Hi all!

Today I am going to rank one of my favourite horror franchises ever: Final Destination. Next Thursday, I am going to be sharing my 5 Favourite Deaths from the films, but for today, I’m going to order the movies from best to worst. Remember, this is just my personal opinion. If I rank your favourite slightly lower, it doesn’t mean it’s bad or you’re wrong. In each film, the protagonist (always a different person) has a premonition of a tragic accident, resulting in many deaths. Because of their foresight, they are able to prevent the event from occurring, but as they have now cheated fate, death stalks each and every person involved, until noone remains. It’s gripping, exciting and sometimes hilarious (the kills can get quite creative and ridiculous). Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Spoilers Ahead!

1.) Final Destination 3

My absolute favourite film in the entire franchise is Final Destination 3. In fact, it is very popular amongst most horror fans. In this movie, Wendy Christensen, has a fatal vision of a disastrous roller-coaster accident at a carnival, that kills her and all her friends. She warns everybody and they get off in time, but what follows, isn’t much better. There are several reasons why I believe this film belongs at the top of my list. 1.) The premonition. A roller-coaster derailing is terrifying for a lot of people. It’s so relatable and effective in scaring viewers. 2.) The deaths. Two of them are in my top five favourite list. Can you guess in advance what they are? 3.) The photographs. Wendy is able to deduce how the deaths will occur, according to the photographs she took of her friends at the carnival, before the accident. Very creative and different to the rest of the films. Lastly, I want to share a personal anecdote about this movie. I went to see it in the cinema when it first came out. On the drive home, we were behind a car with a license plate that read: 666. I took it as a horrifying omen, struggling to sleep that night. I was convinced death was after me!

2.) Final Destination

Ah! Final Destination – the one that started it all. I adore the first film, hence its placement on this list. Did you know, it was originally going to be a storyline on The X-Files? The creator, Jeffrey Reddick, liked the concept so much, he turned it into one of the greatest horror films of the early 2000s. Alex Browning (played by Devon Sawa), is set to board Flight 180 to Paris, for a school trip with his classmates. Before it takes off, he has a premonition of the aircraft exploding mid-air. He convinces his friends not to get on and the events play out exactly as envisioned. As the survivors attempt to return to normal, death takes them in the order they died in Alex’s premonition. I love the original movie because of the nostalgia, but also because the idea of a plane exploding is terrifying. What makes horror so effective, is when you can imagine it happening to you. It’s too close for comfort. I also like how Alex was able to deduce by the seating plan, who was likely to die next. The deaths are clever, but not so outrageous you find them unbelievable (like some later in the franchise). It’s a classic!

3.) Final Destination 2

Final Destination 2 unlocked a new fear for viewers worldwide: being pulverised by a stack of logs on a highway. If you’ve seen the sequel, you’ll never drive behind a logging truck again. I still switch lanes when I see one. Kimberley Corman is heading to Daytona Beach with her friends, when she has a vision of a deadly pile-up on Route 23. She prevents passage to the highway, but in doing so, messes up fate’s plans. One by one, her friends begin to die in brutally, violent ways. The second film links to the first, as one of the survivors of Flight 180, Clear Rivers, has committed herself to a mental asylum, safe from death’s clutches. Kimberley seeks out Clear for assistance on how to save herself and her remaining friends. In this movie, we learn that only new life can defeat death. I really love the sequel, but it doesn’t compare to the third and first, in my opinion.

Update: This is where I would rank Final Destination: Bloodlines. Full review here. 

4.) Final Destination 5 

The fifth Final Destination film was pleasantly surprising. After the 4th, which was a total write-off (more on that later), fans weren’t expecting much. Luckily, it redeemed itself on two counts. 1.) The vision. In this movie, Sam Lawton, is on his way to a company retreat with his colleagues. As their bus crosses the North Bay Bridge, Sam has a premonition that high winds will cause it to collapse. He’s able to convince the bus not to cross and the chase against death begins. Once again, this type of accident is understandably scary. A lot of people fear driving over bridges for this very reason. 2.) The twist ending. At the end of the film, Sam and his girlfriend Molly, believing they have defeated death, board a flight to Paris, where it’s revealed that they’ve stepped onto Flight 180 – the same aircraft from the first film. Yes, Final Destination 5, is a prequel to Final Destination. I’ll never forget the first time I realised what was happening. It’s ranked lower on my list, because the deaths are a bit cheesy. They started to get more ridiculous as the series went on. It also doesn’t compare to the first three movies.

5.) Final Destination 4

Last, but not least, we have the worst film in the Final Destination franchise. Ironically, it generated the most revenue, yet received the lowest ratings. This is because it was shown in 3-D at the cinemas. The reason why it was loathed by so many, was the vision. In this movie, college student, Nick O’Bannon, watches an auto-race with his girlfriend and their friends, at the McKinley Speedway. Nick has a premonition of an accident on the racetrack, that causes the stadium to collapse, killing a lot of people. As usual, he helps his loved ones escape utter tragedy…but not for long. Firstly, a speedway accident is just lame, for want of a better word. It’s completely unrelatable. I wish they had picked a more realistic fear, like the other four films. Secondly, it’s forgettable. I didn’t care about any of the characters. The only redeemable quality was one particular death. It’s a shame it didn’t live up to the rest of the franchise.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Thanks for reading! Please let me know your rankings down below. 

Peace & Love xoxo