Review: Is ‘Final Destination Bloodlines’ the best horror sequel ever?

2025 / Dir. Zach Lipovsky & Adam Stein

☆ 5/5

Featuring the granddaughter of the woman whose Death-defying premonition started it all, the latest installment in the Final Destination franchise is a non-stop thrill ride that knows exactly what it is, paying homage to the genre as it goes yet still finding ways to surprise in every single scene. One by one the movie delivers the best, most outrageous deaths you’ve ever seen—beware of family barbecues, tattoo parlors, even hospital waiting rooms—which hilariously tap into the paranoia that takes over someone keen on dodging death. William Bludworth (played by the late Tony Todd), the only consistent character in the franchise, finally gets a most satisfying backstory and the opportunity to say a beautiful farewell to fans in his own words through an emotional monologue befitting his harbinger character. (“Life is precious. Enjoy every single second. Because you never know when…”) And with an absolute banger of an ending that my theater’s crowd went wild for, Final Destination Bloodlines beautifully ties up the origin stories while laying the groundwork for Death to continue doing its thing for movies to come. It might just be the greatest horror sequel ever made.

Watch if you like: horror and the theater experience of Alien: Romulus or The Cabin in the Woods.