The Final Destination franchise has always been a unique entry in the horror genre. Unlike other horror films where the villain can be fought, tricked, or even killed, Final Destination presents an antagonist that is completely unstoppable – Death itself. No matter how far you run or how carefully you try to avoid it, Death always finds a way to collect what it owes.
But what makes Final Destination even more intriguing is how it plays with time. While fans initially believed that the films were released in a chronological order, a major twist in Final Destination 5 (2011) changed everything. Those with sharp eyes and good memory realised that the fifth film was actually a prequel to the first Final Destination (2000).
The big reveal in Final Destination 5
At first, Final Destination 5 seemed like just another instalment in the series, following the same pattern – someone has a terrifying premonition of a disaster, warns others, and a few lucky ones escape, only for Death to start picking them off one by one. However, in the film’s final moments, everything suddenly clicked into place.
The climax showed the main characters boarding a plane, only to witness a young man being dragged off the aircraft. This young man was none other than Alex Browning, the protagonist of the very first Final Destination. In the first film, Alex had a vision that the plane would explode mid-air, leading to him and a few others being removed before take-off.
In Final Destination 5, we see this event from a different perspective, confirming that the entire movie was a prequel. The story had secretly been set in 1999-2000, right before the events of the original film.
With this twist, the timeline of the franchise now looks like this:
1. Final Destination 5 (1999-2000)2. Final Destination (2000)3. Final Destination 2 (2003)4. Final Destination 3 (2006)
5. The Final Destination (2009)
This means that, other than the fifth film, all the movies in the franchise follow a proper chronological sequence.
Why Final Destination can go on forever
One of the most fascinating aspects of Final Destination is that it doesn’t rely on a physical villain like Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, or Michael Myers. Instead, the antagonist is Death – an eternal force that cannot be stopped. Death isn’t like Thanos, who can be killed by Thor with an axe to the head. Death is inevitable, and that’s what makes the franchise so unsettling. The films could continue indefinitely, with new groups of people cheating Death, only for it to hunt them down later.
Final Destination: Bloodlines – the next chapter
The upcoming film, Final Destination Bloodlines, has introduced an even deeper connection between all the past movies. The trailer reveals that in the 1970s-80s, a woman had a premonition during a party and managed to warn everyone in time, saving their lives. But here’s where it gets interesting – all the people who died in Final Destination 1 to 5 were most likely descendants of those survivors. This suggests that Death never truly forgets – it keeps a record of everyone who was supposed to die but escaped, and it comes back for them later, even if it takes generations.
It’s not just about escaping Death at the moment – it’s about how that survival may come at a cost for future generations. The franchise has always hinted that Death follows its own set of rules, but Bloodlines suggests that Death holds onto grudges longer than anyone ever imagined.
With Final Destination: Bloodlines bringing fresh twists to the franchise, it’s clear that as long as Death exists, the films will continue to make sense. Because in the end, there’s one universal truth – you can’t cheat Death.
