31 Days of Des' Horror Favourites: #26 Final Destination

Why I like it: This will be the only modern teenybopper horror film in this list. I promise. Before you condemn this choice as one of my favourites, hear me out.

After a long line of horror films dealing only with a slasher in a mask who knows what you did last summer or the devil inside of somebody this was a breath of fresh air. In 2000’s Final Destination the bad guy is Death.

Alex (played by Devon Sawa) has a vision of the plane his class is taking to Paris exploding soon after takeoff while on the runway. He freaks out and is taken off the plane but not before a few friends, either concerned about him or scared he might be right, join him. While they calm him down at the gate they witness the plane explode in midair just after takeoff.

After a series of very cool deaths involving people who left the plane it is discovered that Death meant for these people to die and is retroactively collecting them to make things right. The group of friends spends the rest of the film outrunning Death (well…most of them die trying) and ends with a wonderful shock that had me loving it.

It's also got a small but pivotal role for Tony Todd who, by now you must know, is one of my faves.

The idea is fresh and the death scenes are pulled off with such ingenuity that this movie, and its sequel, warrants a viewing for any horror fan looking for something different.

Check these out:
-Final Destination 2-Only worse than the original because the idea was used before. Good sequel. I think the image above is taken from the sequel as it was the only decent one I could find.
-Urban Legends 1 and 2-Another teenybopper that is worth the watch only for its ingenuity in the death scenes.