Obsession with the macabre: Final Destination series
Like a series of horrifying but carefully crafted bad dreams for all of us to share and witness, the infamous Final Destination films – beginning with the first one at the start of the new millennium, over ten years ago now – started off a legacy of horror which we haven’t seen the back of yet (a legacy which led to ’torture porn'overtaking sales of many family films, which is certainly something not many people saw coming). In the films, where death itself is the baddie out for blood, America teenagers – usually on their summer holidays or about to graduate school for a year of fun and mischief –pit their wits against the Grim Reaper, attempting to divert his or her plan of impending doom. The unfortunate thing? It rarely happens, and if it does then it usually leads to a horrible revelation for more than one character…
the demise of each character always comes as a surprise, even for the eagle-eyed viewer
What I like about all the Final Destination films in the series – and a new one is coming to a screen near you very soon, according to trailers – is the familiarity and the innovation. While each film begins with more or less the same premise – a terrible accident which sparks off a number of other accidents which get more and more grisly as time goes on – no two death scenes are ever the same, and some of the ways in which the Grim Reaper delivers his or her verdict are truly spectacular. More to the point, instead of just settling on a theme of accidents at work – a staple gun to the head, I remember seeing – the demise of each character always comes as a surprise, even for the eagle-eyed viewer who rejoices in anticipating the mounting horrors.
Are they masterpieces? Probably not, but the humour is there for the horror to spin off, and besides that the plot lines are a lot more intriguing than many so-called horror films that I could name here.
So, with another instalment on its way at any moment, where do the film makers go from here? More films, or perhaps a twist on the original concept to live things up?
One thing I am sure of is that there will be more films; where Saw became old and tiresome, the FD films possess a simpler and more addictive quality which legions of young people are yet to grow up and discover.
Similar Posts:
No Dairy for This Moggie – is milk dangerous for cats? : We…
How To Groom Your Cat : Most of us think that cats are pretty…
A Starring Role? : I would love to go back to the Universal…
Obsession with ‘Chicago’ : It is absolutely right to say…
Comments are closed!