I’ve been watching Final Destination movies in theaters since the first one came out, back when TRL was still a thing and frosted tips were socially acceptable. And I’ll be watching the next dozen that Warner Bros. will likely greenlight because they’re fun and reliably entertaining.

The newest entry, Final Destination: Bloodlines, is no exception. It proves once again that Death isn’t just inevitable, it’s got a really petty to-do list.

The movie opens in 1968 at the unveiling of a restaurant and bar called the “Sky View,” perched atop an observation tower that is clearly based on Seattle’s Space Needle. As someone who once went to the top and nearly lost it trying to step onto the glass floor, this scene hit way too close to home. In that specific, terrifying way only a Final Destination movie can.

From there, Bloodlines does what the franchise does best: gives us a cursed group of people, an increasingly creative series of deaths and enough foreshadowing to make even a vending machine feel menacing.

Warning: Light spoilers ahead!

At the center of it all is college student Stefani Reyes, who’s having disturbing dreams about a disaster from 1968. Naturally, she does what any horror protagonist with good hair and bad luck would do: She goes home and starts asking way too many questions.

Turns out that her troubled grandma, Iris, once disrupted Death’s master plan and has been living in the middle of nowhere ever since, essentially as a hermit with a PhD in evading fate. She’s got a whole DIY notebook about Death’s patterns and the intensity of someone who has not had a houseguest in decades.

Grannie Iris arms Stefani with everything she’s learned and sends her off to warn the rest of the family. What follows could have been pure carnage (and don’t worry, it absolutely is), but Bloodlines adds an unexpected layer.

While the body count racks up in classic Final Destination style—no spoilers, but let’s just say OSHA would spontaneously combust watching this movie—this entry has a bizarrely wholesome subplot: Death accidentally becomes a catalyst for family healing.

Mind you, this family is mes-sy. You’ve got estranged siblings, absentee moms, warring cousins and another twist that you’ll need to experience for yourself. But in between deadly barbecues and family spats, something beautiful happens. They start talking, apologizing and working through resentment and guilt.

Bludworth’s Farewell

And just when you think Bloodlines has shown you every trick up its sleeve, it offers a truly memorable moment: a final farewell to horror legend Tony Todd.

In his last appearance as the ever-enigmatic Bludworth, Todd is only in one scene, but as always, he owns every second. A staple of every mainline installment, Bludworth has long served as the franchise’s cryptic bridge between life, death and exposition.

And to honor this icon, the directors did something special: They let Todd improvise Bludworth’s final words. And what he delivers is a simple, sincere unscripted gut punch:

“I intend to enjoy the time I have left. And I suggest you do the same. Life is precious. Enjoy every second. You never know when… Good luck.”

That’s how I wound up tearing up at a Final Destination movie. For the first time. Over a character who normally shows up to ominously whisper vague rules about Death’s hit list. That moment hit harder than any flying glass debris or block of kitchen knives.

With Todd’s final words still echoing in your chest, Bloodlines pivots right back into what this series does best. Innovative kills. Without spoiling anything, this entry delivers some of the most gloriously absurd demises in franchise history, including some that take place in a hospital. So yeah, it’s unlocked a whole new category of medical-related fears for me.

Family Matters and Epic Kills

Each sequence is a masterclass in tension-building. You’ll spot five things that could kill someone, but still get caught off guard by the one that does. It’s like Clue, but the murderer is “gravity” and the weapon is “literally anything bolted to the floor.”

By the end, you actually care about this doomed family. You want them to beat the curse, or at least die in a way that doesn’t involve surprise gardening equipment. And underneath all the chaos is a real message: trauma runs deep, but facing it together might just save you… unless a rogue log gets there first.

Final Destination: Bloodlines is everything I hoped it would be: smartly dumb, emotionally reckless and unapologetically insane. It adds just enough lore to make longtime fans happy, introduces a new set of victims (er, characters) worth rooting for and reaffirms my personal belief that nothing good ever happens on elevated glass structures.

So grab a snack (non-allergenic, please), hold your loved ones close (but not too close, they might be next), and remember: in this franchise, even therapy might come with a fatal Rube Goldberg twist.

Death may be inevitable. But at least it brought the family together first. And maybe, just maybe, it can help us appreciate the seconds we still have.