The Cast and Director’s of the Summer Horror Breakout Film, Final Destination: Bloodlines speak about importance of family to the film and building their own interpersonal on set relationships.
Twenty five years after the first Final Destination movie was released, the sixth and newest installment, Final Destination: Bloodlines hits theaters May 16th. Final Destination: Bloodlines features Stefani Lewis, played by Kaitlyn Santa Juana, who after having the same nightmare about her grandmother, must return home to attempt to figure out what is going on and how to protect her family. The film raises the question, when one cheats death and continues on with their life, how far will death go to claim that life and those who were never meant to exist in the first place? What sets this film apart from the rest in this iconic horror franchise is that family is at the heart. I got the opportunity to speak with on screen family, Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Rya Kinlstedt, Owen Joyner, Anna Lore, Richard Harmon and directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, about their experience creating Final Destination: Bloodlines and building their on set dynamic.
When students are having a rough time in college, one of the first things that they may do is go home for the weekend to be with their families and their closest support systems. This is exactly what Stefani does when she is plagued by the recurring horror of a nightmare. Kaitlyn Santa Juana who portrays Stefani in the film spoke about the way that the cast became a support system for each other through filming, “Between takes we were just laughing and having a good time. We were always just there and present in the scenes, and if it was a particularly hard day we would just hold hands, take deep breaths, look into each other’s eyes and just be like, let’s do the thing!”Â
“There was a lot of trust”
Teo Briones
Teo Briones, who played Stefani’s brother, Charlie, agreed with Kaitlyn. “There was a lot of trust,” he stated. On a horror film like Final Destination where there are many brutal death scenes and stress is at the forefront of what characters are expressing, it is important for the cast to fully trust each other and it is evident that the cast of Final Destination: Bloodlines did just that.Â
Rya Kinlstedt, who plays Stefani and Charlie’s mother Darlene, shared the way that the cast all stayed in the same hotel in Vancouver when filming which helped the bonding process between them. “It felt like a dorm,” Rya stated. As many college students have experienced living within close proximity to each other in the dorms, a trust is built between you and those who live around you and it is evident that the same sentiment was shared between this cast.Â
Family, and the motivation to protect those that you care about was a primary motivator for these characters throughout the film. This sentiment was not only felt within the Lewis family but was also shared with the cousins, the Campbells, played by Richard Harmon, Anna Lore and Owen Joyner. Throughout the film the characters are presented to us as a family and their dynamic makes the audience truly believe it. Anna Lore, who plays Julia, spoke about how good the relationship between these actors is, “The dynamic was there, and we were given improv rehearsals that allowed us to find it faster, “ Lore stated.
“It was luck of the drawl,” Erik, who plays the oldest cousin, stated. “I feel like the three of us were just meant to be close, we love each other.” It is evident that the love that this cast has for each other is substantial. The audience senses this whilst watching the film, making us not doubt for even a second that the characters are a family.
“I feel like the three of us were just meant to be close, we love each other.”
Richard Harmon
The familial themes of the film start with the collaborative relationship between Co-Directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky. The two have been a directing pair on previous projects including Freaks and the live action Kim Possible. Adam spoke about the way that the two get to build off of each other when directing these projects. Adam stated, “We get to ideas that are more exciting, more interesting, than anything we could have done on our own. It is evident that the teamwork of this directing duo impacted the themes and togetherness of Final Destination: Bloodlines in a way that makes it stand out from the rest.Â
As a warning, just like the other Final Destination films, this one is no stranger to gore and death sequences that will change the way that you operate in your everyday life. If you feel up to facing your fears, take up the challenge of seeing Final Destination: Bloodlines, with your family and loved ones and support each other through the breakout summer horror film of 2025.
Final Destination: Bloodlines Playing in Theaters May 16th!