Final Destination Bloodlines directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky had to really lean into their anxieties in order to come up with new kills for the sixth Final Destination installment.
"Keeping the kills fresh is extremely difficult, especially when there's been five amazing groups of people that have made Final Destination movies before you because we really, really didn't want to repeat anything," Stein tells GamesRadar+. "You have to come up with things that are relatable, things that we all experience in our everyday lives, so that we have this saying that we 'need to ruin things for people.' Meaning that if you ever come across this object, or this truck, or whatever it is in the future, you're going to think of this movie and never be able to look at it the same way. And thinking of things that are very relatable, that you can ruin, that a previous Final Destination movie hasn't done, that The Monkey hasn't done, that Saw hasn't done is very, very tricky."
Final Destination Bloodlines starts with a series of kills that introduce a new level of real-life horror that I had never even considered (and now I understand why my dad is afraid of heights). As the movie continues, Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) realizes she has the gift of premonition - but is also tasked with trying to reset the chain of death so that her family members don't die. Let's just say...you're going to want to take your septum ring (and maybe a few other piercings) out.
The cast includes Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Rya Kihlstedt, Gabrielle Rose, Brec Bassinger, and Anna Lore. Tony Todd appears in his final on-screen appearance.
"Basically, we have this incredible crew of people - the writers, the producers, all the different department heads - and you're just iterating and brainstorming for years," Lipovsky explains. "It takes years to come up with all these different set pieces. And when you start working on a Final Destination movie, everywhere you go in life, you're just constantly looking at everything as, 'Could this kill me?' And if it could, how would it be a Final Destination kill? And that just starts to provide this wealth of ideas that we've fed into the movie."
The franchise is famous for some of the most creative kills ever seen in horror (some of which have unfortunately occurred in real life). Even if you haven't seen the movies, you might be familiar with that tanning bed scene, the Lasik eye surgery scene, and the whole driving behind a logging truck on the highway scene.
"It's really all about bringing your anxieties to life. You know, instead of most people, they've they've got anxieties and they try to quiet it," adds Stein. "We spent three years listening louder to our anxieties and seeing what we could, you know, draw from that to put into this movie."
Final Destination Bloodlines hits theaters on May 16. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond.
