Landman's Ali Larter Helped Launched This Major 2000s Horror Movie Franchise

There's no point in complicating matters: "Landman" is just damn good TV. Taylor Sheridan's oil drama has become his latest hit series and it's not all down to Billy Bob Thornton and his brilliant portrayal of the titular wildcatter, Tommy Norris. The star is flanked by an outstanding ensemble made up of heavy hitters like Sam Elliott and Demi Moore. But just as stellar as these screen legends is Ali Larter, who plays Tommy's bubbly yet fierce wife Angela Norris. "Landman" fans yet to dig into Larter's filmography will surely be interested to find that long before she became the queen of the Norris household, the actor established herself as a scream queen with 2000's "Final Destination" and its 2003 sequel "Final Destination 2."

Horror movies continue to act as a way for filmmakers to introduce new and exciting concepts via a reliable genre. The best horror movies of 2025 included multiple films based on original ideas, from Ryan Coogler's Oscar-nominated "Sinners" to Chris Stuckmann's stellar reframing of found footage horror "Shelby Oaks." But there was also no shortage of franchise horror to be found amid the new stuff, and "Final Destination: Bloodlines" was easily one of the most impressive examples.

The film picked up where 2011's "Final Destination 5" left off and somehow reinvigorated a series that now comprises not only six films but 10 novels and two comic books. "Bloodlines" expanded the universe while delivering on the all-important, morbidly brilliant kills that have been the franchise's calling card since the very first film. That film was 2000's "Final Destination," which established what would soon become one of the most enduring modern horror franchises. Helping kick off this remarkably hard-wearing series was Larter, who co-starred opposite Devon Sawa in what remains one of her very best roles.

"Landman" has something for everyone. Somehow co-creator Taylor Sheridan has combined drama, romance, and humor to create a show that shouldn't really hold together given its mix of styles and tones but somehow does. For whatever reason, we totally believe it when Billy Bob Thornton's Tommy Norris goes from processing his unresolved trauma over growing up with an abusive addict mother to calming his crazed wife by complimenting her chest. It's ridiculous but brilliant, and part of what makes things work so well is Ali Larter's committed performance.

It's not as if she doesn't have the experience. Younger viewers might not be all that familiar with Larter's résumé, but it's an impressive one. After "Varsity Blues" came out in 1999 and introduced her as the whipped cream bikini cheerleader Darcy Sears, Larter went on to prove she was much more than that. The following year, she once again played a high schooler but this time under much different circumstances in "Final Destination."

Inspired by what was originally an "X-Files" script, "Final Destination" was a truly innovative horror film in that it didn't feature your typical slasher antagonist. Instead, death itself was the enemy. The film follows student Alex Browning (Devon Sawa), who after boarding a flight to Paris with his classmates experiences a vision of the plane exploding. A fight breaks out and Alex is taken off the plane alongside several fellow passengers, one of which is Larter's Clear Rivers. Soon after, the aircraft does indeed blow up, which essentially means Alex and his classmates cheated death. Unfortunately for them, death actively pursues each one of them to restore the balance, resulting in a series of bizarre and unlikely fatal accidents.

In /Film's ranking of every "Final Destination" movie, the first two films took the top two spots — and rightly so. These were two of the most original horror movies of the era, and both of them happened to star Ali Larter, who had left the whipped cream bikini behind in favor of outrunning death and grappling with one of the greatest horror movie villains of the century: a lethal log truck which also made a cameo in "Final Destination: Bloodlines."

After surviving the events of the first film alongside Alex Browning, Larter's Clear Rivers soon becomes the only survivor of the original plane disaster. Alex dies between movies, leaving Clear by herself to process the whole harrowing ordeal. When a whole new group of students manage to cheat death, one of the survivors, Kimberly Corman (A. J. Cook) contacts Clear for help. Unfortunately Larter's character didn't make it out of the sequel alive, but she goes down as one of the most resilient victims in the entire franchise.

Now, with "Landman," Larter has once again reminded us of her own resilience. The role comes 25 years after her big screen debut in "Varsity Blues," and, in a way, brings things full circle. Larter once again plays an outgoing Southern beauty in Angela Norris, who could very easily be the grown up version of Darcy Sears. But not only does Larter bring some subtle depth to Angela — a role that initially prompted somewhat of a backlash — her filmography has long since proved her range, and for those yet to explore it, "Final Destination" is a great place to start.