Most horror franchises enjoy longevity because they stick to a familiar formula: an unstoppable villain, a perennially haunted setting, or a sharp-tongued survivor for the audience to root for. But then, there's the "Final Destination" series, the rowdy cousin of the iconic maniacs we know and love who shows up without a mask, without a monster, and delivers a higher body count than any of our stalking slashers. The "Final Destination" movies don't need to rely on an easily marketable character that stays relevant through remakes, reimaginings, and hot sales on costumes at Spirit Halloween every spooky season, because its big bad is, well, Death. The fear of "Final Destination" is not rooted in a singular baddie to overcome, but the invisible, inevitable — and apparently obsessed with butchering ala Rube-Goldberg machines — entity that comes for us all — Death.

I'm a firm believer that there's no such thing as a bad "Final Destination" film,...