Tony Todd

‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

It has been a while since I’ve sat down and watched a good old-fashioned horror flick that was gory fun from start-to-finish. The last movie which comes to mind, for me, is 2023’s “Saw X.” Now, I know there have been other horror movies which have been critically acclaimed since then, but I like my horror movies, most of the time, to be rather straightforward without any underlying message or heavy-handed agenda. I’m looking to laugh, see some gruesome deaths, and have a good time. “Final Destination: Bloodlines” was a movie that allowed me to sit back, shut off my brain, and have a good time.  I had a blast with this movie, and the filmmakers, cast and crew delivered beyond my wildest expectations.

The film opens up in the late 1960’s at a high-rise restaurant tower, which hasn’t been properly built to house the number of people that are dancing and having a good time. Before long, the shit hits the fan and everyone is fighting for their lives. This sets the tone for the entire film, as it’s clear its directors, Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, understood the assignment given to them. They do a masterful job of building up the anxiety of what will happen next. If you are familiar with this franchise, you know anything and everything could lead to a possible death. They build up the suspense while also winking at the camera in a way that isn’t too cutesy or silly. It’s the perfect balance of comedy and terror.

We are then introduced to a struggling college student, Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), who keeps having a dream about that night in the 1960’s where mayhem and death were on the menu at this high-rise restaurant. She’s been having this recurring dream for over two months, and it’s causing her to almost flunk out of college. Because of this, she decides to go home and look for answers to what is plaguing her dreams. She discovers that one of the women in her dream is her grandmother, Iris (Gabrielle Rose), who messed with Death’s plans that night by saving everyone at the restaurant. However, Death doesn’t take too kindly to those who mess with its plan, so everyone who was supposed to die that night has now perished slowly but surely.

Iris has survived by being ultra paranoid and knowing how to plan and look for any signs of danger. She lives off the beaten path and doesn’t let anyone get too close to her. She’s on high alert, and her family sees her as a loon who has lost her mind. Stefani doesn’t know what to believe, but after seeing more and more signs, it’s coming into focus for her–she needs to follow her grandmother’s advice and save her family, who isn’t supposed to be here. Because Iris lived, everyone in her bloodline is in danger of having Death knock on their door. Using her grandmother’s years of meticulous planning and her research into Death’s plans, Stefani’s going to try her damnedest to save her family, which includes her brother, mother, uncle and cousins.  It will be even harder to convince all of them to believe her.

“Final Destination: Bloodlines” is a near-perfect horror film as it is terrific at building genuine suspense. At every turn, you never know what will happen to someone or how it will happen. I’m a professional wrestling fan, and the film utilizes what is known in the wrestling business as “false finishes.” When you think someone is down for the count in the ring, they kick out. In movie terms, when you think someone is going to die, they end up living.  As soon as you are lured into a false sense of security, they die in a gruesome way. However, it’s all about the build-up, the anxiety, and dread that is on screen.  When it finally does happen, it means that much more because you have been played like a piano. It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

My one issue with the film is the CGI deaths. While they are creative, clever and a lot of fun, they look very bad visually because they are filled with CGI. If they used more practical effects and less CGI, I would have given the film four stars. However, the CGI deaths are hard to take seriously, as they end up looking like they were done in 3D. It reminded me of “Saw: The Final Chapter” which was done in 3D.  When you watched the film without 3D, the blood looked pink, and the effects didn’t have the same impact. Here, the gore and the blood looked like cranberry juice. The film is still a great horror movie, but this detail is impossible to ignore.

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Kaitlyn Santa Juana, left, and Rya Kihlstedt in a scene from “Final Destination Bloodlines.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Overall, “Final Destination: Bloodlines” is a throwback to when horror films were fun, over-the-top and kept you guessing. The way the film uses comedy during the gotcha moments is absolutely perfect. This is a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it respects the audience enough to blend comedy and genuine terror together without leaning too much in one direction. It’s a tightrope act for the filmmakers, but they pass this test with flying colors. This is the best installment the franchise has released in a long time. The acting is solid, the kills are unique (minus the bad CGI), and the story makes sense. Tony Todd also makes its final appearance in the franchise in a moving and poignant cameo.  It is clear this was not just a cash grab sequel. This is a film that was made with love and respect to the franchise.

* * * ½ out of * * * *

4K Info: “Final Destination: Bloodlines” is being released on a single-disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. You can purchase the film with either a 4K slipcover or a 4K steelbook, and both come with a digital copy to redeem the film. The film has a running time of 110 minutes and is rated R for strong violent/grisly accidents, and language.

4K Audio/Video Info: The 4K has a fantastic Dolby Atmos soundtrack that lends itself perfectly to this film. Its use of music is essential to the suspense and uneasy feeling that is permeating throughout the entire film. It’s a big soundtrack with a lot of bass to it, and the film’s soundtrack is a thing of beauty, as you hear it all perfectly. The Dolby Vision visual transfer is slick, clean, and vivid throughout. This is an A+ home theater experience for 4K movie lovers.

Special Features:
Death Becomes Them: On the Set of “Final Destination Bloodlines” – featurette
The Many Deaths of Bloodlines – featurette
The Legacy of Bludworth – featurette
Director’s Commentary

Should You Buy It?

I’m grinning from ear-to-ear as I’m writing this review. This is 4K at its finest in so many ways: The film is really good, the audio and visual elements are top-notch, and there are special features included here as well! There is a director’s commentary! I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard a director’s commentary on a new 4K release. This is a welcome addition, and it’s a lot of fun to hear their passion and energy for the project while watching “Final Destination: Bloodlines.” This is a great horror film, and it made me excited about the horror genre after feeling disappointed by it for two years. I watched it with my wife, and it was a great at-home horror movie to watch as we were laughing, screaming, and hooting and hollering during the crazier moments. I can’t recommend this film enough. They have put so much care into not only the movie but also its 4K release. This one comes highly recommended. It was so close to getting a full four-star rating if not for the bad CGI.  Other than that, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable film to watch this year. This was old-school horror done in 2025.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story’ – Freddy’s a Nice Guy!

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

Recently, I was listening to an episode of Mick Garris’ podcast “Post Mortem” in which he talked with those involved in the horror genre who are currently walking the picket lines for the Writers Guild of America strike. In his conversations with Leigh Whannell, Darren Lynn Bousman and “Fright Night” director Tom Holland, I came to see how those who make scary movies are the nicest and most kind in the business as they constantly wish the best for one another. In any other part of Hollywood, jealousy typically rears its ugly head to an infinite degree as insecurity remains a constant.

I was reminded of this while watching the documentary “Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story” as it brings together a plethora of horror actors and filmmakers such as Eli Roth, Tony Todd, Lance Henriksen, Adam Green and Lin Shaye among many others. But regardless of their love of horror films, they are mainly here to talk about the actor who originated the role Freddy Krueger in Wes Craven’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” What results is a documentary which delves deeply into Englund’s career and ponders whether is best to be known for portraying one character or many.

Directors Christopher Griffiths and Gary Smart take their sweet time looking over Englund’s acting career, and it is great to look at when he started as this is something I have not seen enough about, His parents were not keen on him becoming an actor as they felt he was destined to become a lawyer. Hearing this, it kind of sounds like he had Kurtwood Smith’s character from “Dead Poets Society” as a father (“You’re going to Harvard, and you’re going to be a doctor”). Nevertheless, he idolized Steve Allen, and the acting bug bit him really hard.

While he was determined to become a stage actor, thinking it would be a fair business (no business ever is), he eventually made his way to Hollywood where he made his film debut in “Buster and Billie.” It was interesting to learn that he was typecast for years as a southern redneck for years, and his breakthrough role turned out not be as Freddy, but instead as resistance leader Willie. This brought him worldwide fame, playing one of the nicest aliens in a show filled with devious ones. And then came the child murderer who haunted and killed the younglings on Elm Street. From there, audiences around the world would quickly forget he ever placed nice guys.

Back in the 1980’s, there was no escaping Freddy Krueger as he was literally everywhere. On top of appearing in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and its many sequels, there was also the television series “Freddy’s Nightmares,” and I believe there was even a rap album. I mean, let’s face it, everyone had a rap album back in the 80’s. Whether it was a good rap album or a horrifically awful one is open to debate.

This is the part of the documentary I was especially interested in because, while Englund never lacked for work in the 80’s, I wondered how he felt about being known for this character more than any other he has ever portrayed. As actors, we yearn to have a career like the ones Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro have as they continue to have the fortune to portray a sublime variety of characters to where it appeared as though they could play anyone and anything. But being typecast seems like a lifelong prison sentence to where no one will let you get paroled in this lifetime.

While I hoped Griffiths and Smart would have dug deeper into Englund’s typecasting as it clearly had an effect on the work he was able to do outside of Elm Street. He makes clear at one point about how he was forced to turn down several roles because of his involvement in the franchise which built up New Line Cinema, and that must have wounded him more than we see here.

An example of this typecasting comes when Englund and others talk about his role in “The Phantom of the Opera” in which he plays another horribly disfigured character, but one who is madly in love with a soprano singer and kills others to steal their skin and apply it to his mangled face.. And yet, when this particular film was being released, its American poster featured a picture of him as Freddy taking a mask off. While Englund was trying to do something a little different, Hollywood still played it safe by reminding audiences he was Freddy.

But the real surprise and satisfaction I had with “Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares” was seeing how Englund looks at his fame as a “happy accident.” Whereas some actors have been desperate to escape the horror genre, Englund has found a wealth of opportunities within it which he may not have gotten elsewhere. Even in movies like “The Mangler,” “Wishmaster,” “Urban Legend,” “2001 Maniacs,” “Hatchet,” “Zombie Strippers” and “Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon,” he has had the good fortune to portray a variety of characters to where you have to envy what he has accomplished in his long career.

Also, this documentary makes it very clear how nice a guy Englund is in real life. This shows in the way he talks and acts around others, and from the various participants who are interviewed throughout. While he may have a dark side, and everyone does by the way, it’s usually the nicest people who end up portraying the most devilish of characters. Some may disagree, but judge not lest ye be judged.

And again, the horror community on display here seems like a great group of people as everyone speaks warmly of one another. Considering how maligned a genre it has been made out to be by many critics and the touchiest of individuals, we see how it deserves to be taken much more seriously. Whether you like horror films or not, the majority of them are not crap or easily disposable.

While this is not a groundbreaking documentary in any way, shape or form, “Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund” gives us a memorable portrait of an actor who never set out to be a horror icon but became one out of sheer luck and with the help of engine oil he put into his hair for his Freddy audition. Watching Englund here reminds me of how actors can never really prepare their careers as they may end up in a far different place than they ever dreamed. Like the Rolling Stones said, you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need.

One more thing, I do hope Englund gets to play Freddy Krueger one more time. His appearance on “The Goldbergs” should not be the character’s swan song. Maybe they could do something along the lines of “Logan” where we see an old age Freddy. Hey, maybe even a musical would work. Just get Baz Luhrmann to direct it and it will be spectacular! I can see it now:

“Freddy Krueger

That old man Krueger

He just keeps slashing away!”

* * * ½ out of * * * *