Arka Mukhopadhyay
With five films, nine novels, and two comic books, the ‘Final Destination’ franchise is arguably one of the most celebrated disturbing horror franchises in cinema history. Developed by Jeffrey Reddick from a script initially written for ‘The X-Files,’ the first movie begins with a spectacular plane crash. Just before the takeoff, Alex Browning has a premonition, which leads to a few passengers getting left behind.
However, Alex and his friends soon come to realize, like many others after them, that death has not left their tail. The crash sparks off a film series with enough close-up internal organ views to make or break your days. If you have finished binging the stomach-churning affair, we have a few more movies and franchises that will be well to your liking. You can watch most of these movies similar to the ‘Final Destination’ series on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.
7. Turistas (2006)
Sadly enough, John Stockwell’s torture porn movie ‘Turistas’ (‘Tourists’) did not develop into a full-fledged franchise due to its bombing in the media. As the first US venture to be filmed exclusively in Brazil, the story follows a group of enthusiastic and frolicking teens backpacking their way across Brazil. However, after a bus crash leaves them stranded by the side of the road, they are gradually plunged into the more sinister side of the azure-washed exotica.
The sleepy coastal villages hold damning secrets, and one must tread the troubled waters carefully. Critics dismissed the stiff acting and silly air, but the bohemian backdrop of the cautionary tale and the movie’s diligence towards its audience was not overlooked by the audience. The ‘Final Destination’ franchise almost always begins with an accident, and if you want to see some more perils that an accident can initiate, this movie should be a perfect cautionary tale for you.
6. Wrong Turn (2003-)
Created by Alan B. McElroy, ‘Wrong Turn’ is one of the most stomach-churningly disgusting and damning horror series to have ever descended on the movie screen. You may be stranded on the side of a West Virginia road that goes through the middle of the forest, but you must keep an eye out. The series follows a tribe of deformed cannibals who prey on unwitting passersby with innovative traps and weaponry.
The first six films in the franchise follow a continuity, while the seventh reboot follows a cult-like secret communion who do not respond too well to intruders. If you feel like watching a few more spectacularly horrific deaths following the ‘Final Destination’ movies, this series is where you should head next.
5. Cube (1997-)
The science-fiction horror movie franchise ‘Cube’ develops a hackneyed reality game trope into a recipe for damning supernatural intrigue. Directed by Vincenzo Natali, Andrzej Sekuła, Ernie Barbarash, and Yasuhiko Shimizu, respectively, the four films unveil literal nightmares. Albeit with slight moderations, the series takes the viewers to a labyrinthine structure, the titular cube, for a deadly game full of booby traps.
Contestants randomly wake up in the maze, and devoid of any prior information, they must stick together and figure their ways out of the merciless maze. If, after binging the ‘Final Destination’ series, you want to watch another horror franchise based on a unique and fatal premise, this is one movie franchise that demands your attention.
4. Saw (2004-)
Created by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, ‘Saw’ is a nerve-splitting horror franchise that revolves around the titular fictional serial killer named the “Jigsaw Killer.” The sight of the masked killer is chilling to the bone, and when he reveals his face as John Kramer, you should better hide in the closet.
The visually gory and psychologically challenging series has spawned nine films, while a few more are certainly on the way. If you are looking for a few more gore horror recommendations following the ‘Final Destination’ franchise, this one is a perfect match for your dark soul.
3. Scream (1996-)
The teen slasher horror media franchise ‘Scream’ does not need an introduction to horror fans. After the first four films were directed by Wes Craven, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett took the helm of the fifth movie. The continuous story follows teenager Sidney Prescott as she evades the gruesome killers that put on the Ghostface mask.
The immense popularity of the series can be attested by the extent of Ghostface masks that you see during Halloween. If you are a sucker for horrors that follow hapless teenagers like the ‘Final Destination’ franchise, ‘Scream’ is the franchise you have been looking for.
2. Minority Report (2002)
Directed by renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg and featuring Tom Cruise in a larger-than-life role, ‘Minority Report’ is a cerebrally engaging sci-fi thriller movie. Adapted from the titular novella by Philip K. Dick, the story is set at a future time when precognition-based technology has helped the police prevent crimes even before they occur. Everything is running smoothly in the city-state until the precogs prophesize the head of the police to be a future killer.
Endowed with the enlightenment, John Anderton becomes the subject of a cat-and-mouse chase, while he must decode the mystery behind his verdict. If you want to see a movie that walks the same fine line between free will and fatality as the ‘Final Destination’ series, this movie will keep your brain cells nourished.
1. The Evil Dead (1981-)
When it comes to creating scary and funny horrors at the same time, it rarely gets better than Sam Raimi’s celebrated horror franchise ‘The Evil Dead.’ Expanded from the director’s short film ‘Within the Woods,’ which was itself inspired by his earlier short ‘Clockwork,’ the story has every possible ingredient of horror.
The bizarre premise of the first film follows a group of five friends as they travel to a cabin in the woods. They play a tape of incantations, which releases a plethora of demons. All perish, but Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) is left to fight the evil. If you like some good old jump-scares and horror tropes following the ‘Final Destination’ franchise, ‘The Evil Dead’ is a classic horror franchise that would fill your spook-o-meter.
