One of the coolest things about the “Final Destination” franchise is that if you were to ask someone which one was their favorite, it would be completely understandable to hear any four of them come up. I cannot envision a world where anyone claims 2009’s “The Final Destination” as the best this horror franchise has to offer. With that installment in mind, it almost feels like a minor miracle that the series would not only survive such a franchise-killing sequel but would also lead to an installment that brings “Final Destination” back to its roots in ways no one could have anticipated.
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I’ve seen these movies many, many times, and I will always go to bat for “Final Destination 5” as the series benchmark. The triple threat of its harrowing disaster sequences, gruesome deaths, and one of the greatest rug pulls in horror history puts it above the rest. The issue is that everyone gets so wrapped up in the secret prequel of it all that one of the film’s greatest decisions doesn’t get as much time in the spotlight: making one of our main characters a surprise villain.
Miles Fisher’s Peter is among the select few to survive the North Bay Bridge collapse. His friendship with Sam (Nicholas D’Agosto), the film’s premonition protagonist, ensures us he’s someone we can trust, but throughout the film, he’s tested by Death. Peter inadvertently nudges his girlfriend Candice (Emma Wroe) in the direction of her back-breaking gymnastics death, which only fills him with guilt and anger. The two emotions make a potent mix, especially when there’s an opportunity to survive by killing an innocent person, therefore receiving the years they have left.
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Although the concept was briefly dabbled with in “Final Destination 3,” Fisher brings a surprising amount of menace to the restaurant confrontation that leads him to snap. The heel shift makes for a compelling turn of events that lets Death take a back seat while it watches its apprentice take its fatality ride for a spin. If you’ve seen the film, you know Fisher’s performance is a large part of what keeps ‘Final Destination 5″ on its toes leading into the explosive finale. But what you may not know is that he was also responsible for releasing a “Final Destination”-themed music video starring most of the cast.
Death Times at Final Destination High
If this is your first time learning about a music video that combines “Saved By the Bell” with deaths out of a “Final Destination” movie, then today is your lucky day. You wouldn’t think to merge those two franchises together, but the results are surprisingly fun. Although the video shows up on YouTube as “Miles Fisher as Zack Morris,” the song within is entitled “New Romance,” and it’s got a good beat. It’s your standard pop bop about falling for a pretty girl, which sounds well enough on its own, but plays even better when overlayed on top of a string of bloody deaths set within a cheesy teen sitcom. It’s also worth noting that the music video was directed by Dave Green of “Coyote Vs. Acme” fame.
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The main ensemble of “Final Destination 5” must have had a great time making the film together because most of them appear in “New Romance,” barring Courtney B. Vance, Arlen Escarpeta, and Tony Todd. The video isn’t structured like an episode of “Saved By the Bell,” so much as presented as a series of vignettes where someone dies horrifically, the onlookers at Final Destination High act mostly ambivalent to what they just saw, and then everyone keeps on dancing anyway.
Wroe draws first blood as a girl whose hair gets trapped inside her locker, transforming it into a noose, followed by the lockers crushing her into a bloody pulp. This triggers the laugh track, naturally. D’Agosto, in contrast to his kinder persona in the film, gets a little too grabby with his crush and rightfully gets impaled by a sharp wall fixture. Emma Bell gets one of the funniest deaths, reenacting the Jessie Spano caffeine pill episode before she trips on a cord, falling face-first into a cup full of sharpened pencils, then proceeds to crash through a window.
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A fun twist on Final Destination
Homecoming is where Death really comes to collect, with David Koechner getting scalped by a rogue vinyl and P.J. Byrne getting electrocuted by a neon sign. Jacqueline MacInnes Wood and Fisher, meanwhile, ignore the carnage happening all around them and keep on dancing. In true “Final Destination” fashion, the pair is suddenly run over by a bus. Death figures there’s no harm in letting you listen to some tunes before biting the big one.
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“New Romance” felt unique to the “Final Destination” franchise because none of its entries had a music video, let alone one that incorporates elements from the films. It turns out Warner Bros. was thrilled about the idea when Fisher brought the idea to their attention (via Interview Magazine). It’s not too late to have one done for “Final Destination: Bloodlines.” Fisher also has an “American Psycho” music video for his cover of “This Must Be the Place” by The Talking Heads that is definitely worth checking out.
The first five “Final Destination” movies are currently streaming on Max.
