They say death waits for no man. One of the best horror franchises says otherwise. The Final Destination series made a name for itself on the premise that death can wait, but not for long. The premise, by now delightfully familiar, centers on Death as an invisible force correcting fate after survivors cheat a catastrophic accident. The first two movies went with a plane crash and highway pile-up, respectively, before the series decided on something more thrilling than your everyday commute.
In 2006’s Final Destination 3 the disaster is a high-speed roller coaster derailment, narrowly avoided thanks to a premonition experienced by high school senior Wendy Christensen (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). But as fans know, Death doesn’t like being ghosted. One by one, the survivors are stalked and eliminated through elaborately staged “accidents” that turn mundane locations into Rube Goldberg-ian death traps. Is it formulaic? Of course. Does that make it less fun? Absolutely not.
