Warner Bros. unleashed a visceral jolt of terror during its CinemaCon 2025 presentation with an exclusive seven-minute preview of Final Destination: Bloodlines, the long-awaited sixth chapter in the cult horror franchise. The crowd at Caesars Palace’s Colosseum erupted in unified gasps as one of the film’s shocking death scenes unfolded onscreen—affirming that, even after 14 years, Death still knows how to leave a mark.
“See you at the Oscars,” quipped Richard Brener, President & Chief Creative Officer of New Line Cinema, drawing laughs before unveiling the extended footage. While an Academy Award may not be on the cards, the hype surrounding Bloodlines is very real. The film’s trailer amassed an astonishing 178.7 million global views, making it the second most-watched horror trailer ever—trailing only behind It.
The franchise, which has grossed $667 million globally across five films, makes its spine-chilling return under the direction of Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein. The screenplay is penned by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor, based on a story by Jon Watts, who also serves as one of the producers.
A Killer Comeback
The preview showed two brothers attempting to cheat Death in a hospital, planning to temporarily kill one of them using a peanut allergy and then revive him. What follows is a harrowing sequence involving a stubborn vending machine, a rogue peanut butter cup, and a fatal encounter with an MRI machine turned death trap. One brother is violently dragged into the machine by his metal piercings; the other, moments after surviving anaphylaxis, is killed by a flying spring from the vending machine. It was a gruesome ballet of chaos that left the audience audibly recoiling.
This death scene alone cements Bloodlines among the franchise’s most inventive and shocking entries to date.
Legacy Meets the Next Generation
Final Destination: Bloodlines stars Kaitlyn Santa Juana as Stefanie Lewis, a college student tormented by violent nightmares. Upon returning to her hometown, she learns that her family has been marked by Death ever since her grandmother narrowly escaped a fatal accident decades earlier. With the bloodline now cursed, Stefanie races to break the cycle before Death catches up.
The film features a fresh ensemble cast including Teo Briones (Chucky), Richard Harmon (The 100), Owen Patrick Joyner (Julie and the Phantoms), Anna Lore (Gotham Knights), Brec Bassinger (Stargirl), and the legendary Tony Todd, who reprises his chilling role as mortician William Bludworth.
Todd’s return signals a deeper tie to the franchise’s roots. His cryptic presence in previous films has always hinted at a larger mythos behind Death’s rules—a narrative thread Bloodlines appears ready to pull.
Horror at the Forefront of Warner Bros.’ Slate
The CinemaCon showcase leaned heavily into genre horror, also spotlighting Zack Cregger’s mysterious project Weapons and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s audacious The Bride! starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale. But it was Bloodlines that stole the night, delivering the kind of shared theatrical shock that horror fans live for.
From highway pileups to tanning bed infernos, the Final Destination franchise has long made audiences fear the mundane. Bloodlines continues that tradition—this time using vending machines, peanut allergies, and MRI magnets to horrifying effect.
Final Destination: Bloodlines is slated to hit international theaters starting May 14, 2025, followed by its U.S. release on May 16. Whether this chapter closes the book or sets the stage for a new saga remains unclear, but based on fan reaction, more entries seem inevitable.
As Tony Todd says in the trailer, with an ominous grin: “Good luck.”
