Friday 12 August 2016


ON THIS DAY IN HORROR - August 12th
"FINAL DESTINATION 5" released in 2011


In the fifth and final installment of the Final Destination series, Death strikes again when a small group of survivors from a collapsed suspension bridge are saved by the timely premonition of Sam Lawton (Nicholas D'Agosto). But Death doesn't like to be cheated, and one by the one the survivors meet their fate in various (and gruesome) "accidents" in Final Destination 5!


Watch the Final Destination 5 trailer below!





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While on their way to a company retreat, Sam (D'Agosto) has a deathly premonition that the bridge their bus is stranded in traffic on will collapse, killing everyone on the bridge.  In a panic, he persuades several people to leave the bridge before it collapses exactly as he envisioned, including his ex grilfriend Molly (Emma Bell); his friends Nathan Sears (Arlen Escarpeta) and Peter Friedkin (Miles Fisher); Peter's girlfriend Candice Hooper (Ellen Wroe); his boss Dennis Lapman (David Koechner); and co-workers Olivia Castle (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) and Isaac Palmer (P. J. Byrne). At the memorial for the deceased co-workers Sam encounters the mysterious coroner William Bludworth (Tony Todd) who warns them to be careful, as "Death... doesn't like to be cheated". Sam is also closely followed by FBI Agent Jim Block (Courtney B. Vance) who believes Sam is somehow involved in the causing the tragedy. Soon enough, Candice dies in bizarre circumstances performing a gymnastic routine (devastating Peter) and Isaac is killed when his head is crushed by a falling Buddha statue during an acupuncture session at a Chinese spa. Sam and his remaining friends confront Bludworth, who explains that if they wish to cheat Death, they must kill someone who was never meant to die on the bridge, and thereby claim their remaining lifespan. Faced with the choice of taking someone else's life to save their own or to find another way to break the cycle, Sam and Molly study Death's design to stay alive long enough to cheat him yet again!


Olivia Castle: Yeah, that's a bummer about Candice. Guess we all should have seen that coming.
[Sam and Molly glares at Olivia]
Olivia Castle: What? You see the crazy shit those gymnasts do. I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often.
Top:   Peter (Miles Fisher), Molly (Emma Bell) and Sam (Nicholas D'Agosto) 
watch in horror as Sam's premonition comes true!;
Above:   Candice is first to be taken by Death.


With the film announced at ShoWest in March 2010, longtime Destination producer Craig Perry once again chose to film Final Destination 5 in 3-D and insisted that this installment be darker (like the first film), as opposed to the almost comedic route that The Final Destination took. Perry also picked first time director Steven Quale to helm the movie, whose experience in 3-D was extensive having worked with James Cameron on the 3D docu-drama Aliens of the Deep and Avatar (as second unit director). In another twist, the filmmakers decided to make Final Destination 5 a prequel to the original film (since the 4th installment of the series is called "The Final Destination," it is a hint that the 5th installment will not happen after it, but before).

Filming began in Vancouver on September 13th, with key scenes of the opening bridge disaster filmed on the famous Lions Gate Bridge. The remaining footage of the sequence would be filmed on huge exterior sets and using green screens, green mats, wires and digital compositing. Strangely, most of the death sequences are based on real-life incidents; The opening bridge collapse is inspired by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Additionally, someone has died from an acupuncture needle stabbing into their heart after falling off the table.


Peter Friedkin: Want to ask him who's next?
Dennis: Who's what?
[wrench is flung at Dennis head by the sander, killing him]
Sam: DENNIS! It was Dennis!
Nathan: No shit!
Top:   Creepy coroner William Bludworth (Tony Todd) returns to explain Death's design;
Above:   Death strikes again!


On its release, Final Destination 5 became the second highest grossing film of the franchise, with a box office of almost $160 million, but was by far the most positively reviewed installment in the series! The death scenes in the film have been praised as being suspenseful, creative, and shocking with Boxoffice Magazine said in praise, "viewers connect to both the relatable pain of everyday injury and the gory gratification of a well-constructed, larger-than-life set piece." The opening bridge collapse has garnered considerable critical praise, with many stating it as being on par with the pile-up sequence from Final Destination 2.  Betty Jo Tucker of ReelTalk Movie Reviews said in her review "The film boasts some of the best visual effects ever, especially the bridge-crumbling sequence at the beginning of the film." In his review of Final Destination 5, Roger Ebert said "...the special effects do an excellent job of beheading, incinerating, vivisecting, squishing and so on."


TRIVIA:   Features the longest 'opening disaster' out of all five movies in the series. The bridge disaster lasts for 4 minutes and 44 seconds.
Top:   Visual effects split screen showing the filming of the opening bridge disaster;
Above:   Director Steven Quale


Stating in an interview for Dread Central, Tony Todd stated that if Final Destination 5 was a success at the box office, then two sequels would be filmed back-to-back, with Steven Quale further elaborating, "Who knows. Never say never. I mean, it'll be up to the fans. We'll see how this one performs internationally and if it makes as much money as the fourth one, I'm sure Warner Brothers will want to make another one." Unfortunately at the time of this writing, there hasn't been any further word of another installment in Final Destination series since 2011 - so I guess fans of the franchise will simply have to wait a little longer to see if Death will "appear" on the screens again!



ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE:   50%




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