Final Destination 3 (2006)
Final Destination 3, released in 2006, was created as a standalone film to its predecessor and takes place years after the events of the first movie. Deaths pursuit is put into action by Wendy Christensen foreseeing a rollercoaster crash, and polaroids she snaps in the theme park offer clues to how each characters demise will unfurl.
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This is the film from the franchise that is the most memorable in my mind - I think a rollercoaster is the perfect basis to project everyone’s fears on to, because it’s already an adrenaline spiking experience without anything going wrong, and theme park ride disasters aren’t unheard of. This movie actually offers two vision sequences, with a train crash at the end which is executed brilliantly, and so many epic deaths in between.
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I will never forget the tanning bed scene, and I think what makes this death sequence so significant is that up until now most deaths in the series are sudden. Ashley and Ashlyn are slowly burnt alive, and even for someone who could never see themselves using a tanning bed it has always striked complete fear in me. Death’s irony is captured by them both listening to ‘Love Rollercoaster’ and singing along, a nod back to how they should have died initially.
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The special features includes an epic ‘Choose Their Fate’ edition of the movie, similar to the Give Yourself Goosebumps books where you can choose how the story plays out. It gives options throughout that determine how characters deaths occur - for example, you can alter the tanning bed scene so that Ashlyn manages to escape the bed before being knocked out, and wakes up to rescue Ashley only for them both to be electrocuted. I think it’s awesome they filmed these additional scenes to make the movie even more immersive. You’ll also find a full commentary too.
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This is a two disc edition, the second boasting extra bonus content including more behind-the-scenes footage than ever before, over an hour documenting production from the first stages to each scene and death, showing the amount of skill, time and dedication it took to bring a project like this together. It shows cast audition tapes too, and you get an opportunity to experience the filming process through their eyes. There’s also a short film talking about how Final Destination fits within the ‘Dead Teen Movie’ genre and why these types of films are so successful, alongside the theatrical trailer and other promotional content.
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Whilst it’s hard to choose between them, I’d definitely have to say that this is my favourite Final Destination movie, and that’s been further cemented by seeing how close-knit the cast became and witnessing how masterfully they brought the rollercoaster scene and subsequent deaths to life. I’m grateful I picked this copy up secondhand recently, and I’ll definitely be adding it to my yearly rotation come spooky season.
