Final Destination: Bloodlines Movie Review : This franchise is still to die for

Story: Fraught by a bloody nightmare involving her grandmother Iris and her fiancé Paul, Stephanie Reyes is desperate to find answers. Now, with time running out, she must convince her skeptical relatives to confront the curse before it’s too late.

Review: When it comes to horror franchises that keep digging fresh graves, Final Destination still leads the pack. Built on a chillingly simple premise — you can never outrun death. It returns after 14 years with its sixth installment, Final Destination: Bloodlines. This time, directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, along with writers Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor, don’t try to rewrite fate, they simply give it a sharp new edge.

Told through the eyes of Stephanie (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), a high school student plagued by disturbing dreams of her grandmother Iris (Gabrielle Rose), the story takes us back to 1968 — when a premonition saved lives at the grand opening of the Skyview Restaurant. But as always, there’s a deadly catch. In this world, survival only delays the inevitable. “Death doesn’t like to be cheated,” as Iris warns — and it’s a promise the film keeps with gory precision.

The tension lies not in the if, but the when and more importantly, how. The film plays beautifully on this anticipation, as Stephanie’s interference puts her entire bloodline in death’s crosshairs. As a viewer, you’re morbidly hooked, watching ordinary moments turn into ticking time bombs.

While the tone is a little more campy this time, it surprisingly works. There’s dark humour sprinkled between the blood splatters, adding a bit of bite to the brutality. Among the cast, Erik (Richard Harmon) stands out. His tattoos and piercings offer a twisted canvas for maximum pain. But does he meet his fate? That’s for viewers to find out.

The background score is loud but mostly in sync with the chaos. Each kill is creatively set up, rooted in everyday life — a franchise staple that remains strong. One moment it’s a ceiling fan, the next, a stray bolt. Everyday life has never felt more lethal.

Technically, the film holds up well. Christian Sebaldt’s cinematography captures the eerie nostalgia of the 1960s and the cold dread of the present. Rachel O’Toole’s production design keeps everything grounded, making the terror feel real. The visual effects are mostly solid, though the climax leans a bit too far into spectacle, stretching logic more than necessary.

Still, Final Destination: Bloodlines doesn’t just follow the rules, it respects the roots. For longtime fans, it brings back the fear, the fun, and that familiar feeling that no one and nothing is safe. It’s sharp, spooky, and quite frankly…to die for.