The strange cosmic horror of Final Destination
As the franchise returns with Final Destination: Bloodlines, I wanted to take a look at the slasher at its core
We know the slasher formula pretty well by now. Even those outside the horror fandom know the trappings of the slasher genre. Killer (usually masked) kills a bunch of folks (usually teens) with a trademark weapon (usually a blade of some kind) in a specific place (usually small town America) on some specific American holiday or other significant date.
These rules are so simple and elegant that they’ve aided in the creation of some of cinemas most iconic characters. Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Freddie Kruger. They’re rock stars, celebrities, icons. Hell, my mum knows who they are and she finds the a teacups ride too intense and BBQ sauce ‘a bit to spicy’ (protect her at all costs). All of this brings me to one of the most interesting horror franchises to date, with one of the most uniquely terrifying slashers of all: Final Destination.
As its sixth entry releases in theaters, I wanted to touch on why I think Final Destination is a particularly interesting example of cosmic horror. After all, what could be more unknowably scary than the very concept of inescapable death?
Some may argue that Final Destination isn’t a slasher franchise. They would be wrong. It is every bit a slasher series, only the killer at the heart of the mayhem isn’t a man in a mask. No, this slasher is a non-corporeal entity even more famous than Michael, Freddie or Jason put together. I am, of course, talking about everyone’s favourite reaper of souls: Death himself (in this world Death is referred to as a he).
Many slasher films have toyed with cosmic horror. Michael is the embodiment of pure evil, a seemingly undying entity that kills without reason (side note: that mask fills me with just as much cosmic dread as any eldritch horror). But Michael has a form, a ‘shape’ if you will. Death, in the Final Destination series, doesn’t take any one form. Beyond the elemental breeze that carries his judgement, Death is a shapeless entity with only one mission: to collect souls. The fact that he has some flair while he carries out his plan doesn’t make him any less of a cosmic horror in my eyes.
Consider the latest entry in the franchise, which elaborates on the mythology in some innovative ways by hinting at the true omnipotence of Death in the Final Destination universe. Death is an eldritch god in the true cosmic sense. A being with ultimate power, who exists beyond human perception. Few ever escape the strange omnipresence of Death in the Final Destination series. No house, car, race track or theme park is safe from the all seeing eyes of Death. And even if they do manage to find a way to avoid one of the series signature ‘accidents’, they’re only ever staving off the inevitable.
If Death is reaping souls in increasingly complex and elaborate ways, who (or what) is sending the premonitions?
Are they the work of another eldritch entity of a similar omnipotence to Death. A godlike counterpart to the baleful breeze himself, trying to protect life by giving the humans at his mercy a fighting chance against his grand design? Are humans the pawns caught in a great cosmic battle between the elemental forces of life and death? Or are the premonitions yet another way that Death plays with his food? After all, nobody ever truly escapes Death, especially not in a Final Destination movie.
Bit of a different one for you this week. I had this thought while watching Bloodlines (which is fantastic, by the way) and wanted to try and express why I find this series both equally fun and dread inducing.
Sure the deaths can be entertaining but when you stop and think about it for a second, the fact that nobody in these movies can escape a grisly death is existentially terrifying. And what is cosmic horror if not, in part, a reminder of our own mortality and cosmic insignificance?
For the record, my FD ranking is probably: 3, 1, Bloodlines, 2, 5, 4.
Anyway, I’m off to drive behind a logging truck on my way to the local theme park to ride The Devils Flight. Be nice to eachother and remember to stay away from tanning beds.