Has Final Destination 5 Reached Its Final Destination?

Final Destination fans look forward to the infamous death scenes, but after four films over the last eleven years, how many more gruesome deaths can the filmmakers think up?  The crew behind FINAL DESTINATION 5 looked to the first to find out the secret to keeping the horror franchise alive and avoid reaching its final destination.

In the fifth outing of the FINAL DESTINATION movies, the concept for the horror film hasn't changed; a main character (Nicholas D'Agosto) foresees a horrific event; he warns his friends and saves them from their imminent death, others die tragically; and now Death is coming after them. At a recent press day with director Steven Quale, producer Craig Perry, and writer Eric Heisserer, the filmmakers told CineMovie they knew the fifth time around would not be the charm if they didn't bring something new to the franchise.

Producer Craig Perry, who produced all five Final Destination films, criticized the previous sequels as having "lost that special thing" that made the original "unique."

"Some of the sequels went too far to make it over the top that it actually became distancing. I think the first one was able to handle the balance between humor and the dark portions."  

Perry also told CineMovie that making FINAL DESTINATION 5 was like "coming back home." Perry credits Steven Quale for grounding the fifth installment and making it real.

Director Steven Quale came in knowing Final Destination fans have certain expectations for the franchise. Gory and graphic death scenes may be fan favorites, but suspense is what really drives home the scare.

"They expect these deaths but the deaths alone are not what works. It's on the suspense leading up to the death".

To come up with fresh and new ways of killing off characters, Quale watched death sequences from past films to see what worked and didn't work, and what he liked the most and least of those action scenes. Writer Erick Heisserer also wanted to "add something new." He felt the franchise could fall flat dramatically especially when "you have characters that are waiting to die and its fans looking for those death sequences." Eric added a moral dilemma to the characters - the character have the option of opting out of death by killing another. He wanted the characters to have a decision that was going to divide the group. "Are you going to kill someone or not, who would that be and how do you choose who that person will be." The new premise may be new to Final Destination, but the Saw movies have thrived on that concept. However, Quale distanced the film from torture films like Saw, saying he doesn't believe in that "aesthetic" and the Final Destination films are more about having a "fun experience and a horrific shock."

After so many sequels, many films in a franchise become a parody of themselves. According to Steven Quale, he hates that sort of stuff but believes it's a hard thing to avoid.

"A fun movie like Austin powers is great but that's what it is, it's a parody. I didn't want that to happen to this movie."

He felt that some of the earlier Final Destination films might might have gone towards that direction. In order to steer it back on course, the filmmakers grounded the characters in a certain reality that is believable, so when ridiculous things happen, it doesn't take you out completely from the film. According to producer Perry, FINAL DESTINATION was made to be credible and engaging for audiences.

FINAL DESTINATION 5 is in theaters August 12.

By:

Fernando Esquivel