Death comes for all of us. It’s a simple truth and an even more simple premise. In March of 2000, we saw death as the primary antagonist in a new kind of horror film, Final Destination. This month it celebrates its 25th Anniversary.
The film came at the edge of a wave of new slasher films that created franchises. But in all these previous franchises, there was an identifiable villain. There was Michael Myers haunting babysitters on Halloween, Jason in his hockey mask, or a parade of killers in the iconic mask from Scream. But what made Final Destination unique was its primary antagonist—death itself.
The film starts with a group of students boarding a plane to head to France for a school trip. But one of those on the trip, Alex (Devon Sawa) is uneasy. While seated, he has a vision of things going very wrong, leading him to freak out and get off the plane. When several of his classmates and a teacher are dragged off with him, it causes quite the scene.
A few moments after taking off the plane explodes, and it seems like a miracle the group is safe. But, as we learn, death has a design and they’ve just delayed the inevitable. What we get next is Alex trying to figure out how to cheat death and save his friends.
The cast was filled with recognizable stars from other teen-centric properties. Sawa was coming off the film Idle Hands, while Ali Larter appeared in Varsity Blues, Seann William Scott was a star of American Pie, and Kerr Smith was a star on Dawson’s Creek. We even get an appearance from the iconic Tony Todd!
#FinalDestination pays tribute to its scariest moment in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/RbQ2aAjulr
— FlickSided (@FlickSided) March 24, 2025
What also stands out from the film was the creative death sequences. Some of them are telegraphed in fascinating and grizzly ways. Some were just plain shocking. Amanda Detmer meets her fate thanks to a bus, a moment that made me jump. Scott gets his in a shocking moment following a train hitting a car. Just when you think everyone is safe, here comes death again.
It's a unique concept that plays out well in the film and led to the creation of a new kind of franchise. There have been four sequels played out over the years, with the most recent coming out in 2011. But, during a summer when classic horror franchises are coming back, we’re getting another edition—Final Destination: Bloodlines—this summer.
The success of the original, and the creation of the franchise, is a credit to director James Wong who co-wrote the film with Glen Morgan. Both had worked on the long-running series The X-Files and knew how to craft a suspenseful, creepy story. It works well here and helped to build a franchise.
If you’ve never seen Final Destination, it’s a fun ride. To check it or any of the five films in the franchise out, you can find them streaming on Max.