Things to Remember Before Final Destination Bloodlines

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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re revisiting the deadly roller coaster ride that is the “Final Destination” series.


With “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” the series is set to receive its first entry in 14 years! So here’s everything you need to know about the first five films to catch up in time for the 2025 sequel. Plus, a breakdown of what to expect from “Bloodlines.” Spoilers ahead!

THE TIMELINE

Like with any lengthy franchise, the “Final Destination” timeline has become a bit convoluted. The first film kicks off in 1999 (later retconned to 2000), when high school student Alex Browning prevents a group of classmates from boarding a doomed airplane. One year later, “Final Destination 2” picks up with the highway pileup that initiates the sequel’s chain of disastrous events. Death then jumps ahead to 2005, for “Final Destination 3’s” off the rails wreck. Here’s where things get complicated. The fourth installment, set in 2009, dropped the numbering and went for a unique title, “The Final Destination,” suggesting that it would be the final film in the series. Although it was the most critically panned, it also managed to be the most commercially successful—perhaps in part due to its 3D gimmick—and so, a fifth film was greenlit.


“Final Destination 5,” released in 2011, seemingly takes place after the events of the fourth film. However, the characters never reference the earlier entries, a trend set by former protagonists. Other small clues, like an easily overlooked flip phone, eventually lead to a shocking twist ending that turns the timeline on its head. As lovebirds Sam and Molly board a flight to Paris, eager to celebrate their new lease on life, they witness a disturbance on the plane. Turns out, this is Alex Browning warning passengers of the impending explosion that sets the first film into motion. So this makes “Final Destination 5” a prequel, and the fourth film’s events the most chronologically recent. But that’s set to change according to the synopsis for “Final Destination: Bloodlines.” Although it’ll feature a prologue set in the ‘60s, when a woman witnesses the collapse of a building before it happens, the story will then pick up in current time with her granddaughter experiencing similar visions.

SERIES CONNECTIONS

So how are the sequels related to one another? Apart from the easter eggs we’ll get to later, the films don’t have a ton of storyline overlap. Clear Rivers, a student who beats death’s list in the first movie, does appear in “Final Destination 2.” She’s recruited by that story's lead, Kimberly Corman, to help cheat death’s design again. In a key scene, the pileup survivors realize they all have some cosmic connection to the characters in the first film, even if just through pure coincidence. From here, the sequels become a bit disjointed. While researching premonitions, protagonists in the third and fourth films do learn about Flight 180. However, this merely serves as a plot device to carry the story forward, offering some guidance to the shaken visionaries. Of course, the final sequence of “Final Destination 5” overlaps with the first sequence of “Final Destination.” Despite only having minor connections, there is one fan favorite who plays a small but vital role in a number of entries.

WILLIAM BLUDWORTH

The series’ mortician, played by late horror icon Tony Todd, appears in films 1, 2, and 5 to share some interesting insights with the survivors. Bludworth knows a great deal about the accidents, premonitions, and even the characters themselves. His omnipresence has even led to some fan theories that he’s death itself, though this remains unconfirmed. Through cryptic and menacing innuendos, Bludworth provides some potential solutions for those hoping to defy their karmic fates. However, these methods never quite pan out. After all, Bludworth is very clear that once you cheat death, you’ll find yourself on the grim reaper’s list. And in every case, he’ll come knocking very soon. By “Final Destination 5,” Bludworth has been promoted to coroner, once again planting mysterious seeds about death’s design. Todd will reprise his role in “Bloodlines,” but due to his tragic passing in 2024, it’ll be one of his final features.

DEATH'S PLAYBOOK

Destiny is a recurring theme throughout the series. Interestingly, the premise of the first film was originally slated as an episode of “The X-Files,” before being adapted into its own movie. So the supernatural undertones of the universe have permeated every entry. While trying to understand death’s design, characters reference omens, actions and reactions, and butterfly effects. One common pattern intertwines every film: those who defied death will inevitably perish in the same order they did during the premonition. An exception comes in “Final Destination 2,” where the characters are taken out in reverse order thanks to Clear’s involvement. In trying to break this cursed pattern, the protagonists launch a number of intriguing albeit unsuccessful campaigns. There’s the theory that the creation of a new life could restore vitality, that the protagonist’s self-inflicted demise would disrupt the order, or that killing another person will grant you their lifetime. Ultimately, we’re reminded of Bludwurth’s chilling warning: “You can’t cheat death. There are no escapes.” In other words, nothing has worked. Another rule established by the series is that if your life is saved, death simply skips you and moves on to the next victim until it’s your turn again. As they fall one by one, the doomed characters realize that even scrambling the order won’t invalidate the plan—they’ll always end up right where the reaper wanted them to be from the beginning. Even if the inventive death scenes are the main draw, “Final Destination” is at its best when it explores these existential questions about life and death. If you could see how you were going to die, would you want to know? If you intervene in death’s plans for you, what negative ripple will this have for someone else? Since “Bloodlines” will trace this bizarre phenomenon over several decades, it’ll be interesting to see how the family navigates the prophesized chain of events.

SEER POWERS

Every “Final Destination” protagonist experiences some kind of psychic ability to witness tragic events before they occur. It manifests as dreams, signs from the universe, and even just intense feelings. Oddly, the writers never actually investigate why the protagonists have these gifts or how they’ve suddenly harnessed them. But this could be fleshed out more in “Bloodlines,” given the setup that these ghostly premonitions are passed on from one generation to the next. Perhaps it’s hereditary. Perhaps all the seers in the “Final Destination” universe are more connected than we thought.

SERIES SURVIVORS

So many legacy horror franchises have seen their original final girls return to thwart evil as of late. However, this likely won’t be the case for “Bloodlines” given that there’s virtually no one left. Alex Browning is confirmed dead via a newspaper article in “Final Destination 2,” where Clear meets her end too. There are no survivors by the time the credits roll in films 3, 4, and 5. However, Kimberly and love interest Thomas Burke from the second movie are still canonically alive—that is, unless you count a run in with a woodchipper that’s alluded to in 3’s DVD bonus features. Because this is an alternate scene excluded from the theatrical release, it’s safe to say they’re the only survivors of death’s plan in the “Final Destination” universe. Given how much time has passed, it would be pretty shocking if these two managed to avoid death’s grip for over a decade. But we’re not counting out a potential cameo, or at least a few references and flashbacks to other prominent characters—dead as they may be.

EASTER EGGS

The series is filled with a ton of meta callbacks to its own entries that only diehard fans will pick up on. The racecar that eventually causes the crash in the fourth movie is seen in “Final Destination 5.” A poster for “Clear River Waters,” which matches the name of a major character in the series, is visible in “The Final Destination.” One particular brand of beer just keeps appearing when characters meet their end throughout several films. Apart from the self referential easter eggs, “Final Destination” also references pop culture. The characters in the first film all share last names with iconic horror movie directors: Billy Hitchcock, for example. But the one biggest easter egg that appears time and time again is the number 180, the flight number from the first movie. Whether in a reflection or as an anagram, the numbers 1-8-0 are the most recurring indicator that the same deadly pattern we’ve all become so familiar with is playing out once again. So be on the lookout for it in “Bloodlines!”


Speaking of “Bloodlines,” let us know what layers of death’s plan you hope to see unravel in the upcoming film. Share your thoughts down below.