Taglines: We all share a common destination.
In “Final Destination 5” the fifth installment of the successful horror franchise, Death once again proves to be the ultimate stalker as it systematically hunts down a group of friends struggling to escape its relentless pursuit.
This time around, Death is unleashed on several coworkers as they embark on a corporate retreat for what should be a quick overnight trip. As the charter bus makes its way toward the location, the route takes them over a massive suspension bridge that arches over a river, where raging waters surge 200 feet below. But their fates are seemingly sealed as the bridge splinters apart right in front of their eyes. Sam, the character who had first presaged the accident, desperately tries to figure out a way to save them, with some degree of success… or so he thinks.
Director Steven Quale says, “In the previous ‘Final Destination’ films, it’s inevitable that they’re going to die, and the question is when and how—that’s the adrenaline rush. But in this movie, we’ve added a twist: a few may have found a way to survive.”
For producer Craig Perry, the opportunity to come back for a fifth time offered a chance to not only meet the fans’ expectations, but to rock them out of their seats. “We’re always looking at these films with an eye to taking it to the next level,” Perry says. “One of the things we’ve learned from fans is that they want a gripping, terrifying story that is also an entertaining ride, so we really tried to ramp it up.”
Knowing that they wanted to shoot the film in 3D, producers Craig Perry and Warren Zide brought Quale, an expert in the field, on board. “Steve has forgotten more about 3D than I’ll ever know,” Perry suggests. “He has been doing this for 20 years with Jim Cameron, the grand master of not just 3D but of action movies. Also, Steve genuinely loves movies and has a real passion that, married with his technical expertise, made him pretty much the perfect candidate for what we were trying to do here.”
Quale felt that working on a film where the core premise was firmly established provided him with a creative challenge to enhance the bones of the franchise. “I did a marathon screening of all four ‘Final Destination’ movies back-to-back with the mind of a moviegoer, noting what I liked best about each. Then I began to think about what I was going to do once I was behind the camera.”
Screenwriter Eric Heisserer says working on “Final Destination 5” was a writer’s dream job, since setting up the hook of the story isn’t needed. “The ‘Final Destination’ conceit is one of those rare situations where, thanks to the previous four movies, I didn’t need to spend a lot of time on exposition to make sure the audience would get it. It was my intent from the start to write an engaging supernatural thriller that also happens to be a ‘Final Destination’ movie. Like fans, I wanted some heinous kill sequences, but I also wanted to expand the mythology of the world by introducing a moral dilemma for the characters, which forces them to wrestle with the question of what, or who, they value most.”
With the series’ signature chain reaction-style kills always at the center of anticipation for audiences, the scenes have to be bigger and better each time, presenting a fun challenge for the writer. “The toughest thing for me was definitely choreographing the death sequences. I made several trips to various real-world locations where our scenarios are set. I took pictures, drew diagrams, conducted interviews. Often it felt like I was at the scene of some crime, even though none had been committed…yet,” he laughs. “The chain of small, mundane events that, when triggered in proper order, spell disaster for a character, took a lot of careful planning. The flip side of that coin is that, when a death sequence worked, it was easily the most fun to write.”
In addition to the death scenes, the producers and Quale were adamant that the story and character development take equal precedence, recognizing the value that comes from engaging the audience to care about the characters, which then makes watching their demise that much more of a visceral, horrifying event.
“We set out to make a visually stunning film with dynamic action sequences, beginning with the bridge,” Quale states, “But I also think the characters are people the audience will want to follow. Their storylines really help drive this movie, so we spent a lot of time looking for the right actors for each part. We got very lucky with this group.”
“I think we found a great balance with this film,” Perry says. “With the bridge collapse, we’ve got the biggest opening sequence we’ve ever had. Then there’s suspense of not only what will happen to each of characters but, more importantly, how it will happen, which is what sets ‘Final Destination’ movies apart.”
The story of “Final Destination 5” centers around Sam, a young professional in the midst of a career crisis: sticking with a job at a paper factory that pays the rent, or following his passion to become a chef and moving to Paris. But Paris might cause him to lose the girl he loves, and that may be too big a price to pay.
“When we meet Sam, he is distracted because, while he’s supposed to be setting up to go on this retreat, his girlfriend, Molly, is breaking up with him,” offers Nicholas D’Agosto, who plays Sam. “Then as they get on the bus, he gets that pang of ‘something doesn’t feel right,’ but shrugs it off. When Death starts taking out those around him, he gets really scared, because he doesn’t understand why this is happening, what he’s supposed to do about it or how to convince the FBI that he has nothing to do with the deaths of those around him. On top of all that, he’s trying to make decisions about his life—for as long as it lasts, that is.”
Perry notes, “Nick’s an engaging and personable guy, and that translated to Sam, which was key since the audience has to want to take this really frightening ride with him.”
D’Agosto smiles, “What I love about this franchise is that it leaves this big question open for the audience: ‘Who or what is the entity that delivers this vision to these characters so that they can stave off Death just long enough for it to come and get them?’ I think it’s a fun question that fans can engage in and certainly something I won’t try to answer…even though I have my own ideas about it.”
As Death casts its net around Sam’s nearest and dearest, no one is excused from its macabre plan—except maybe the love of his life. Emma Bell plays Sam’s girlfriend, Molly, a sweet girl who’s deeply in love with her boyfriend but feeling that their life paths are moving in two different directions.
Weighing in on Molly, Bell offers, “She lives in a small town and she’s very comfortable with that. I don’t think she ever really dreamed of moving to a city, or wanted to be part of something more. She’s in love with Sam, but she knows that he dreams bigger than she ever could, and isn’t sure how to balance her love for him without holding him back from pursuing his goals. Molly knows that, given the choice, Sam would pick her over going to Paris. But she doesn’t want to put him in that situation, so she makes that choice for him.”
Perry recalls first seeing Bell in an earlier film and thinking, “‘Who is this girl? She’s fantastic.’ So when we were going through the casting process and her name came up, we jumped at it. Emma has incredible eyes—she can sell a whole scene without saying a word.”
Sam’s best friend and immediate supervisor at work is Peter, played by Miles Fisher. “Here’s someone who is a pretty straightforward, one-plus-one-equals-two kind of guy,” Fisher attests. “When Death starts coming after him and his friends, he struggles to find some kind of logical explanation, because the way he thinks doesn’t allow for anything else. And when Death claims the life of the person closest to him, I think something snaps inside; he just can’t wrap his head and heart around it and in trying to make sense of it, he desperately starts grasping at straws.”
Perry says that Peter’s character may be the greatest departure yet for the franchise, and gives the film a dramatic narrative that they haven’t explored before. “There are a lot fun twists and turns in store for the fans, but I think one of the most interesting things is that we take a character and watch him transform as his world collapses around him, as he searches for depraved ways to save himself. It’s something we’ve never had before, a tangible antagonist in the third act.”
Fisher enjoyed playing against the series’ type. “What is so terrific about these movies is that people know the rules of engagement. They know that everybody is probably going to die in some horrible way and the fun is in teasing the audience. Accidents happen everyday—in your bathtub, in a tanning bed, at a race track, every time you get on a plane. These films ignite the imagination and freak you out, but it’s done with a sense of humor. It was fun to play into that and to take it to a different level.”
Peter’s girlfriend, Candice, is played by Ellen Wroe, a young actress who is also a former gymnast, which was exactly what the filmmakers were looking for. In fact, it was through the activity that Wroe got her first exposure to the films. “When I was competing, we’d have sleepovers every Saturday night, and we’d watch scary movies, including the ‘Final Destination’ movies. I would be scared out of my mind and have my eyes covered, but afterwards we’d watch them all over again.”
Final Destination 5
Starring: Nicholas D’Agosto, Emma Bell, Miles Fisher, Ellen Wroe, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, Chasty Ballesteros, Jasmin Dring
Directed by: Steven Quale
Screenplay by: Eric Heisserer, Jeffrey Reddick
Production Design by: David Sandefur
Cinematography by: Brian Pearson
Film Editing by: Eric A. Sears
Costume Design by: Jori Woodman
Set Decoration by: Caroline George-Kohne, Melissa Olson
Art Direction by: Sandi Tanaka
Music by: Brian Tyler
MPAA Rating: R for strong violent / gruesome accidents, and some language.
Studio: New Line Cinema
Release Date: August 12, 2011
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