The Final Destination (2009)

August 28, 2009

August 28, 2009

The Final Destination is a 2009 American 3D supernatural horror film directed by David R. Ellis and written by Eric Bress. It is a standalone sequel to Final Destination 3 (2006) and the fourth installment in the Final Destination film series. It stars Bobby Campo in his feature film debut, Shantel VanSanten, and Mykelti Williamson. Produced by New Line Cinema, the film follows a group of people after they escape a deadly accident during a stock car race, with Death stalking and killing them one by one.

After the commercial success of Final Destination 3, a fourth film entered development and was planned to be in 3D, with Bress writing the script. The script impressed producer Craig Perry and New Line Cinema enough to green-light a fourth installment. James Wong was on board to direct, but because of scheduling conflicts, he decided to drop out. Consequently, the studio executives opted for David R. Ellis to return because of his work on Final Destination 2 (2003), who personally accepted because the film would be released in 3D. Filming began in March 2008 and ended late May in the same year.

The Final Destination was theatrically released on August 28, 2009, by Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. It was the first film in the series to be shot in HD 3D and, as of May 2025, is the second highest-grossing Final Destination film, having earned $187.4 million worldwide. It received generally negative reviews from critics. A fifth film, Final Destination 5, was released in August 2011.

Storyline

College student Nick O'Bannon watches an auto race with his girlfriend Lori Milligan and their friends Hunt Wynorski and Janet Cunningham at the McKinley Speedway for their semester break. Nick has a premonition of a racetrack accident, where the debris flies into the grandstand and destroys it. The disaster kills him, his friends and several spectators. He panics, causing a fight that forces him and his friends to leave, along with white supremacist tow truck driver Carter Daniels, mother Samantha Lane, mechanic Andy Kewzer and his girlfriend Nadia Monroy, and security guard George Lanter. The disaster occurs, causing a stray wheel to fly out of the stadium and decapitate Nadia.

The following night, while attempting to burn a cross on George's lawn, Carter is dragged by the towing chain of his tow truck and is burned alive, caused by the friction of the chain igniting a gas leak. The next day, Samantha is killed by a rock lodged in the exhaust pipe of a lawnmower. After researching similar disasters parallel to the speedway's, Nick is convinced that ever since they survived, thanks to his premonition, Death is killing them in the order they would have died in the speedway disaster. With George's permission, Nick and Lori review surveillance footage of the disaster to identify the next victim. Seeing that Andy is next, they warn him, but a carbon dioxide tank suddenly launches him into a metal grid fence.

Nick suspects Janet and Hunt are next and teams up with George and Lori to save them. George and Lori save Janet from being killed at a car wash, but Nick fails to save Hunt from being disemboweled by a pool's drain pipe. George surrenders to Death and attempts suicide, but Death sabotages his attempts. Nick learns that another survivor, Jonathan Groves, was recently recovered from the rubble but remembers him dying in his premonition. Nick and George rush to save Jonathan and also conclude that George survived his suicide attempts since it was not his turn yet.

At the hospital, they fail to stop Jonathan from being fatally crushed by an overflowing bathtub from the floor above. They exit, where a speeding ambulance van kills George. Nick suspects Lori and Janet are in danger and rushes to the shopping mall's movie theater. Lori also sees omens but fails to convince Janet to leave. Janet is killed by projectiles that are launched from the screen after the room behind the screen explodes. The explosion engulfs the mall, and when Lori and Nick try to leave, Lori is sucked into the gears of an escalator. Nick realizes that everything after Jonathan's death was a premonition; he fails to save George but succeeds in preventing the mall explosion.

Two weeks later, Nick, Lori, and Janet reunite at a café. Nick suspects that they never changed anything and that Death planned to have them meet at the café at the right time. Before the three can react, a truck swerves to avoid a falling scaffold and crashes into the café, killing them.

Also See

Movie Trailer

  • The Final Destination (2009) (Trailers)

Sound Effects Used

Image Gallery

Audio Samples

Explosion Wood Debr EXP025701 as heard in the movie:

External Links