The Things You Missed In Final Destination

It all starts with the opening credits

Image Source/ Art of the TitleFinal Destination got their foreshadowing in right at the start of the first film. If you look closely you will see that they foreshadow two deaths upcoming, as pictured by a hanging doll and a guillotine in a book. The films are notorious for hinting toward the deaths of the characters.

Tod foreshadows his own death

Image Source/ BuzzFeedAt the beginning of the first film, while on Flight 180 that is inevitably going to crash, Tod actually references his own future death in the film. In a discussion with Christa and Blake about whether he was willing to switch, he made choking/hanging motions to Alex.

Devon Sawa was 

actually 

asleep in this one scene

Image Source/ PinterestOkay, so maybe this wasn't really something that you'd be able to know when you were watching, but it was a cool fact anyway. Did you know that the actor Devon Sawa (who portrayed Alex in the first Final Destination movie) was supposed to pretend to be asleep in the opening scene, but actually fell asleep for four hours!

Alex and Clear had a child

Image Source/ FanPopIn a deleted scene from the first film, it's revealed that Alex and Clear, played by Devon Sawa and Ali Larter, were meant to have a baby together after being romantically involved, with the child being called Alex. However, they were eventually removed from the theatrical version.

Did you get "Into the Void" Easter egg?

Image Source/ IMDbRight before Terry's death, there was a specific song playing on the radio of Carter's car. That song was "Into the Void" by Nine Inch Nails. While there might be a lot of lyrics in the song, the reason for including this hit was because the song contains the words "Final Destination."

What about Mrs Lewton's house Easter egg?

Image Source/ TwitterMrs Lewton was one of the characters to escape death in the first film, so death had to come chasing her. Did you notice that the door to her house had a dagger design and red and orange on it? This could potentially foreshadow that the house would eventually erupt into flames.

There's never a "bad guy"

Image Source/ Rotten TomatoesThe thing that sets Final Destination aside from his horror movie counterparts is its omission of a "bad guy". It's more just about a group of survivors facing their mortality, running around trying to avoid the unavoidable. This is the formula that made the franchise so successful.

Well, they did originally try for a "bad guy"

Image Source/ myCast.ioWhile we said that Final Destination doesn't have a bad guy much like its other horror film counterparts, the filmmakers still tried. Originally, death was going to be a much more obvious entity in the film, as evidenced by the scene where Tod sees a shadow in the mirror and the water runs back into the toilet.

They used actual news footage

Image Source/ HistoryWhile it's obvious that there was some real life inspiration behind many of the deaths, disasters and scenes in Final Destination, the filmmakers actually went as far as including real life footage of disasters. For example, they use the footage from the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 in New York.

Did you catch what the driving instructor said?

Image Source/ FanpopIn a conversation with Alex, Billy tells him about scraping by on his driving test. In the conversation, he explains that his driving instructor told him "Young man, you're gonna die at a very young age." Well, this turned out to be true as Billy died before he turned 18.

The music used in the first Final Destination has special significance

Image Source/ History ColoradoFinal Destination always think about the music, effects, costumes and sets and that's what makes the film franchise so ingenious. For example, music by John Denver is played regularly throughout the first film, and the musician actually died from a plane crash himself.

The order the characters are shown has major significance

Image Source/ RedditIn all of the films Final Destination alludes to the order in which the characters are going to die. Take the first film for example, right after Terry is hit by the bus, the camera pans straight to Mrs Lewton. She is the third of the survivors to die, right after Terry.

Did you see the number 180?

Image Source/ YouTubeThe number "180" becomes quite iconic during the whole franchise, and is especially prevalent in the first film. It alludes to the first disaster, the crash of Flight 180. They were actually considering naming the movie Flight 180. The number can be spotted in multiple scenes, one of which is the opening scene where Alex's clock fades to 180.

Some death scenes were filmed using 3D models

Image Source/ FanPopWell, how else did you think they were going to film the scenes? Final Destination went as far as creating three-dimensional models of all the actors so they could use them in their brutal and gruesome death scenes, like Terry Chaney's character's death, hit by a speeding bus.

Where did you recognise William Bludworth?

Image Source/ Screen RantWilliam Bludworth is one of the only characters to appear in almost all of the films in the franchise. Portrayed by Tony Todd, he has a sinister, alluring look. You might even recognise him from his part in Candyman, a notorious horror film everybody watched.

Why was Tod spelled with one D? Listen to this...

Image Source/ IMDbLike I said, Final Destination don't miss a trick. One of the main protagonists of the first film is called Tod, but only with one d. The reason he's not named the usually spelling of Todd is because "Tod" in German means death, Final Destination were dangling it before our eyes.

The title is hidden in one opening scene

Image Source/ Why I Love HorrorFinal Destination didn't even shy away from dropping the title of the film into the opening scenes. Look closely and you will see that the title "Final Destination" can be seen on Alex's luggage tax when a stewardess is putting it on at the airport... very clever.

They had to extend one scene because of the sheer shock

Image Source/ Why So BluWhen showing the film to test audiences they noticed that they didn't have time to recover from one of the scenes in the first film. The Alka-Seltzer sequence, in which Terry gets hit by a bus, was so shocking that the audiences felt like they didn't have enough time to recover.

This one scene was entirely improvised

Image Source/ IMDbI think it's always an achievement when actors are able to put on a good show in scenes that are entirely improvised, especially when they go on for so long. Around seventeen minutes into the first film, Mrs Lewton asks the pilot to let the teachers back on the plane, which was improv.

The seven on Alex's cheek, what was the meaning?

Image Source/ WikipediaYou might not have noticed but in the first film, right after Terry is hit by the bus, everyone is sprayed in his blood. After Alex turns his head, we see the number seven on his cheek. This Easter egg references the seven people who got off Flight 180 at the beginning of the film.

Did you notice the subtle difference between premonitions and reality?

Image Source/ MUBIThe production designer John Willet was keen to create a sense of unease within the films. He spoke about altering the premonitions and reality slightly:

"On the skewed sets I force the perspective either vertically or horizontally….In the skewed world, [the colors are] washed-out and faded. Nothing is obvious, and it’s only in the overall effect that these subtle differences will work their magic."

Did that flight at the end of Final Destination 5 feel familiar?

Image Source/ LooperWell, if that's the case for you, the here's the reason why. It's revealed at the end of Final Destination 5 that the whole movie is a prequel, ending with the characters boarding the flight from the first movie. This took the franchise out in true Final Destination style.

The car crash scene in Final Destination 2 is a popular one

Image Source/ Bloody DisgustingRemember that iconic and brutal car crash scene from Final Destination 2? Well, if not, watch it here

. It's actually one of Final Destination's most famous scenes and frequently tops movie critics' lists of one of the best car-crash scenes in cinema of all time.

Why was Final Destination 4 called The Final Destination?

Image Source/ Empire OnlineWell, why do you think? The filmmakers actually expected Final Destination 4 to be the last movie of the franchise, which is why it was called The Final Destination. But then they had to take it too far on make a fifth one. Why would you do that producers?!

The real reason William doesn't appear in Final Destination 4

Image Source/ WikipediaAs mentioned previously, William is one of the only characters to cross over a few of the films in the franchise, all except the fourth. Well, the reason for him missing it is much more banal than you think. He simply didn't appear because of scheduling conflicts!

There were actually books of Final Destination

Image Source/ Horror and Sci-Fi SeriesWhile this isn't something you'd have been able to tell from the movies, there were actually some books released based on the film franchise around 2005/2006. These includes original stories and retelling of the movie plots. One of the premises was escaping a yacht explosion.

Peter Friedkin is actually a musician

Image Source/ TwitterWell, not Peter Friedkin himself but the actor who played him, Miles Fisher. Appearing in Final Destination 5, the actor is actually a musician and his castmates appear in the music video for his single "New Romance" when cosplaying Saved by the Bell characters.

The films are based on true fears and stories

Image Source/ The Globe and MailMentioned earlier in this list, Final Destination's deaths and fears were actually based on the deaths and fears in real life, and in some instances of escaping death. For example, Jessica Ghawi Redfield escaped a Toronto mall terrorist attack on June 2, 2012, only to be murdered in another terrorist attached just over a month later.

The god awful title for Final Destination 5

Image Source/ Bloody DisgustingAfter playing with the title of Final Destination 4, the producers thought it would only be right to play with the title of Final Destination 5 too. Thank god they didn't! Their initial title idea for the film was 5nal Destination. We see what they were trying to do, but it could have ended badly...

Final Destination 6 is in the works

Image Source/ RegalYou heard that right, Final Destination 4 was definitely a false alarm and there are more in the works. The script was started inn 2021 and producer Craig Perry says:

"We’re toying with having it take place in the world of first responders: EMTs, firemen, and police. These people deal with death on the front lines every day and make choices that can cause people to live or die. We rely on their good judgment, expertise, and calm demeanour."