of the sequel, a third movie was added to the franchise. The producers envisioned the third movie to be its own story, as the creator of the franchise and co-writer of the first two films, Jeffrey Reddick, did not return to aid in its production. Unlike the first two films, control (and lack thereof in some cases) was made a major theme of the third movie, and the opening scene was the main disaster in the film—a gory, detailed derailing of a roller coaster at a theme park. This went on to be the most financially successful of the three existing movies at this point, and there was even a special-edition version of the movie that allowed buyers to choose their own fate and change the course of the film.
“The Final Destination,”, or “Final Destination 4,” was released again three years later in August of 2009. It was a direct sequel to the third movie and was the first in the franchise to be shot and produced in 3D. Though James Wong dropped out of directing the fourth installment of the series, David Ellis took over and allowed it to be distributed through Warner Brothers Pictures. Following the same premise as the first three movies with a premonition and the following attempts to save the survivors after a tragedy, this installment is full of twists, turns, and more vivid death scenes than any of the previous movies.
Only two years later and under a new director, Steven Quale, “Final Destination 5” was released as the fifth film in the series and the prequel to the first film in the franchise. The movie begins with a young adult having a premonition, like the other characters throughout the series, of a tragedy. After saving the survivors and death coming after each and every one of them again, the movie takes a twist. Viewers are not aware that this installment is a prequel until the end of the film, but it completes the franchise and the existence of freak events, premonitions, and the personification of death prevalent throughout the series.
The five movies that complete the horror series are enough to get anyone hooked on the franchise as a whole. From the spooky side of visions and premonitions to exploring the supernatural and the way we see death, “Final Destination” is a series you can’t miss out on. It was recently announced that there will be a “Final Destination 6” under a new director, coming soon to HBO Max to add a new element to the series.
Where to Watch: The “Final Destination” movies are currently available on Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, and in part on Netflix. Happy Watching!