Final Destination movies were the breath of fresh air moviegoers needed in an era when the horror genre was saturated with slashers and villains. Instead of following the trend, this horror franchise began in 2009 with a different arc and the ultimate villain – death itself. The horror franchise attracted a massive fanbase with each outing, increasing the tempo of the death sequences and cringe-worthy moments with each release. Each of the Final Destination movies revolves around a group of people who cheat death following a premonition by one of them. However, they must meet their fate one after the other in the most bizarre accidents.
The creativity in the death sequences takes credit for a huge part of the franchise’s popularity. From Olivia Castle’s eye surgery fatally gone wrong in Final Destination 5 to Lewis Romero’s head getting smashed by gym weights in part 3, Kat Jennings getting impaled by a pipe in part 2, as well as Ashley Freund & Ashlyn Halperin getting cooked alive while tanning in part 3, Final Destination movies are known for graphic and intense death scenes. The gruesome and unsettling scenes set the franchise apart as unique, a status it has upheld over the years. With news about Final Destination 6 in the pipeline, we take a look at how the first five Final Destination movies rank from best to worst.
1. Final Destination 2 (2003)
Picking up from the final events of the first installment, Final Destination 2 garnered a cult following for its opening premonition scene that led to a massive highway pile-up caused by a log truck. The scene doesn’t just spike anxiety but resonates with millennials. In a typical Final Destination pattern, the second outing of the franchise starts with Kimberly Corman (A. J. Cook) and her friends Shaina (Sarah Carter), Dano (Alex Rae), and Frankie (Shaun Sipos) cheating death on their way to Daytona Beach for spring break.
After having a premonition of a fatal accident on Route 23, Corman seemingly saves a few lives by blocking the entrance ramp to stop people from entering the highway. Her plan worked but the survivors consequently take turns to die in a series of gory accidents. Widely accepted as the best installment of the Final Destination movies, this entry attracted more fans to the franchise than the others.
2. Final Destination 5 (2011)
More than 10 years after the last entry, Final Destination movies still hold sway in the horror genre, thanks to installments such as Final Destination 5. Graced with the highest rank on Rotten Tomatoes, the fifth installment has some interesting twists that lead to more deaths than what Sam Lawton (Nicholas D’Agosto) saw in his premonition of a bridge collapse during a retreat with his colleagues. Unlike the previous entries with survivors comprising students, friends, and strangers, the survivors in this piece are colleagues. Again, they are offered a way out which would mean killing someone who wasn’t supposed to die on the bridge to claim their lifespan. This led to a lot of twists but in the end, death found them all. Final Destination 5 turned out to be a prequel as it ended where the first film in the franchise began – on Flight 180.
3. Final Destination 3 (2006)
Riding on the wave of the positive reception the previous films received, Final Destination 3 solidified the franchise’s position as a force to reckon with in the horror genre. However, it is considered to evoke too much nostalgia among fans. Like a typical Déjà vu, Final Destination 3 begins with high school student Wendy Christensen (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) having a premonition of everyone dying on a rollercoaster she just boarded with her friends. She panics, causing a few people to get off the ride while the rest die in a creepy accident. The film also stars Ryan Merriman as Kevin Fischer, Jesse Moss as Jason Wise, Gina Holden as Carrie Dreyer, Amanda Crew as Julie, Kris Lemche as Ian McKinley, Alexz Johnson as Erin Ulmer, Sam Easton as Frankie Cheeks, and Crystal Lowe as Ashlyn Halperin.
4. Final Destination (2000)
The genesis of it all, the first installment of Final Destination set off the trail of anxiety inherent in the franchise. The film brought a breath of fresh air into the genre at the time by offering a different arc from the slasher madness the genre was drowning in. Subsequently, horror lovers rallied around it, inspiring what would turn out to become a massive franchise. The original Final Destination film revolves around high school student Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) who tries to get everyone off Volée Airlines Flight 180 after a premonition that the plane will explode. Alongside Browning, Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), Carter Horton (Kerr Smith), Billy Hitchcock (Seann William Scott), Valerie Lewton (Kristen Cloke), Terry Chaney (Amanda Detmer), and Tod Waggner (Chad Donella) seem to have cheated death until it comes for them.
5. The Final Destination (2009)
A unanimous agreement projects this as the entry with the poorest reception among the Final Destination movies. It follows the usual pattern with college student Nick O’Bannon (Bobby Campo) saving a bunch of people at the McKinley Speedway. He was on a study break with his friends Lori Milligan (Shantel VanSanten), Janet Cunningham (Haley Webb), and Hunt Wynorski (Nick Zano) when he had a premonition of the stadium collapsing on spectators. While the entry stayed true to the franchise’s formulaic story arc, the 2009 installment didn’t impress critics and most viewers have the same reaction. The opening premonition was condemned as weak while the acting and deaths didn’t live up to expectations. Notwithstanding, the glory of the acclaimed Final Destination movies was restored with the next installment in 2011.