Pop Culture Happy Hour - Final Destination Bloodlines

Episode Date: May 16, 2025

You can't beat death. That's the message of the Final Destination film franchise. Almost 15 years after the last new installment, we're back with Final Destination Bloodlines, a movie all about the fact that you really, really, really can't beat death. It will come for you, and in fact, it may come for your whole family — in the most convoluted, bloody, gnarly ways it possibly can.Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

You Can't Beat Death. That's been the message of the final destination movies since the first film came out in 2000. Now, almost 15 years after the last new installment, the franchise is back with Final Destination Bloodlines, a movie all about the fact that you really, really, really can't beat death. It will come for you, and in fact, it may come for your whole family in the most convoluted, bloody, gnarly ways it possibly can. I'm Linda Holmes, and today we're talking about Final Destination Bloodlines on Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR. Joining me today is Walter Chow. He is a writer, critic, and film instructor at the University of Colorado.

Welcome back, Walter. Thank you so much for having me. Delightful to see you. Also with us is freelance music and culture journalist Rana Cruz. Hello, Rihanna. Howdy, Linda? Happy to be here. Delightful to be here with you both.

So Final Destination Bloodlines begins in. in the late 1960s, with a long set piece about a disaster at a restaurant that, of course, comes to involve the cheating of death. We then make our way to the present where college student Stephanie, played by Caitlin Santowana, is haunted by dreams of that disaster and goes in search of her reclusive grandmother to get the scoop. She learns that her entire family is in death's crosshairs. And even though they know it's coming for them, there is little they can do to.

stop it or is there. Stephanie, her estranged mother, her brother and her cousins decide to band together and try to avoid their terrible fate. Are people going to die? Oh, yes. Are they going to go through a lot of almost dying before actually dying? Very much so, yes. Final Destination Bloodlines is in theaters now. Please drive carefully on your way to the theater and do not walk under anything heavy. I'm going to start with you, Rihanna. You are a connoisseur. of these films as I understand it. Oh, yeah. How did you like this one?

I really enjoyed it. I rewatched the entire franchise recently. I love these movies. I love like a 2000s horror franchise. You know, like my favorite movie is Saw, right? So this is very clearly my wheelhouse. And I really love this movie. I think it's right in the middle of the franchise in terms of quality, which is to say

it's good. I'm usually cautious with a late franchise sequel. But I was surprised when. with how well this movie fits into the larger context of the series. The premonition at the beginning is one of the best in the series, I think. Some of the kills in the movie had my jaw on the floor. It feels fun and playful while also kind of toying with what we know about the quote-unquote rules of the franchise. Really my only criticism is that I wish it was a little punchier.

What is your favorite movie in the franchise? Well, I like the first one, classic with the plane. And I also like the roller coaster one, which I believe is three. I asked that question partly because this was my first one of these. I have seen parts of the other ones in like various horror compilations on YouTube. I'm a person who for a long time watched those like most adventurous kills and horror movies compilations. Right. Watch mojo.

Shut out. Exactly. So I've seen like various little things. But this is my first full one. So I was just curious what the, what your favorite one was. Walter, what did you think of this one? Really kind of the same. I love these movies so much, just because, you know, the way that you described it,

like, we're all going to die. We avoid dying a lot of times before we die, and we think about those things all the way up to the time that we do die. I think all of our lives until we die are sort of the accidental avoidance of death. And there's something really sort of philosophical in Zen about these films, ultimately, because what they're saying is, you know, you can spend all of the rest of your life worrying about all of the little, you know, Byzantine, Rube Goldbergian things that could happen to you that will make you die.

Or just tell that girl that you like her. Go have a Ruperture. You know that bestraming sandwich? Eat that. Because a highway overpass might follow you. Or, you know, you're walking down the street and a piano hysterically, you know, falls out of a building. There's so little that we can actually control. I think that's so attractive to me, ultimately, that this movie's kind in a way.

The series is kind for as violent and bilariously gory. It is. There's this bedrock of, you know, gathering you rosebuds while you may, because everybody is going to die. There's just this absolute inevitability. And it doesn't have to be nihilistic. You can just be sort of part of it. You know, I don't go into it thinking, I'm going to feel really spiritually fulfilled by the next final destination. But I do leave it kind of feeling that way, and especially with this one, because it's Tony Todd's last appearance in any film. I consider Tony a friend to see him. And his final state kind of really emaciated and obviously ill. Yeah. It was hard. It was really hard. But hearing what he had to say, the filmmakers did let him say, sort of improvised his last lines in a way. Wow.

Yeah. It's beautiful. Yeah. Go love on somebody. Yeah. Go let yourself be loved. You know, life is brief. And I'm like, oh, geez, I didn't expect that from this, I guess.

But looking back, all these movies are a little bit like that. I just love it. Yeah. It's interesting. You mentioned the thing about. people have these experiences where something terrible almost happens and then you don't really know how to process it. I was thinking about the fact that it's funny, but it's not funny. And you have that feeling of the day that you had and the day that you almost had, all horror in a way is getting at these like underlying fears that everybody has. But this one in particular, I think because I don't necessarily worry about a person with a hockey mask running around trying to kill me.

Right. But these things, because there is no person, because it's just the hostility of the world sometimes and that stuff just happens, I really greatly enjoy this, both because it's funny. And I mean, at this point, this is very, very knowing. Like, they constantly are sort of, when they come to a new scene, they'll show you all the little pieces of everything in the room and everything that is there because they want you to think about, oh, how is this all going to. combined to try to kill this person. Has that seemed into your real life? Have you started walking in their rooms now and looking around and saying, oh, that microphone's a little bit afraid and maybe this.

Yeah, I think I will. But I admire so much a movie where somebody can give a speech. And I think they do this in a number of these, where somebody gives a speech that not only explains we're all going to die, but it explains what order we're going to tell you. And the fact that you can be told what order, people are going to die in, which like they may play with here and there in different tricky ways. But for the most part, they are telling you the order of kills in this movie.

And it still is fun to watch and in its own way suspenseful. And I think it's because part of you is always thinking like, man, I really hope they figure out a way to not die. And then you go, oh, well, yeah. My question was always, you know, does it end if they just die a natural death? What is actual victory in this? Just sustaining your life a little bit longer. And they deal with that in this one. They also deal with it in the second film,

where they have a character that sort of insulates themselves. They sort of put themselves in a pad and room literally in the second film. And in this one, they have sort of like an outpost where they don't let anybody in. It reminds me of this old Twilight Zone, remember, with Robert Redford in it, where he plays death as Robert Redford. And he convinces this old lady to let him in, finally. And she does. and it's not so bad.

It's much worse to be living in the sort of bunker, afraid of anything that might happen that would kill you. And there's such a, for us especially in the pandemic age and the constant barrage of horrible images age, there's something about that that's a little bit freeing for me even to say, look, yes, it's if I spend any more time than I can thinking about the horrible things in the world that are happening to people, I will go nuts because I can't do anything, not as much as I want to.

But is there a place that I can still be happy? Is there a place that you can still find joy? I agree with you, Walter. I mean, I feel like me personally, right? Like, I have really terrible anxiety. I have health anxiety specifically. It's followed me through my whole life. And yet, when I was a kid, you know, because I was growing up when these movies were coming out, right?

So, like, as a child, I would come across, like, clips of the log truck, you know, decimating the multi-car pile up from Final Destination 2. And that would stick with me, right? Like, these are kills that have stuck with me in my entire life. There's this multi-car bridge collapse that I think about every time I drive over a bridge. Like, these are images that have stuck with me in my entire life. And I feel like it would be counterintuitive for me to love these movies because I have such tremendous anxiety. And yet, I agree.

Like, there's something exhilarating about watching these. It feels kind of voyeuristic, like you're watching people live out your worst fears. Yes. Especially in this one, there's a couple of kills in bloodlines that play on very specific anxieties that I have in the back of my brain. Like, what if this MRI magnet is picking up something that I don't realize, you know, like things like that? time I hear something about that, I'm always like, oh, God. Yeah. I am never getting certain piercings.

No, exactly. I'm just telling you right now. There's, there's a running gag in this movie about a guy with too many piercings. I was already convinced, but I am doubly triply convinced. It can backfire, yeah. I was watching this movie and I was like, what if I got an MRI and I forgot to take out my nose piercing? Like, very specific anxieties that you see played out on the big screen, both personal and irrational. and, you know, what if my estranged family member comes back into my life? You're like, things like that are all showcased. And yet, yeah, there is like a very freeing element to it. Right. Isn't it reassuring to have your worldview confirmed? Yeah. Yeah.

And I think Gran is right. Like the opening sequence that I talked about at the restaurant, it's not just like a restaurant. It's like, it's basically like if you think about the space needle, like a restaurant at the top of a structure like that. That's all glass on the outside. Yep. And if you've ever been to any kind of structure like that, like, you know, some people are completely unbothered and they're like, that's cool. Other people, you get up there and the whole time you're just thinking about I could fall

through the glass, I could fall out the side and can't process that kind of thing without that thought. And so I think you're absolutely right. They're pretty good in this movie at finding those kind of back of your mind. Stephen King is good at this too sometimes, finding the thing that lives in the back of your head that as soon as you see it, you're like, I am always afraid of that. Like the logs on the log trucks. Same thing with like in this movie, I will say garbage trucks, certain other things. Yes. But I also think, and this is kind of what you guys were talking about, I think everybody

has the moment in their life. And for some people, it's very early and for some people it's later, where you legitimately, not intellectually, but emotionally, you think, oh, I'm going to die someday. Yeah. And I have no idea what it's going to look like or when it's going to be, but there's going to be a last day. And I think this idea that you can't cheat death, fundamentally that's true, right? Like, fundamentally, it's going to come for everybody. And I think what Walter's talking about, which is that there's almost something comforting about a movie or a movie concept that says, this is what you're scared of.

Yes, it's true. however, what are you going to do? Like that's kind of, and that's kind of what the Tony Todd speech in this movie is. It's like, yes, these are the things that are going to happen, but you have a lot of options between now and then, other than sitting around and worrying about it. And that, to me, I'm also an anxiety person. Yeah. That to me in some ways is powerful and helpful. By no means I don't think is this diminishing anyone's anxieties at all.

not saying you're silly for having them. You're absolutely, in fact, right to be anxious about all of it if you follow along with the movies. But the movie also has that flip side, right? I think all of them kind of do, except maybe number four, which I found to be kind of mean. But there's this flip side that always is saying, hey, but, you know, you're here with the girl that you love. You get to tell your dad that you're sorry before you go.

These little reminders throughout, you know, in the middle of the mayhem and the fun. I'm not making, I don't want to make this to the notebook or something, but, you There's these moments in these movies. Always, I find that are really reassuring. Yeah. I also find it really funny. I think that they have a really good balance. And people who listen to the show know that I recently talked about my fondness for

fight or flight, the Josh Hartnett movie where he gets into a bunch of fights with a bunch of various movie fight types on this plane. What I liked about that movie and what I like about this movie is there's a very fine balance where you can have nastiness but not mean. meanness in a way. And this one in particular, even more than that one, this one does have a sense of like, gotcha. And, you know, a little bit of that feels like it's funny on purpose. All of the references to like people almost dying or something where you're looking at this thinking, oh, that's something terrible is going to happen right there. This car is going to come, this whatever. And then it doesn't happen. Those are all basically gags. And I appreciated that. I really do prefer. a scary movie with some humor to it. It's almost like that kid's book, you know, everybody poops. Like, there's something comforting about this, that at some point we're going to be dead, and every happens to everybody. There's nothing to really be embarrassed about.

And in fact, if you die in a really Byzantine kind of way, it's kind of funny. It becomes a story you might be able to tell. Well, these movies are really playful throughout the whole franchise, and that's what I enjoy about them, particularly as the series goes on. Like the first one, and I'd say the second one, are really kind of self-serious in a way that's charming. But later on, the series knows that you're waiting for these Rube Goldberg freak accidents. So, you know, all of a sudden you get tons of flammable liquid just spilled in every scene and you're kind of waiting for it to get lit on fire. There's random things hanging around.

This movie, Bloodlines, it has a really long barbecue scene that I think, is really interesting because it sets up all of these little kind of traps throughout that you think are going to amount to something. Like there's one part where there's a piece of glass that falls into ice and then ice gets scooped in everyone's drink and you're waiting for somebody to drink the drink with the glass in it. And there's all these shots of people like taking really cautious, contentious, like contentious sips and you're kind of waiting for the other shoe drop and it sort of never does. And that's funny. Like I like how these movies feel very playful and yet at the same time give us a little bit more to chew on in terms of lore. Like I think that's where other movies in the franchise kind of falter because there's all these Rube Goldberg deaths and nothing else to stand on really. And this movie gives us lore, it gives us new rules, which I appreciate.

It has a humanity to it that I think. is necessary for these late franchise installments. Felt the same way about Saw 10, where it kind of comes in and you're looking at things in a new way, considering things in a new light, giving you a little bit more humanity to stand on. And I think it's successful in that regard. I'm so glad, Rihanna, that you mentioned the scene with the barbecue, because the other thing that you will learn from these movies, if you are not a person who has, like, grown

up watching a ton of horror and a ton of, like, bloody movies, is which things you are most squeamish about? Because there are things that happen in this movie that are much. much more upsetting than ice in a drink. And yet when they all, when there was ice in the drinks, that's when I was like looking off to the side because I didn't want to look directly at the screen. My favorite show is bar rescue. Like watching that, I was like, that's exactly something that would happen. And that's the thing. Yes. It feels closer. Yeah. To something that would happen to me than being attacked by some large machine or something like that. So naturally,

that's the thing where I'm a little more twitchy and I don't really want to. watch everybody put ice in their mouth because I don't know whether it's glass because there are so many different ways that people die in these movies. You'll start to be like, oh, yeah, this is what I really am uncomfortable looking at. Yeah. And they absolutely feel many of them like things that could really happen. That's why it's gross. Anyway, I think we all enjoyed this movie. I now consider myself a follower of this franchise. I hope that y'all enjoy it too. Tell us what you think about Final Destination Bloodlines. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com slash PCH and on Letterbox at letterbox.com slash NPR pop culture. We will have a link in our episode description. Up next, what's making us happy

this week? Now it is time for our favorite segment of this week and every week. What's making us happy this week? Walter, what is making you happy this week? Well, I've been obsessed with a new Julian Baker and Torres collaboration album. It's called Send a Prayer My Way. It's a Western, an album. I have been a huge fan of Julian Baker's, that she came on the scene as a solo artist, and then she joined the Supergroup Boy Genius, or founded rather, with Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. I always thought of Phoebe Bridgers is sort of the star of them, but Julian Baker is sort of the Jody Mitchell or Bob Dylan, the real poet of them, the way that she can essay her melancholy and her fall for religion and her addiction and then her return to spirituality. All of those

stories are so compelling and she does them in a way that never fails to make me cry. So when she announced that she was going to do a country album, I was like, yes, this sugar in the tank kind of is a throwback to all of that, really clever lyrics, really twangy vocals, unapologetically queer, as brilliant as all of her other stuff, teamed up with McKinsey Scott, who performs as Torres. It's just really kind of a dream combination and a project that was five years in the making. So I just couldn't recommend it more. My favorite track is the third one.

It's called Sugar in the Tank. It kind of is a great song, Sugar in My Bowl, and the tradition of these double-on-taunts and these secretly naughty, highly romantic. to songs of longing and eroticism. And it's just, I don't know, it really is floating my boat. So that's Julian Baker and Torres singing Sugar in the Tank. Thank you very much, Walter. Rianna Cruz, what is making you happy this week? I'm going to give you guys a movie. So I saw this film a week and a half ago and haven't stopped thinking about it since. The film, Ephis, by Carson Lund.

Oh, sure. I haven't seen that yet, but I want to. It's really great. I highly recommend. It's a new independent movie about baseball. These two older baseball recreation teams are closing out their favorite baseball field before it gets paved over for school. And it's the last game. It takes place in this New England town. And I really love the humanity in this movie. I think, like, there's a lot of talk about the quote unquote male loneliness epidemic. But watching this, you see all of these older guys kind of grapple with the fact that this period in their life is ending and nobody really knows how to deal with it.

So you have all of these men of various ages in this suburban town talk to each other about how their baseball era is ending. And there's a certain intimacy to it. And there's a certain sense of on we that kind of permeates effort. single shot. And there's so much that's shown in this movie, but also not shown. And you kind of put your own emotions into it. You know, when I was watching it, it was very evocative for me. I started to smell the dandelions on my brother's little league field. I started to get homesick. I don't know. There's a simplicity to it. It's hard for me to articulate just why this movie left such a deep impact on me because it's, you know, really about a bunch of like 40-year-old white guys.

But I really enjoyed it. And I highly recommend it. It's very breezy, really lovely movie. So that's Ephis. It is available on VOD. Thank you very much, Rihanna. I have been struggling mightily with earworms for the last few months. Just things get in my head and I can't get them out to the point where it's actually sort of

uncomfortable. I think it may be an anxiety symptom anyway. One of the things that I was singing to myself was from the cartoon interstitial series Schoolhouse Rock. Wow. I am very, very much the exact spot on Schoolhouse Rock generation. My Saturday morning cartoons were accompanied by this. And I started going and looking for them and I discovered something I personally did not know, which is that they are all on Disney Plus. Oh, wow. The history ones are highly, they vary in whether I would recommend anyone watch them. Do not watch the one about Westward expansion or show it to your children.

It is a big no. But a lot of the other history ones, some of them are very interesting. The grammar ones are excellent. The math ones, I think are my favorite. The song about three, which is called Three is a Magic Number, is a legitimately great song. There actually was a schoolhouse rock like compilation a while back where Blind Melon did a rendition of Three's Magic number. No way. That's pretty good.

Oh, I got to check that. I'm a big Blind Melon hut. I got to check that out. It's pretty great. It's pretty great. And so I do highly recommend the math and grammar and science schoolhouse rock episodes that live on Disney Plus. I very much enjoyed looking at some of them again. And of course, now they're only in my head more.

But that's okay. I don't even mind. I don't even mind. And that is what is making me happy this week. If you want links for what we recommended, plus some more recommendations, sign up for our newsletter. That's at npr.org slash pop culture newsletter. That brings us to the end of our show, Walter Chow, Rianna Cruz. Thank you so much for being here to talk about final destination.

Such a pleasure. Thank you for having me. Thank you for having us. All right. Take care of yourselves. And don't follow any large vehicles too close. This episode is produced by Liz Metzger, Hopsifotha, and Mike Katzv, and edited by Jessica Reedy. Hello, come in, provides our theme music.

Thank you for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR. I'm Linda Holmes, and we'll see you all next week.