2 Attachment(s)
Final Destination Almost Included a Physical Grim Reaper Over an Invisible Force
Final Destination director James Wong reveals that he considered depicting Death as the Grim Reaper, rather than an invisible force. Sharing a screenwriting credit with his X-Files collaborator Glen Morgan, along with Jeffrey Reddick, the trio told the story of a group of teenagers that attempt to escape death. With a cast which included Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, and Seann William Scott, Final Destination was a hit that spawned an entire franchise and a number of tie-ins since it was released in 2000. But the film was originally conceived, by Riddick, for an episode of The X-Files.
Considering the way Final Destination unfolds, it’s easy to see why the story was first thought of as a case for Mulder and Scully. A large number of characters are unflinchingly killed off at regular intervals, with a villain that always seems to be a few steps ahead. But in the process of deliberating over the details of the story, Final Destination could have played out very differently.
Wong spoke about the change during a recent conversation with Yahoo! Entertainment, in which the writer and director reflected on his experiences with the Final Destination films. During the conversation, it was revealed that a corporeal Grim Reaper was going to be included in the story instead of featuring Death as an invisible force. Ultimately, along with Morgan, Wong decided against the inclusion of a physical Grim Reaper character. “There are too many Freddys and Jasons,” he explained. “We thought, ‘If you think of Death as sort of this sadistic force, what can he do to mess with you? Maybe there’s a chance you can escape it, but probably not.”
It’s hard to argue with Wong’s assessment. By the time the first Final Destination hit theaters, the slasher subgenre of horror was in full resurgence mode. Bolstered by the success of Scream, there were a plethora of titles where audiences could see hopeless victims attempt to run and hide from murderers. The innovation that Wong’s feature came up with, by presenting Death as an unseen hand, which wields objects and events to fulfill its goals, opened the door for the reliably elaborate and gruesome kill scenes that have helped make the franchise such a success. While the option of presenting Death as a physical being would have given viewers a more traditional antagonist, it ultimately would have done so at the expense of the biggest draw that Final Destination has had to offer.
And, in the end, the movies do have a character that serves as a proxy to a traditional villain. Though he appears to help the protagonists in Final Destination, Tony Todd’s Bludworth might actually have duplicitous motives. He’s appeared in three of the films, always knowing more than the heroes of the story and rarely revealing much about himself. Bludworth is peripheral, leading to a wealth of speculation about his true purpose. That’s how it should be, as the main focus of Final Destination is Death itself. It’s unavoidable and, in that sense, it’s the scariest horror foe of all.
