Tony Todd's Incredible Final Destination Bloodlines Monologue Has A Deeper Meaning Than You Realized

As a baby bat growing up, my mother loved introducing me to horror movies, especially slashers. The first time I watched "A Nightmare on Elm Street," she couldn't wait to tell me about seeing it with her best friend in their 20s and being scared out of their wits walking home from the theater on a foggy night. When my babysitter bought a Chucky doll, my mom used that as the launchpad to introduce me to the "Child's Play" films. Even as I was haunted by commercials as a kid for the at-the-time new slasher flick "Scream," my introduction to so many staple horror franchises wasn't by my own discovery but something cool my mom showed me. That all changed when I first saw "Final Destination," a suggestion from the teenager who worked behind the counter at my local video store and knew I was a fiend for horror movies.

Throughout my pre-teen and teenage years, the "Final Destination" movies always felt like my horror franchise because it was the one I discovered on my own, became obsessed with, and followed in real time as new installments hit theaters. It's likely because I have a very strange relationship with my own mortality (which I previously wrote about in the context of Netflix's "Apple Cider Vinegar"), but in the 14 years since the last entry in the property, "Final Destination 5," I've only grown to love the franchise even more. It's the rare horror film series that does not rely on a central character to follow; instead, it chooses to terrorize the audience with the greatest fear of all: that Death will inevitably knock on our door.

But if there were any consistent throughline in the property, it's the appearance of the late, legendary Tony Todd. As William J. Bludworth, Todd has been a coroner, mortician, and the voice of a roller coaster Devil animatronic, but most consistently the lorekeeper of Death's rules. Everything the films' characters (and the audience) learns about Death's design is information provided by Bludworth. So, with Todd having amassed a quarter of a century of experience playing the character, the creative team behind "Final Destination Bloodlines" knew it was important to let the actor deliver Bludworth's final words in his own voice — quite literally, as Todd improvised much of his final "Bloodlines" scene.

Without spoiling any details, Tony Todd's return as Bludworth in "Final Destination Bloodlines" also solidifies his place in the world of the franchise, clearing up the assumption many had that he was Death personified. The reality is far more interesting and a perfect explanation for why he knows so much about Death's design, as well as why he's been a consistent presence in the lives of all of the people facing their mortality after surviving a mass casualty incident. As is tradition, he really only appears for one scene, imparting knowledge to the current crop of hopeful survivors and providing more information about what it means to really outlive your destiny.

In the movie, Todd is as enigmatic and compelling as always, but his physical appearance has drastically changed because he was battling stomach cancer during the production of the film. Following a preview screening of "Final Destination Bloodlines" I attended in Los Angeles, there was a Q&A featuring some of the cast and producers of the film, including longtime producers Craig Perry and Sheila Hanahan Taylor. During the Q&A, they were asked about working with Todd, and Perry mentioned that there was an understanding from everyone involved that this was going to be the last time he acted on screen. Given Bludworth's place in the franchise as the final word on life and death, "Bloodlines" directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein elected to toss out the original final lines scripted for his character, and instead asked Todd outright, "What would you want to tell the fans in this moment?" The result is a touching, beautiful farewell from a beloved force in horror. The audience had already given a full applause when the scene was over, but when Perry made it known that Todd was sincerely speaking from the heart, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

"Final Destination Bloodlines" arrives in theaters on May 16, 2025. Be sure to avoid any logging trucks on your way to the cinema, and remember that when you hear Bludworth speak and it sounds like Tony Todd is speaking directly to you, it's because he is.

R.I.P. to an inimitable icon.