Editorials
[Special Feature] ‘Final Destination’: Not So Final After All!
Death. It’s the most final of words; even in the thesaurus it is synonymous with words like ‘finish’ or ‘exit.’ To death, there’s no beginning, middle and end. There are no more birthdays, no more promotions at work. And that’s what makes death so damn terrifying- the fact that it’s all unknown. The fact that there really is nothing to look forward to once the clock stops ticking.
I was in high school when Final Destination hit theaters. I didn’t even bother to go and see it; I figured it was another cookie-cutter example of a teen slasher flick. From the sound of it, I was certain it would be some guy dressed as father death slinging a scythe around. Boy, was I wrong. It was an original; not necessarily a masterpiece, but a breath of fresh air amidst masked killers and by the book adolescent cinema. Now, here we are, eleven years later and looking dead in the eyes of ‘Final Destination 5’, the latest installment in the franchise. While most of us had tuned out after the massacre that was 4, those who believed in the idea stuck it out- and, thanks to their perseverance, this one is coming out smelling like roses. Some are going so far as to argue that this film is going to be the best of the series; while others, at the very least, have bestowed best sequel honors on the film. Since I haven’t seen the film yet, I can’t pass judgement- but our very own Mr. Disgusting actually liked it. Knowing how much he loves the series (probably as much as I love Justin Bieber), this is quite the compliment; and certainly a reason for me to be there this weekend.
In honor of Final Destination 5 (review), I took a trip down memory lane with story elitist Jeffrey Reddick, producer Craig Perry, and the man himself, actor Tony Todd; after all, if it weren’t for Flight 180, this bridge over troubled water wouldn’t exist.
“In death there are no accidents, no coincidences, no mishap, and no escapes.” ~~Bludworth, Final Destination (2000)
“It was fresh and original,” recalled Perry, who has produced all five films in the franchise. “We were given the latitude to explore the ideas.” Perry went on about the original 14 page treatment he helped Reddick complete. “[The film] was the perfect synthesis of what New Line wanted. It was different. It was unique in how it treated its audience. It treated you with respect. And ultimately, it was a way for audiences to explore the things we can’t define, the things that frighten us… and get away with it.”
If the plot isn’t familiar by now, there’s a problem. I’m thinking something along the lines of a residence being under a rock. Basically a teenager has a vision that the plane he’s on explodes and everyone dies. He snaps out of it, realizes he’s ON that plane, and freaks out. After exchanging words with the class jock and causing a ruckus that results in him and a few classmates, as well as a teacher, deplaning, the plane actually does explode, killing those still on board. By saving himself and the others, he ruined Death’s plan, causing a ripple effect that forces Death himself to hunt them down one by one.
And that is the first film in a nutshell.
Director James Wong and writer Glen Morgan’s mark on the franchise began when they were pulled onto the original film. Taking what Reddick had pieced together, they changed it to fit their vision and ultimately ran with it. But it was Reddick who had the ‘ah-ha’ moment. “I was actually flying home to Kentucky and I read this story about a woman who was on vacation in Hawaii and her mom called her and said ‘Don’t take the flight tomorrow, I have a really bad feeling about it,’” said Reddick, who is formally credited for his story creation in both Final Destination and ‘Final Destination 2’. “She switched flights and the plane that she would have been on crashed. I thought, that’s creepy- what if she was supposed to die on that flight?” Originally an X-Files spec script, Reddick, with Perry’s guidance, transformed the script into Flight 180, the movie’s original working title. Though Reddick wrote the entire first draft, eventually Wong and Morgan stepped in, rewriting the script and taking charge.
A lot of things had changed from the first ideas on paper. Initially, the characters had been a group of adult strangers- however, with the wave of teen horror, the characters were changed to fit the times. But the high school seniors were the only common dominator in those films. The biggest difference? The killer wasn’t physical. There was no mask, no weapon- and that’s what made it different. “New Line was very nervous about having a movie with death as the killer,” said Reddick. “What Final Destination has going for it is that death is all around us. It’s not just someone chasing somebody with an axe.”
The nervousness eventually wore off. Though the film only made around $10 million its opening weekend (less than half the budget), it came back to gross over $112 million worldwide when it was all said and done. And it was certainly a big enough return to nudge New Line in the direction of a sequel, even though it wasn’t a necessity. “We could have made no other movies and the first one still would have been a satisfying experience,” said Perry.”But when we were given the opportunity to make a sequel, we jumped at it,”
“There’s gonna be a huge accident. Everybody’s gonna die!” ~~Kimberly, ‘Final Destination 2’ (2003)
Riding off of the success that the crash of Flight 180, er, I mean Final Destination, brought down with it, New Line again approached Reddick to piece together the second installment. “I wanted to expand on the mythology and not just tell the same story over again.”
The story came to him while driving. He saw one of those oversized, overstocked log trucks teetering along, and the highway to hell was conceived. Initially he had been thinking of a hotel fire- but it seemed too simplistic for what would become the franchise’s signature: an elaborate opening that puts other death sequences to shame. Follow it up with some kills to remember and that’s the apparent recipe for success.
“The kills were just great,” said Perry of ‘FD2’, who is fond of the window pane kill of poor little Timmy. “I find it wildly entertaining.” For many, that’s the appeal of these films- the kills aren’t gratuitous. They aren’t overdone, nor can they be classified as ‘over the top’ or to the extremity of ‘torture porn.’ They’re fast, they’re clean, and they get the job done. “The kills are the punctuation of the cinematic sentence that comprises the sequence,” added Perry.
In ‘Final Destination 2’, the log truck loses its load and those in the path of destruction meet a horrendous fate; several escaping when a young woman has ‘the vision’ while driving and causes a traffic-stopping distraction; literally. As in the first film, the pattern begins, each survivor dying in a ghastly way to fit Death’s plan- only this time the deaths were much more elaborate and the film’s tone hit all the right notes. From first glance, it seemed as if New Line had another hit on its hands- and a possible franchise in the making. After all, it’s one thing to make a sequel; it’s another to continue in the name of success.
“Death is fucking complicated.” ~~Erin, ‘Final Destination 3’ (2006)
Final Destination reached franchise level when director/writer duo Wong and Morgan returned for 2006’s ‘Final Destination 3’, a vanilla compound in comparison to the two previous films. This time a horrendous roller coaster accident claims the lives of its victims. Great start, but something that was more of an ‘engine that could’ shot at filmmaking as opposed to a new take on an old concept. The film itself was well made, but it just didn’t fall into place as well as fans had hoped. And don’t even get us started on The Final Destination- its success was measured by 3D ticket sales and not creativity. Audiences far and wide were disappointed in the outcome; and even the filmmakers agree that it wasn’t what they’d hoped it would be.
But redemption is well overdue and the crew behind ‘FD5’ is looking forward to that achievement this weekend when the film hits theaters on Friday.
“We started fresh and brought in a new group of creative people who actually questioned why things happened the way they happened,” said Perry, who feels this film is his favorite of the five. “They were dedicated to making this movie the best it could possibly be.”
Director Steven Quale teams up with Eric Heisserer, the scribe behind The Nightmare on Elm Street remake, for the latest installment. Though Quale may not be a household name, he comes from a strong background in the industry- most notably as Second Unit Director on both Titanic and Avatar, learning the ropes by way of James Cameron. Not a bad place to hail from. “Once the film opens he’s going to have at least ten offers on the table,” bragged Todd.
By way of trailers and whispers, the bridge seems to be the culprit this time around; death sending its victims into muddy waters as the catalyst. “‘FD5’ got the tone right,” said Perry. “It’s serious, but still has humor – gallows humor. It’s not campy but is aware of how potentially absurd the situation is. I think everyone involved saw ‘FD5’ as a chance to redeem ourselves, to say we’re sorry, to say that we figured it out, and to really put our best creative foot forward as opposed to relying on the financial success of ‘FD4’.”
“They took the time to come up with a great twist on this one,” said Todd. And he was right. It’s not the same old formula- now there’s a new rule. If you’re in line to die, and you kill someone, they take your place. Talk about a complicated morality check. “With each of the movies we’ve been trying to establish the perfect vision of what the franchise can be,” said Perry. “With ‘FD5’, we got it right,”
Collapsing bridges, murder or be murdered; the Final Destination franchise has certainly evolved from what was originally supposed to be, as Todd puts it, “… one of those jobs where I was one and done.” Hoping to build off of the potential success, future installments are in the works. While rumors have been circulating for months, Perry put it into the best of words; “We hope to have the right to talk about [another installment] come Monday. It’s up to the audience.”
Death as a Killer
“It wasn’t just some slasher movie,” recalled Reddick. “The whole idea that there is a pattern to death added another level that set the franchise apart.” Perry added, “We don’t have a visible bad guy. The bad guy in some ways is a metaphysical idea, a thesis. Is it fate? Is it destiny? Is it death itself? By not providing a concrete answer, you can bring your own background to the viewing experience. It’s really a reflection of what you believe.”
Horror fans, hell, movie fans, had grown accustomed to physically seeing the attacker. Jason. Michael Meyers. Freddy Krueger. And despite arguments that the Final Destination franchise is not horror, it’s a disagreeable fact; it’s a slasher flick without the slasher. There’s suspense, there’s blood, there’s the dumb girl or boy doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. It’s not what we’re used to, but that’s the beauty of it. And that’s what keeps audiences coming back for more.
Who knows if ‘FD5’ will be a success. Who knows if there will be another Final Destination sometime in the future. My guess is that audiences will flock to it to see what happens next; what’s changed, what’s new. They’ll buy some popcorn, sit back, and cringe as one by one, Death follows the pattern, distributing his plan. Maybe seeing or avoiding this film is a part of your plan; either way, death is ever present, and the Final Destination series stands by its motto; life is short, and then you die.
For more from Andrea, visit her blog, THE ALBIN WAY.
College kids, strippers and vampires—those were Donald P. Borchers’ only requirements when he approached Richard Wenk about writing and directing a movie for New World Pictures. As requested, Wenk cooked up Vamp (1986), a tailor-made blend of the decade’s teen movie craze as well as its horror boom.
Grim and earnest stories were still very much a part of the ’80s horror landscape, yet Vamp is something of a comedy. One difference between it and, say, Saturday the 14th, though, is the former avoids using schtick. Wenk’s movie proves that horror comedies also don’t have to subtract thrills from their recipes. Of course, it takes a minute before reaching that point; college antics and culture shocks preface this one macabre misadventure.
Vamp‘s initial setup is apt for a typical college-set, sex-driven comedy; to bribe their way into a fraternity house, two pledges (Chris Makepeace, Robert Rusler) go looking for some adult entertainment. Without wasting time on any further exposition, the characters embark on an all-in-one-night trip that quickly detours into terror.
To procure their elusive MacGuffin—a stripper willing to gyrate for some frat boys—Keith (Makepeace) and AJ (Rusler), plus a third wheel named Duncan (Gedee Watanabe), trade the safety of their remote college campus for the seediness of some unnamed city. The setting is recognizably L.A. by day, but as soon as night falls, downtown, along with the characters, slips into a kind of surreal universe. Director of photography Elliot Davis gave this early entry on his prolific résumé an unusual yet distinctive look; that Mario Bava-esque, magenta-green lighting is omnipresent, so much so that it’s almost its own character.
Chris Makepeace and Robert Rusler in Vamp
The faint comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s After Hours are merited, although not just because of Vamp’s distinguishing nighttime aesthetic. Save for the primary characters, the supporting roles in Wenk’s movie are also quite colorful and transactional in their behavior. The difference here, though, is the additional urge to ruin Keith and his friends at every turn. Some of that harm is humorous and tolerable enough, whereas the moment Vamp dishes out its first fatality, it’s abundantly clear how this movie qualifies as horror.
Vamp falls into that category of horror movie that reveals its genre with a scream rather than a series of whispers. The opening scene can function as a hint of what lies ahead—things are not at all what they appear to be—but otherwise, Wenk is more than happy to hold off on the horror. When that time does come, though, it catches the viewer off guard. In addition to the pure shock value is that sudden decision to upend the movie’s foremost feature. Or so it would seem.
If afraid of major spoilage, those new to Vamp would be wise to stop reading here. There’s just no skirting around the fact that the central fellowship in this buddy movie hits a serious snag when AJ is killed. That development causes the story to become more of a “long, bad night” journey for Keith and his romantic interest. So while Wenk scores points for subverting expectations, there is also a touch of sadness in his decision. Because if Vamp does anything well, it’s making the characters likable.
Something that comes easily to Vamp—and other teen horror movies from this same era—is its ability to invent young characters worth caring about, or at the very least, are interesting and not so immediately off-putting. More impressive is how Wenk did all this without actually fleshing out those characters. Still and all, Keith and his kind are a grade above cookie-cutter, and in some cases, aren’t completely devoid of growth.
Grace Jones in Vamp
Vamp appeals with an assorted cast of characters. No two are the same, nor are they operating on the same wavelength. The cinematically extroverted AJ, whose actor conveyed charm and vulnerability in near equal amounts, comes alive when he’s at his most undead. Makepeace then makes the chronically cautious Keith a sympathetic fellow, even as he’s more and more affected by the night’s bizarre events. Meanwhile, Duncan is indeed the designated loser of the whole bunch, but Watanabe still manages to humanize him. As a bonus, the role didn’t require him to pull a Long Duk Dong.
As for Dedee Pfeiffer, she is plain adorable as the mysterious After Dark server nicknamed “Amaretto”. She spends all night fixing her dress strap while at the same time trying to get Keith to remember how he knows her. As their offbeat romance grows, it becomes another highlight of this movie. Whether or not Pfeiffer’s character is really a vampire also creates some welcome tension in the story.
Like a lot of its contemporaries, Vamp went on to become a bit of a cult classic. That current status is determined by several factors, but without a doubt, the casting of Grace Jones is the most considerable. The image of her writhing on that unique-looking chair, a Keith Haring original, springs to mind whenever this movie is brought up.
Chris Makepeace, Billy Drago and Paunita Nichols in Vamp
Prior to that first display of unequivocal horror, local vampire queen Katrina (Jones) took to the stage and delivered a strip show like no other. One would expect nothing less from that renowned model and performance artist. By now reports of Jones’ tardiness on set are no secret, yet it’s also hard to deny her commitment to the part of Katrina. It was, in fact, Jones who took charge of her character’s appearance—on top of Haring painting her body and that now-iconic chair, she had Andy Warhol handle her costuming. And not too many actors could seize a room’s attention without saying a single line of dialogue.
In 2022, Vamp received a retrospective novelization from Encyclopocalypse. This literary union of preexisting source material—Wenk’s original screenplay—and new ideas from author Christian Francis amounts to a more comprehensive visit to the After Dark Club. The basic story there is no different than what’s shown on screen; however, Francis gets creative with the characters’ origins and designs, and he enhances a number of key scenes.
The novelization expands on the urban and social decay of the main setting, and supplies a background for the After Dark Club. Sandy Baron’s character, Katrina’s emcee and familiar, is given ample motivation for sticking around; up until the fiery end, he is loyal to his friend and former business partner “Squeak”, who looks like he was “fed through a combine harvester, and left as nothing more than a heap of mangled remains”. Then there is Billy Drago’s character Snow, the leader of a street gang called The Dragons. His reason for menacing Keith and AJ is more altruistic than in the movie; he and his peers act tough to scare off any potential food for the vampires.
Lisa Lyon in Vamp
If not for all the backstories, Francis’ Vamp would be a hell of a lot shorter. Instead, this tie-in read dives into how AJ met Keith—the orphaned Anthony Joseph hailed from a broken home back in Brooklyn—and how their friendship flourished over the years. Keith’s archership is no longer just an assumed part of his entire being; it’s a confidence-building extracurricular for a boy who got picked on before coming into the protection of the new kid in town. These supplemental, in-depth looks at the protagonists, plus their close connection, are maybe unnecessary. The movie already did a fair and concise job of addressing their platonic intimacy without the need for flashbacks and insights, specifically in that scene where AJ lays it all out as he sacrifices himself.
Where the novelization gets off course is its approach to the minor characters. Intermittently backstorying the likes of Katrina’s indentured servants, Seko (Leila Hee Olsen) and Vlad (Brad Logan), ends up disturbing the flow of the writing. Was it absolutely essential that readers know Vlad was the Grand Duke of the House of Romanov, or how Snow’s accomplice Maven (Paunita Nichols) became so dentally challenged? No, not really. However, one’s mileage with these random biographies may vary.
The novelization is a more substantial experience, but for a movie like Vamp, less is more. And as plentiful as they are, it never simply coasts on its campy charms, either. The character work sits comfortably in that realm between cursory and meticulous, the script is sharper than first realized, and Greg Cannom’s vampire makeup is straightforward yet effective. Most of all, the movie didn’t squander its out-of-the-box concept. Richard Wenk made his vision of a “comic nightmare in which just about anything that can go wrong does” come true, and it is very enjoyable.
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