It has been 14 years since we have had a Final Destination movie. Horror fans everywhere are long overdue for some more grisly deaths due to cheating Death. Final Destination Bloodlines is the sixth installment, and critics already seem to be praising it. I am a huge fan of this franchise and love how inventive each addition has been.
For those that don’t know, the Final Destination franchise has a formula. One character has a vision. They usually see a big accident that causes a lot of deaths, and they warn many other characters, saving their lives. But you can’t cheat Death’s design. The rest of the movie consists of our survivors dying one by one in some gruesome deaths. It is simply delightful.
With the next installment coming to theaters this weekend, I thought it was time to look back and talk about some of the best deaths across the franchise. Excluding premonitions, here are the top 10 best Final Destination deaths from the first five movies.
10. Final Destination- The Bus
One of the simplest deaths in the franchise is also one of the most shocking. When the cast of the first movie is arguing on the sidewalk, Terri stops everyone because she is tired of all the fighting before stepping into the street and suddenly being taken out by a speeding bus. It may not be the most creative kill on this list, but it was startling.
9. Final Destination – Scrap Metal
Billy is a fan favorite from the first movie, and he is played wonderfully by Sean William Scott. This death is quick as well, but the setup is what makes it a good one. The audience thinks Carter is about to get run over by a train, just for Billy to suddenly get his head sawed off.
8. Final Destination 2 – The Fire Escape
This is the first death of Final Destination 2, and it sure is a fun one. Evan just won the lottery and thinks that he is the luckiest guy alive. He does everything wrong, which includes putting a magnet in the microwave and putting his hand down the garbage disposal. He ultimately sets his apartment on fire and meets his demise when he slips on spaghetti he tossed out the window. The fire escape ladder pierces his eyeball and kills him. Moral of the story: don’t litter.
7. Final Destination- Mrs. Lewton’s House
Mrs. Lewton gets it bad. Rube Goldberg is on full display here. This is the one that feels the most like a cartoon to me in the best way possible. Mrs Lewton is trying to move out of her house, but Death has other ideas. We have items such as a computer, a chair, knives, and a coffee mug, all trying to kill her. It’s fun, funny, and memorable.
6. Final Destination 2- Barbed Wire Fence
Rory has one of the best deaths in Final Destination 2. After asking another character if they would throw out his drugs and pornography in case he dies so his mom doesn’t find them, he does indeed die. He dies in one of the most gruesome ways: he gets sliced into pieces by a flying barbed wire fence. It happens suddenly. You see everything. And it is just so satisfying.
5. Final Destination 5- Eye Surgery
Rube Goldberg deaths are the best in these movies, but sometimes waiting anxiously for something you know is coming hurts very much. This is one of the nastier deaths. Olivia goes for eye surgery in what should be a routine procedure. Things do not go well. The laser eventually overheats and burns through Olivia’s eye. She doesn’t even die from this, though. She screams in agony and ends up slipping out the window. Death is cruel.
4. Final Destination – Shower Cord
Tod is the first death of the franchise, and he is memorable because we get to see Death work out its plan for the first time. This is also one of the only deaths to look like a suicide attempt. Tod slips in the bathroom and the shower cord wraps around his neck, suffocating him. It’s brutal, and considering Tod was presented as a possible main character, it was surprising.
3. Final Destination 2 – Glass Pane
Tim is at the dentist, and we get a lot of fake outs throughout his dentist visit with things including fish and electricity. It is a great setup that leads to a gnarly death. Tim runs outside and is crushed by a pane of glass. We don’t get to see kids die in this franchise usually.
2. Final Destination 3 – Tanning Beds
This is probably the most intense and meanest death in the franchise. The only reason it isn’t number one is that it isn’t taken as seriously, and the tension isn’t there. Having said that, this is so brutal. Ashley and Ashlyn decide to go tan and end up being cooked alive inside their tanning beds. It is long with a great song in the background. The icing on the cake is when both of their burning tanning beds transition into both of their caskets.
1. Final Destination 5 – Gymnastics
This, as of right now, is the best death in the franchise. Candace is practicing her gymnastics routine, and the tension here is the best that it could possibly be. A nail falls on the bar that we see her practicing on, and the whole time, we are cringing and holding our breath because we know something bad is going to happen. She gets through her routine and ends up dying when another gymnast steps on the nail and causes a chain of events that cause Candance to fall. Her whole body twists and bones break, leading this to be one of the most gruesome deaths while having the best tension surrounding it.
Are you going to watch Final Destination Bloodlines? I can’t wait to see what new, clever deaths the movie has in store for us.
