Few recenthorrorfilms have been as hyped up as the upcomingFinal Destination: Bloodlines. The newest addition to one of this genre’s most unsettling franchises, fans are thrilled to watch not only a new slew of eerily innovative kills but the unique way directorsZach LipovskyandAdam Steinplan to revitalize the series. The trailer hints at a shocking new tone, with longtime fans already excited at how skilled this directing duo appear to be at crafting uniquely unnerving plots — something that fans of theNetflixfilmFreakshave known for years.
Focusing on a young girl with superhuman abilities, this insidious subversion of the superhero genre provides a visceral look into just how horrifyingly well this pair can turn even the friendliest concepts into something utterly disturbing. It unnerves not only through its visual dread but the themes of “otherism” at its center, with the directors using powers to representhow easily differences can be used to turn people against one another.It’s an unsettling addition to the “dark and gritty” superhero subgenre, and ifBloodlinescarries any of the finesse Lipovsky and Stein brought to this film, then fans need to get ready for the bestFinal Destinationmovie yet!
What is ‘Freaks’ About?
While the superhero genre is built on young, hopeful heroes, few are as youthful asFreaks' main character, the seven-year-old Chloe (Lexy Kolker). Her life is one of isolation; when the film begins, the young girl has never left the confines of her home, with her eternally antsy father, Henry (Emile Hirsch), claiming that the moment they step outside they’ll be killed by a group of mysterious “bad men.” From their ramshackle lodgings to the violent visions she keeps having of some strange woman being kept prisoner, it’s clear to Chloe that something is wrongwith the life her seemingly well-meaning father keeps her imprisoned within.Finally, Henry admits to his daughter the truth: they are “Abnormals,” people with superpowers that the government views either as clinical test subjects or unchecked weapons that need to be put down. And as Chloe begins to come into her own as an ultra-powerful telepath, she learnsjust what said government will do to keep her in line— and what happened to the mother she never got to know.
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What does death look like?
Freaksscares on multiple levels, with the many volatile situations that Chloe finds herself in turning the entire plot into an anxiety-inducing rollercoaster. Whether it be her father’s many violent confrontations or the shocking revelation early on that her seven years of life have actually only been a few months (due to Henry’s time powers), few heroines have faced as much hardship as this little girl. Yet rather than rely on rampant gore and bloodshedlike other superhero subversions, the film emphasizes what the source of all this horror is: people’s fear of one another. Spurred on by a government that produces endless propaganda against Abnormals, the true terror of this premise is how readily individuals are willing to reduce those different from them to monsters that don’t deserve rights. It’s a clear metaphor for the scarily real way things like race and sexualityhave been used to demonize certain groups for generations.And by focusing its horror on the government arms that help this kind of hateful rhetoric find purchase,Freaksnot only creates a terrifying vision of super-powered discrimination but reminds viewers of where almost all of this kind of hatred stems from (both in this genre, and in their real life).
‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Isn’t Ready for the ‘Freaks’ Treatment
ThoughFreaksoffers ample metaphor, that doesn’t mean the film skimps when it comes to horror. Its protagonist alone makes the entire plot thoroughly unnerving; by forcing the audience’s entry into this fractured world to be a literal child, it makes the government’s treatment of Abnormals that much more horrifying. It perfectly blends the visual fear of bloody deaths and sickening experimentswith a massive amount of thematic gravity— a skill that makes these directors the perfect onesto bring theFinal Destinationfranchise back from the ashes. WhileFreaksandFinal Destination: Bloodlinesare completely different premise-wise, both promise a story of familial anguish with heavy themes of how people’s own fears can so easily turn them against one another. This should make viewers even more excited to watch what this duo has in store for Bloodlines, and hopefully, it will remind watchers of just how amazing the criminally underseenFreaksreally is.
