Adam Stein, Alex Zahara, Andrew Tinpo Lee, Anna Lore, Bernard Cuffling, Brec Bassinger, Final Destination Bloodlines, Gabrielle Rose, Garfield Wilson, horror, Jayden Oniah, Max Lloyd Jones, movies, Natasha Burnett, Noah Bromley, reviews, Richard Harmon, Teo Briones, Tinpo Lee, Tony Todd, Zach Lipovsky
May 16, 2025
by Carla Hay
“Final Destination Bloodlines”
Directed by Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky
Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed suburban city in New York state, in 2024 and briefly in 1969, the horror film “Final Destination Bloodlines” (the sixth movie in the “Final Destination” franchise) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with some African Americans, Asians and multiracial people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: A college student, who has psychic abilities, finds out through horific dreams and an estranged grandmother that their family is cursed to die in order of their bloodlines of the oldest person to youngest person.
Culture Audience: “Final Destination Bloodlines” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the “Final Destination” movie series and gory supernatural horror movies that have touches of comedy.
“Final Destination Bloodlines” delivers the expected scenes of gory deaths. But what makes it one of the better “Final Destination” films is the suspense and the movie’s willingness to defy a stereotypical horror movie ending. Sensitive viewers be warned: This movie is very bloody and gruesome. However, there is some effective use of comedy to lighten the mood.
Directed by Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, “Final Destination Bloodlines” was written by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor. It’s the sixth movie in the “Final Destination” series, which began with 2000’s “Final Destination.” Each of the “Final Destination” movies is about a group of people who cheated death by escaping from an accident or disaster that killed many other people. Death finds them anyway, and each person who “escaped” is killed—almost always by a freak accident.
The previous “Final Destination” films had the groups of doomed people share something in common, such as a previous escape from death. The groups of people were either strangers and/or friends. In “Final Destination Bloodlines,” the group of people trying to escape from death are all family members who are biologically related.
“Final Destination” begins with a stunning sequence of a disaster that takes place in an unnamed suburban city in New York state in 1969. (“Final Destination Bloodlines” was actually filmed in Canada.) It’s the evening of the grand opening of a major attraction in the area: The Skyview Restaurant, a glass-enclosed upscale eatery located in a circular tower observatory that is 594 feet tall, with the restaurant located at the top. Johnny Cash’s 1963 classic song “Ring of Fire” is playing on a radio in the movie’s opening scene. The song’s title could be considered a foreshadowing what will happen to the Skyview Restaurant.
Paul Campbell (played by Max Lloyd Jones) and his girlfriend Iris (played by Brec Bassinger), who are both in their early-to-mid-20s, have arrived at the Skyview for a romantic date. Paul has brought Iris to the Skyview as a surprise. But to his dismay, Paul founds out that a guy named Jake, one of the Skyview employees who was their connection to get a restaurant reservation at this exclusive event, has just been fired. The snooty maître d’ (played by Bernard Cuffling) says there is no reservation under Paul’s name and firmly say that all of the tables are booked for the entire event.
Paul is very embarrassed but Iris is understanding. Paul tells Iris, “I wanted this night to be perfect.” Iris responds, “It is perfect because I’m with you.” Paul and Iris don’t want to leave the Skyview on its opening night, so they decide to hang out at the bar and do some dancing on the dance floor. The floor of the restaurant is made entirely of glass, so when people look down, they can see how far up they are above the ground. It’s not a good place to be if anyone easily gets vertigo.
Just like the Titanic, this launch event turns out to be a disaster. It starts with a bratty, foul-mouthed unnamed kid (played by Noah Bromley), who’s about 7 or 8 years old, who wants to throw a penny over the balcony railing, even though he’s been told by the staff not to do that. The kid does it anyway. He and everyone else don’t see that the penny gets stuck in a blade that’s part of the elevator operations.
A live band is playing the Isley Brothers’ 1959 hit “Shout” to a packed dance floor that includes Paul and Iris shimmying along to the music. The band has two singers—Evie (played by Natasha Burnett) and Chuck (played by Garfield Wilson)—who are both great at engaging the crowd. Evie has brought her son (played by Jayden Oniah) with her to work, with the implication being that she couldn’t get a babysitter for her son, who’s about 5 years old.
Earlier in the evening, Iris was feeling nauseous and walked quickly to the women’s restroom because she felt like she was going to vomit. While on a break, Evie noticed Iris looking sick near the restroom. Evie immediately figured out that Iris was feeling nauseous not because of the Skyview’s height but because of something else that Iris has been keeping a secret for a few months. Iris admits her secret to Evie and says she hasn’t told Paul yet. (Iris’ secret is exactly what you think it is.)
This review won’t go into details about what happens in the Skyview disaster, but it’s enough to say that Iris survived. About 55 years later, Iris’ granddaughter Stefani Reyes (played by Kaitlyn Santa Juana) has been having bad dreams and losing a lot of sleep because of these horrific visions, which happen at all hours of the day and night. Stefani is an overachieving college student, but she’s recently been put on academic probation because her lack of sleep has been negatively affecting her grades. If Stefani’s grades don’t improve, she could lose her college scholarship and would have to leave the school.
“Final Destination” has a lot of twists and turns that shouldn’t be revealed in advance, in order for people to get the most enjoyment out of the movie. However, it’s essential to mention that Iris Campbell (played by Gabrielle Rose) is now an elderly recluse who has been shunned by her family members because they all think she’s mentally ill and emotionally toxic. Stefani does some research about the Skyview and finds out that she has been dreaming about seeing Iris at the Skyview during its disastrous opening night. Stefani’s roommate suggests that Stefani find out as much about Iris as possible.
Iris has two children: Howard Campbell (played by Alex Zahara) and Darlene Campbell (played by Rya Kihlstedt), who are both angry and resentful of widowed Iris because she was so overprotective of them in their childhood, it was abusive. Darlene is Stefani’s mother. Howard says near the beginning of the movie that Iris was overprotective of them because Iris had an irrational fear that Howard and Darlene would die horrible and untimely deaths. According to Howard, Iris had some type of mental breakdown after Iris’ husband Paul died. Iris eventually lost custody of Howard and Darlene, who grew up in foster care.
Darlene has also been vilified as a “bad mother” for a different reason: Darlene abandoned her family when Stefani was 10 years old. After this abandonment, Darlene’s ex-husband Marty Reyes (played by Tinpo Lee, also known as Andrew Tinpo Lee) raised Stefani and Stefani’s younger brother Charlie (played by Teo Briones) as a single parent. In 2024, Stefani is about 21, while Charlie is about 17 or 18. Stefani is bitter about Darlene’s abandonment, while Charlie is more willing to forgive Darlene. It’s not spoiler information to say that Darlene comes back into her family members’ lives because of a funeral for someone in the family.
Howard is happily married to a homemaker named Brenda (played by April Amber Telek), and they have three kids together: Eldest child Erik (played by Richard Harmon), who’s in his late 20s to early 30s, is a tattooed and pierced sarcastic rebel who works at a shop where he does tattoos and piercings. Middle child Julia (played by Anna Lore), who’s in her early-to-mid 20s, is spoiled and a little bit of a “mean girl,” who seems jealous of and annoyed by Stefani, who used to have a close friendship with Julia. Youngest child Bobby (played by Owen Patrick Joyner), who’s about 17 or 18 years old, is a straight-laced people pleaser who’s a little goofy.
Stefani wants to visit Iris, but Howard and Marty refuse to tell Stefani where Iris lives. Iris lives “off the grid” somewhere, which is why Iris is hard to find. However, Brenda tells Stefani where to look to find Iris’ address. It’s how Stefani finds out where Iris lives and goes to visit this estranged grandmother. During this visit, Stefani finds out about the family curse and how death is coming for all of Iris’ biological relatives in a short period of time.
“Final Destination Bloodlines” explains in advance in what order each person is expected to be killed. Knowing who is next to be killed is not where the suspense is. The movie’s suspense is finding out how they will be killed and if they’re able to escape. Some of the possible impending deaths are just clever jump scares. Other impending deaths actually happen.
As far as horror movies go, “Final Destination Bloodlines” has better-than-average acting and visual effects. Santa Juana and Harmon are the clear standouts in the cast because Stefani and Erik have the most outspoken personalities. “Final Destination Bloodlines” is the last film for horror movie icon Tony Todd, who died of stomach cancer in 2024, when he was 69 years old. The end of the movie shows a title card saying that movie is in memory of Todd, who has a cameo role in “Final Destination Bloodlines” as a character named William John “JB” Bludworth.
“Final Destination Bloodlines” succeeds in its intentions to make the kills as squirm-inducing to watch as possible. The movie’s comic relief comes mostly from Erik, who becomes the most skeptical of the family curse. The reason for Erik’s skepticism is shown in the movie. Is “Final Destination Bloodlines” the type of movie that will win major awards? Of course not. But it’s a non-stop captivating ride for the movie’s target audience. Just be prepared to see a lot of blood and guts along the way.
Warner Bros. Pictures released “Final Destination Bloodlines” in U.S. cinemas on May 16, 2025.