When it comes to horror movies, death is essential, alongside blood, screaming, and jump scares. Death is the ultimate consequence in life; however, one little movie changed the face of horror and death on March 17, 2000: Final Destination. Seven people on a flight to Paris are forced to leave a plane after Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) has a dream that sees the tragic death of everyone on Flight 180. Turns out, the dream was actually a premonition, and the seven lucky survivors are picked off one by one following the tragic event.
Death is unpredictable by nature, and the franchise banks on that notion by turning simple, mundane routines into elaborate death traps. While rare, the fiery plane incident is a normal thing to fear. Over one billion passengers board international flights across the world and the thought of anything going wrong while cruising midair will surely send shock waves down anyone's spine. However, what about simply brushing your teeth? Or doing a gymnastic routine? Or even during a relaxing massage? These aren't moments that have people preparing for death. We know that Tod (Chad Donella), Candice (Ellen Wroe), and Isaac (P.J. Byrne) are going to die, but the franchise creeps into our comfort zone by taking genuine moments of peace and relaxation and turning it into an over-the-top and gory crime scene. The build-up to their unfortunate doom is packed with tension because of the unpredictable nature of how these survivors will die. For example, we think Isaac will die by a wildfire until a Buddha statue squashes his head. What's worse is that the enemy is the Grim Reaper himself. There's no answer in beating death. All five movies have seen the heroes cheat death somehow, but the Grim Reaper gets the last laugh by finally collecting the soul of these poor survivors. Even the only survivors in the series, Kimberley (A.J. Cook) and Officer Burke (Michael Landes), witnessed the Grim Reaper going back to work at a seemingly innocent BBQ that resulted in an exploding grill killing off Brian (Noel Fisher).
The unknown is always scary. When Freddy Krueger was introduced, a man murdering teens in their dreams struck a cord because every human on this planet sleeps. More importantly, no one expects to die because of their dreams. The Blair Witch Project is a harrowing and nerve-racking experience because there's no answer to beating the witch. We hear about her constantly, but Mike, Heather, and Josh were never able to get through the dark tunnel because they didn't understand what they were fighting. In Final Destination, these survivors eventually know that they're fighting against the Grim Reaper, but the series has proven that no matter where you run or hide, death will find you. Alex came the closest to cheating death when his turn arrived by literally death-proofing his house, but that scene still highlighted all the advantages that the Grim Reaper has against these people. The Grim Reaper is pretty much a supernatural entity that can't be stopped. That's the true genius behind the central premise of the series, and why Final Destination has one of the best villains in the horror genre. The series managed to take the simple concept of death and evolve it past a traditional form that's equals parts absurd, over-the-top, and realistic. From the madness and creativity that elicits fear and excitement when the Grim Reaper dishes out his brand of justice, Final Destination is a franchise will always be an important milestone in the horror genre. It does more than delivering the goods in terms of gore, creating suspense and tension in every day and relatively safe moments; the franchise managed to craft a compelling villain that will never be seen and can never be beaten.