The ‘Final Destination’ Movies Ranked – Worst To Best
Splatter horror movies intend to shock the audience, but few are responsible for an entire generation’s trauma quite like the Final Destination franchise.
The formula is simple (even if its rules can get convoluted) — a young, attractive protagonist has a premonition of a terrible disaster. After narrowly escaping Death’s grip along with a few other survivors, the primal entity returns to kill them in the order destined in the vision. Of course, only the premonition-bearer believes it until the freak-accident deaths begin to take one life after another.
It’s wacky in concept, but it exacerbates common fears, such as flying on planes, driving behind a log truck on the freeway, and riding on roller coasters. This franchise weaves a dark comedic wink into its creative brutality, perhaps hinting that Death gets a good laugh from killing those who cheated its plan.
To honor the series and the sub-genre, here is a ranked list of the Final Destination movies, from worst to best.
6. ‘The Final Destination’ (2009)
The fourth installment, The Final Destination, is the predictable answer for the worst Final Destination. With the least memorable characters, a cheap over-reliance on CGI, and the 3D fad of the time, it’s a major franchise low point. The most unforgivable crime isn’t even the bottom-of-the-barrel acting and unoriginal deaths — it’s the criminal lack of fun.
5. ‘Final Destination 2’ (2003)
The first sequel is responsible for the best premonition in the entire franchise. The log truck sequence is on another tier of flinch-inducing fear, and the following deaths are especially cruel. It’s also the only one to bring back a major protagonist (Ali Larter’s Clear Rivers) from the prior entry. Final Destination 2 is leaps and bounds better than The Final Destination, but the characters are grating and their decision-making is bad – even by horror movie standards.
4. Final Destination 3’ (2006)
Mary Elizabeth Winstead brings her magnetic charm to Final Destination 3 – a sequel that mostly goes through the motions. However, it’s easy to forgive when it’s as casually fun as this. The roller coaster premonition is solidly tense, and the kills are some of the best in the series. The trilogy concludes with a non-fussy, by-the-numbers splatter flick that delivers the gory goods.
3. ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ (2025)
After a 14-year hiatus, Bloodlines revives Death’s twisted games with a clever twist. What if the survivors went on to have children? The familial dynamic puts a fresh spin on the typical formula, giving more weight to the characters than this franchise offers. The ugly CGI is distracting, and this universe’s convoluted logic makes little sense, but the kills are creative. Also, it took until the sixth installment to acknowledge Final Destination 2 lore.
2. ‘Final Destination 5’ (2011)
Imagine the shock that one of the best Final Destination movies follows the worst one. Final Destination 5’s ending retrospectively makes it a better movie, thanks to a surprise twist that actually works. The characters are more hollow than in Bloodlines, but the deaths are gruesome, and it revitalizes all of the reasons why fans love this franchise.
1. ‘Final Destination’ (2000)
The horror classic that started it all sits on its throne as the best. Before the more convoluted installments, James Wong’s teen splatter flick accomplishes an impressive feat with its bare-bones premise. Aside from one especially mean-spirited death, the first Final Destination makes its point with less complicated kills. Wong constructs substantial tension through each set piece. Devon Sawa and Larter make an interesting pair, pulling this early 2000s horror movie into an unforgettable franchise starter.
