Why can't the 'Final Destination' series have its sixth movie?

October 31 2023 By ChillJane

Although the "Final Destination" series has always been one of my top five must-watch Halloween movies (see my previous article for my rave review), I still want to give you a cautious advice: if possible, only watch the first few films (especially the first and second). Indeed, just like most movie series, "Final Destination" cannot escape the fate of declining quality as it goes on. However, the good news is that its problems are relatively easy to solve - that’s right, I will attempt to provide some suggestions and insights that would be helpful to its creators in this article.

Why hasn't the "Final Destination" series released its 6th installment after 12 years? What are the reasons behind the series' declining momentum? I believe the biggest reason is its flawed script - its narratives are becoming increasingly simplistic, or one could say, perfunctory. Secondly, it relies more and more on visual horror rather than psychological horror, which results in the subsequent films (especially the fourth and fifth) turning into pure popcorn flicks that are solely meant for entertainment and do not have any lingering impact.

The strengths and flaws of the "Final Destination" series both lie in its narratives. Its main characteristic is that each film follows the same theme (i.e. no escape from death) and employs a highly similar narrative logic of death. This narrative logic has a rigid format that goes from foreseeing death, witnessing death, evading death to finally meeting death. Resultantly, it gives rise to a narrative mechanism that is highly replicable. To be more specific, the concept of unseen death remains an unchanging story premise that is consistent throughout all the films. The protagonist's ability to foresee death through visions serves as the starting point for the horror story. Subsequently, he witnesses the actual deaths of their companions. The climax occurs when everyone becomes aware of the existence of death and desperately tries to escape its pursuit, but ultimately their attempts to escape are unsuccessful.

Hollywood horror movies have now developed a mature and established narrative mechanism, and the "Final Destination" series serves as a typical representation. While the series itself is not particularly special, what sets it apart is the personalized adjustments made to its formulaic narrative. At the start of every film, the audience is already aware of the wrestle between the protagonists and death, as well as their eventual deaths. This "omniscient" perspective is what they are mainly expecting when watching the "Final Destination" series. However, simultaneously, the audience is also placed in a "restricted" perspective similar to the protagonists. Although the protagonists will inevitably encounter death, it remains a mystery as to who will encounter it first, and when and how it happens. This surpasses the audience's aesthetic expectations, enhancing the suspenseful and thrilling atmosphere of the film, and ultimately creating a sustained effect of captivating them.

In the first groundbreaking film, we witness many visionary scenes that foreshadow the deaths of characters and the ways they die through the eyes of the male protagonist, Alex. In one of the scenes, Alex's magazine gets shredded by an electric fan, and a torn piece with the word "Todd" lands on his foot. This detail foreshadows the death of Alex's friend, Todd. Another foreshadowing detail is seen when Alex switches seats with Todd and he notices the latter gripping his own neck with his right hand while his left arm is stretched upwards, which hints at how Todd will die. Shortly after, Todd slips in the bathroom and suffocates after a clothesline is encircled around his neck. The film explores Grim Reaper's arrangements from the perspectives of different characters, and its characters witness one another's deaths through "spying" on others. This restricted viewpoint creates room for speculation and engagement among the audience while watching the movie. Furthermore, although the protagonist attempts to save his companions and himself by virtue of his visionary abilities and power of deduction, Grim Reaper always manages to carry out the killings in a way that is both expected and slightly unexpected. This creates a sense of awe in the audience.

However, the succeeding movies simply omit these interesting details. In the earlier movies, the protagonist would deduce the sequence and methods of death of his companions through visions at the start. However, in the later movies, this process is simplified to only speculating the sequence of their deaths. The focus is shifted to depict the bizarre death of each character. Moreover, their deaths seem rushed and lack a clear causal relationship. They happen too quickly without any lingering suspense. The most extreme example is Ellen's death in the fifth movie. In the initial vision of the suspension bridge of the other protagonist, Sam, she is the first to die after falling into the sea and being impaled by a sailboat. However, her actual death occurs while she is performing gymnastics. Various equipment malfunctions cause her to step on a nail and fall from the balance beam in an extremely grotesque posture, resulting in her death. This entire process is straightforward and fast. It is as if the movies are rushing to complete a mission of solely getting every character killed in a bizarre way.

Without the combination of omniscience and restricted perspectives, it seems that the movies are no longer interested in engaging the audience in the process of solving the mystery. As a result, the audience becomes passive spectators who merely watch various death scenes that have become pure spectacles.

This is exactly the issue with the later parts of the "Final Destination" series - they increasingly rely on visual horror and neglect psychological horror. Visual horror is derived from the immediate visual impact and physical pain of death, whereas psychological horror requires a careful portrayal of the process of death, similar to what is done in the first installment. This includes providing various clues, omens, foreshadowing of causality, and connections.

In April of this year, there was news that Warner Bros. decided to develop the sixth installment of the "Final Destination" series. It will be directed by Zack Lipovsky and Adam Bernstein (directors of "Freaks") and will feature many well-known producers. Let die-hard fans like us wait and see if they can address these aforementioned issues and breathe new life into this series.