Movies
Get Answers, Ask More Questions: ‘Final Destination 5’ Producer Craig Perry Round 3!
Just the other week we asked you Bloody Disgusting readers to hit us up on Twitter to ask Final Destination franchise producer Craig Perry questions about his forthcoming Final Destination 5, which arrives in theaters August 12 from Warner Bros. Pictures.
The first and second round of questions were absolutely fantastic: all you had to do was tweet @BDisgusting with your questions, accompanied by #FD5BD. Perry then compiled his favorite questions and answered them inside!. We’ll continue to get questions answered as long as you’re interested and stay engaged. Read inside to see the previous Q+A and then begin round 3 by following the above instructions (or click here).
Directed by James Cameron protege Steven Quale, the fifth film in the franchise begins with a suspension bridge disaster and takes the mythology in a new direction. “Death is just as omnipresent as ever, and is unleashed after one man’s premonition saves a group of coworkers from a terrifying suspension bridge collapse. But this group of unsuspecting souls was never supposed to survive, and, in a terrifying race against time, the ill-fated group frantically tries to discover a way to escape Death’s sinister agenda.”
@Hubbzie — You guys should have an animal cheat death at the beggining too. 1 of the survivors pets maybe, evr considered the idea?
Craig Perry: “Interesting notion. We’ve never explored that. However, I’m concerned watching Spot the dog or Fluffy the cat bite it in a spectacular way might alienate the audience.”
@yorgenis1991 — Can I participate in the next Final Destination? I don’t mind to be the first one who dies. Seriously. 😀
Craig Perry: “If we get it going, you’re more than welcome to have your agent get you an audition.”
@321sponge1 — Please Tell me there won’t be any unnecessary nudity or sex scene this time around Craig? :’)
Craig Perry: “All nudity is necessary!”
@Jaffiest — If a saved girl gets pregnant after the big crash, would she become invincible for the following 9 months?
Craig Perry: “I don’t think so, because she was meant to die in the crash – that baby should never have been conceived in the first place. It’s a marked life from the start.”
@DavisSroczynski — What is Lewis gf’s name? Was she McKinley High School’s student? She had lines originally but cut, so who portrayed her?
Craig Perry: “What are you talking about? Was this from some early draft? I don’t even remember. It certainly wasn’t in the movie. Please start asking normal questions or I will be forced to ignore you.”
@khoeum — How much do u think the 5th film has to make in order to make a 6th film? Y did u make Fd5 so early than the other films?
Craig Perry: “If we do the business that FD4 did, I think everyone would be very happy. And we made this one faster because we had a good idea to pursue.”
@khoeum — Second Question …Would consider using deaths created by fans of the film if they were good?
Craig Perry: “Sorry, but no – too many legal complications.”
@khoeum — Can u explain the details for wat the death scene at the waterpark wouldve been??
Craig Perry: “It was never seriously discussed as the gag is hard to pull off. But never say never…!”
@DavisSroczynski — Did Biker and his naked girlfriend, and the kid who playing toy truck against Kimberly in FD2 killed during the pile-up?
Craig Perry: “No idea, to be honest with you. Perhaps but it’s not the story we were following in FD2.”
@DavisSroczynski — Hi, what is the full name of Agent Weine, Agent Schreck and Mrs. Gibbons? And what is the name of Isabella Hudson’s son?
Craig Perry: “No idea. It was never part of the script.”
@DavisSroczynski — Hi, why some deleted scenes unreleased? Clear nearly hit by car in FD1, truck crashed into cafe with no one dead in TFD?
Craig Perry: “They haven’t been released because they don’t exist. Where are you getting your information?”
@DavisSroczynski — Hi, what’s Rory, Kat, Nora, Evan, Isabella, Nick, Lori, Janet, Hunt, Samantha, Nadia, Cynthia’s job? How old are they?
Craig Perry: “No idea, to be honest with you.”
@DavisSroczynski — Hi Craig, me again. Blake was Carrie’s sister? Ashley died before Ashlyn? How old is Julie, Wendy and their friends?
Craig Perry: “Re: the sister thing, no. And Ashley and Ashlyn died in the order they were meant to on the coaster. As for the ages, they are seniors – you do the math.”
@DavisSroczynski — finaldestination.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline Hi Craig, tell me all the exact dates that still unknown in the link above plz
Craig Perry: “Uh… that isn’t an official site. And frankly, most of that information is irrelevant to the storytelling so it isn’t determined.”
@Bryanw702 — Why was the water park scene rejected?
Craig Perry: “It was never seriously pursued because it seemed like a setpiece in search of a story.”
@Bryanw702 — Can I audition for FD6? lol I’m serious!
Craig Perry: “Let’s hope we have the chance!”
@Bryanw702 — Does the black guy die first? Lol
Craig Perry: “HA! Nope…”
@Bryanw702 — Will there be any survivors in this one?
Craig Perry: “You’ll have to see the movie to find out.”
@turistas_902 — seeing how a lot of people hated TFD (i liked it), will the deaths look more real? not like the escalator death?
Craig Perry: “The death sequences in FD5 are a definite step up from the previous films. They are extremely well executed.”
@Slasherfan — I really liked the idea of the choose Their Fate option on FD3 dvd. Ever think of doing it again and really going for it
Craig Perry: “Unfortunately, the economics of the DVD business is such that we most likely will not pursue a “choose your own adventure” dynamic on future releases. It’s extremely expensive. Each shooting day averages about $175,000 per day. Usually you only get a minute or two of viable material out of each day. So to create significant alternate content on top of the actual movie itself is a multi-million dollar proposition. I think the DVD for FD3 was both ahead of its time and one of the last of its kind to be attempted in the format.”
@Fdmajorfan — Who is your favorite character for “Final Destination 5”
Craig Perry: “They all serve a specific function in each film’s construction, but I’m generally partial to the funny characters. PJ Byrne is great in FD5. Sam Easton is great in FD3.”
@ChristianPiatek — Favorite destination?
Craig Perry: “The island of Kauia or Paris.”
@ChristianPiatek — Do you think FD5 will be a game changer for the series and why?
Craig Perry: “It’s a game changer in this respect – it takes the franchise mythology, builds on it and then turns it on its head. It’s a well-made, well-acted, well-directed supernatural thriller that looks like it cost twice as much as it did. And it takes itself just seriously enough without forgetting to be fun and entertaining.”
@ChristianPiatek — Will FD5 have a presence this year at Comic Con?!?! Spike TV sure thinks so!
Craig Perry: “Yes! We’ll be there on Thursday, July 21st.”
@ChristianPiatek — This time around should we expect more character development and surprises?
Craig Perry: “One of the comments from the very first person to see FD5 in its earliest stages was, “Wow, I wasn’t expecting there to be characters to care about and a storyline.” So the answer is yes, there’s a lot more character and surprises.”
@JustChris7 — Hey Craig. Which character do you think the fans will love in the fifth movie? Why?
Craig Perry: “I like all the characters in FD5, but Isaac (played by PJ Byrne) is unbelievably funny. He’s someone you love to loathe.”
@guns4hire2000 — Will the newspaper that reveals Burke and Kimberly’s deaths ever be shown in the theatrical cut of a future instalment?
Craig Perry: “Maybe. Right now I can’t think of a situation where it would happen, but given how the world of FD is evolving you never know!”
@Fdmajorfan — remakes r inevitable, so do u think there will be a FD remake say 20 yrs from now? Worst case scenario how’ll it end up?
Craig Perry: “Perhaps. We’ve already gotten feelers from other countries about taking the FD concept and making a movie specific to that culture. I think that would be amazing. And it would be even cooler if all the movies worldwide were in some way connected.”
@The180Curse — Hey buddy! *high fives* Would you say that 3D was more of an after thought regarding narrative when developing FD5?
Craig Perry: “Whaddup, 180? For FD5, we knew the movie would be in 3D but focused more on telling the story rather than trying to generate stick-in-yer-eye 3D moments. The bridge collapse naturally lent itself to 3D. We certainly have moments where objects come out of the screen but the effect is used sparingly and smartly. Remember, director Steve Quale has been around the new 3D technology for twenty years. He knows the best way to apply it.”
@richicardo13 — Which lead character would you consider to be the best?
Craig Perry: “They are all different and very specific to the situation in each movie. So I can’t really say who’s best. Sorry!”
@ThunderDragoon — I thought I’d ask another question if you don’t mind. 🙂 I’ve heard that Final Destination 5 is a prequel. Is this true?
Craig Perry: “If it is, then why would I say so? If it isn’t, why would I say so? That’s no fun at all! I love the fact that there are tons of rumors floating around the web. It only helps generate buzz and conversation. I ain’t gonna stop the speculation!”
@DennisElms — rllywnt2kno, Tony Todd’s Death character has seemed to help and hinder, but the chars all ultimately die. Does he care?
Craig Perry: “Interesting question. I don’t think he cares as much as he has pity.”
Here’s what we know about Longlegs so far. It’s coming in July of 2024, it’s directed by Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter), and it features Maika Monroe (It Follows) as an FBI agent who discovers a personal connection between her and a serial killer who has ties to the occult. We know that the serial killer is going to be played by none other than Nicolas Cage and that the marketing has been nothing short of cryptic excellence up to this point.
At the very least, we can assume NEON’s upcoming film is going to be a dark, horror-fueled hunt for a serial killer. With that in mind, let’s take a look at five disturbing serial killers-versus-law-enforcement stories to get us even more jacked up for Longlegs.
MEMORIES OF MURDER (2003)
This South Korean film directed by Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) is a wild ride. The film features a handful of cops who seem like total goofs investigating a serial killer who brutally murders women who are out and wearing red on rainy evenings. The cops are tired, unorganized, and border on stoner comedy levels of idiocy. The movie at first seems to have a strange level of forgiveness for these characters as they try to pin the murders on a mentally handicapped person at one point, beating him and trying to coerce him into a confession for crimes he didn’t commit. A serious cop from the big city comes down to help with the case and is able to instill order.
But still, the killer evades and provokes not only the police but an entire country as everyone becomes more unstable and paranoid with each grizzly murder and sex crime.
I’ve never seen a film with a stranger tone than Memories of Murder. A movie that deals with such serious issues but has such fallible, seemingly nonserious people at its core. As the film rolls on and more women are murdered, you realize that a lot of these faults come from men who are hopeless and desperate to catch a killer in a country that – much like in another great serial killer story, Citizen X – is doing more harm to their plight than good.
Major spoiler warning: What makes Memories of Murder somehow more haunting is that it’s loosely based on a true story. It is a story where the real-life killer hadn’t been caught at the time of the film’s release. It ends with our main character Detective Park (Song Kang-ho), now a salesman, looking hopelessly at the audience (or judgingly) as the credits roll. Over sixteen years later the killer, Lee Choon Jae, was found using DNA evidence. He was already serving a life sentence for another murder. Choon Jae even admitted to watching the film during his court case saying, “I just watched it as a movie, I had no feeling or emotion towards the movie.”
In the end, Memories of Murder is a must-see for fans of the subgenre. The film juggles an almost slapstick tone with that of a dark murder mystery and yet, in the end, works like a charm.
CURE (1997)
If you watched 2023’s Hypnotic and thought to yourself, “A killer who hypnotizes his victims to get them to do his bidding is a pretty cool idea. I only wish it were a better movie!” Boy, do I have great news for you.
In Cure (spoilers ahead), a detective (Koji Yakusho) and forensic psychologist (Tsuyoshi Ujiki) team up to find a serial killer who’s brutally marking their victims by cutting a large “X” into their throats and chests. Not just a little “X” mind you but a big, gross, flappy one.
At each crime scene, the murderer is there and is coherent and willing to cooperate. They can remember committing the crimes but can’t remember why. Each of these murders is creepy on a cellular level because we watch the killers act out these crimes with zero emotion. They feel different than your average movie murder. Colder….meaner.
What’s going on here is that a man named Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara) is walking around and somehow manipulating people’s minds using the flame of a lighter and a strange conversational cadence to hypnotize them and convince them to murder. The detectives eventually catch him but are unable to understand the scope of what’s happening before it’s too late.
If you thought dealing with a psychopathic murderer was hard, imagine dealing with one who could convince you to go home and murder your wife. Not only is Cure amazingly filmed and edited but it has more horror elements than your average serial killer film.
MANHUNTER (1986)
In the first-ever Hannibal Lecter story brought in front of the cameras, Detective Will Graham (William Petersen) finds his serial killers by stepping into their headspace. This is how he caught Hannibal Lecter (played here by Brian Cox), but not without paying a price. Graham became so obsessed with his cases that he ended up having a mental breakdown.
In Manhunter, Graham not only has to deal with Lecter playing psychological games with him from behind bars but a new serial killer in Francis Dolarhyde (in a legendary performance by Tom Noonan). One who likes to wear pantyhose on his head and murder entire families so that he can feel “seen” and “accepted” in their dead eyes. At one point Lecter even finds a way to gift Graham’s home address to the new killer via personal ads in a newspaper.
Michael Mann (Heat, Thief) directed a film that was far too stylish for its time but that fans and critics both would have loved today in the same way we appreciate movies like Nightcrawler or Drive. From the soundtrack to the visuals to the in-depth psychoanalysis of an insanely disturbed protagonist and the man trying to catch him. We watch Graham completely lose his shit and unravel as he takes us through the psyche of our killer. Which is as fascinating as it is fucked.
Manhunter is a classic case of a serial killer-versus-detective story where each side of the coin is tarnished in their own way when it’s all said and done. As Detective Park put it in Memories of Murder, “What kind of detective sleeps at night?”
INSOMNIA (2002)
Maybe it’s because of the foggy atmosphere. Maybe it’s because it’s the only film in Christopher Nolan’s filmography he didn’t write as well as direct. But for some reason, Insomnia always feels forgotten about whenever we give Nolan his flowers for whatever his latest cinematic achievement is.
Whatever the case, I know it’s no fault of the quality of the film, because Insomnia is a certified serial killer classic that adds several unique layers to the detective/killer dynamic. One way to create an extreme sense of unease with a movie villain is to cast someone you’d never expect in the role, which is exactly what Nolan did by casting the hilarious and sweet Robin Williams as a manipulative child murderer. He capped that off by casting Al Pacino as the embattled detective hunting him down.
This dynamic was fascinating as Williams was creepy and clever in the role. He was subdued in a way that was never boring but believable. On the other side of it, Al Pacino felt as if he’d walked straight off the set of 1995’s Heat and onto this one. A broken and imperfect man trying to stop a far worse one.
Aside from the stellar acting, Insomnia stands out because of its unique setting and plot. Both working against the detective. The investigation is taking place in a part of Alaska where the sun never goes down. This creates a beautiful, nightmare atmosphere where by the end of it, Pacino’s character is like a Freddy Krueger victim in the leadup to their eventual, exhausted death as he runs around town trying to catch a serial killer while dealing with the debilitating effects of insomnia. Meanwhile, he’s under an internal affairs investigation for planting evidence to catch another child killer and accidentally shoots his partner who he just found out is about to testify against him. The kicker here is that the killer knows what happened that fateful day and is using it to blackmail Pacino’s character into letting him get away with his own crimes.
If this is the kind of “what would you do?” intrigue we get with the story from Longlegs? We’ll be in for a treat. Hoo-ah.
FALLEN (1998)
Fallen may not be nearly as obscure as Memories of Murder or Cure. Hell, it boasts an all-star cast of Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, James Gandolfini, and Elias Koteas. But when you bring it up around anyone who has seen it, their ears perk up, and the word “underrated” usually follows. And when it comes to the occult tie-ins that Longlegs will allegedly have? Fallen may be the most appropriate film on this entire list.
In the movie, Detective Hobbs (Washington) catches vicious serial killer Edgar Reese (Koteas) who seems to place some sort of curse on him during Hobbs’ victory lap. After Reese is put to death via electric chair, dead bodies start popping up all over town with his M.O., eventually pointing towards Hobbs as the culprit. After all, Reese is dead. As Hobbs investigates he realizes that a fallen angel named Azazel is possessing human body after human body and using them to commit occult murders. It has its eyes fixated on him, his co-workers, and family members; wrecking their lives or flat-out murdering them one by one until the whole world is damned.
Mixing a demonic entity into a detective/serial killer story is fascinating because it puts our detective in the unsettling position of being the one who is hunted. How the hell do you stop a demon who can inhabit anyone they want with a mere touch?!
Fallen is a great mix of detective story and supernatural horror tale. Not only are we treated to Denzel Washington as the lead in a grim noir (complete with narration) as he uncovers this occult storyline, but we’re left with a pretty great “what would you do?” situation in a movie that isn’t afraid to take the story to some dark places. Especially when it comes to the way the film ends. It’s a great horror thriller in the same vein as Frailty but with a little more detective work mixed in.
Look for Longlegs in theaters on July 12, 2024.
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