Final Destination: Explaining the rules & exceptions of deaths in the movie Death Scythe

What is it about Final Destination that makes audiences around the world love it so much? It's all thanks to the logic of death. Here are the rules of death in Death Scythe .

In 2000, James Wong's supernatural horror film Final Destination was released and spawned an entire series of films that followed Death with the premise that Death cannot be escaped; sometimes, it also breaks its own rules. The films in the series follow a group of survivors after they escape untimely death after a tragic accident. Final Destination explains that there are rules that are supposed to trick "Death", however, not all of them work out in the end.

Final Destination 1 set the formula for every Grim Reaper film that followed. The formula was that an individual had a premonition of how they and a group of people would die. They tried to prevent some people from dying in a crash, but then Death came to get them. In the first film, Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) had a premonition of a plane crash, so he helped some people avoid the fateful flight. As a result, they were targeted for elimination to complete Grim Reaper's plan, but with each successive design of Grim Reaper's plan, there were flaws. As the series progressed, new ways to trick Grim Reaper were discovered and exposed.

Rule #1: You can change the order of the arrangement to death.

As Alex and his friends disembark from Flight 180, he is able to trace the events of the premonition to determine that all the survivors died in the same order in the plane crash. Believing their fate to be inevitable, each survivor waits for his turn to die, but not without a fight. When Death comes for Todd (Chad Donella), his car gets stuck on a train track; Alex saves him. Rather than try to kill him again, Death moves on to the next survivor, Billy (Seann William Scott).

When Death's plans are disrupted, it seems there is a way to break the cycle. After realizing that Claire (Ali Larter) is next in line, Alex attempts to save her from being electrocuted by a loose power line. Alex decides to sacrifice himself to save Claire, which would mean Death's cycle ends there. However, he manages to survive the electrocution.

Rule #2: Life stops death

This exception to the Shinigami's plan only appears in the second installment. In Final Destination 2, it is implied that a pregnant woman was involved in the car accident that set off the events of the film in the preceding scene. The survivors developed a theory that new life would prevent death. Therefore, if a child was born to a survivor of the accident, then everyone else would be safe; theoretically, a child born would count as "new life". Except, the fact that the woman was pregnant was actually irrelevant.

Still wanting to test this theory, Kimberly Corman (AJ Cook) commits suicide with the intention of being resurrected. Everything goes according to plan, Kimberly is brought back from the dead and is considered a new life. She and Officer Thomas Burke (Michael Landes) survive. The idea of ​​new life being able to stop Death has not been seen again in the series after the second season.

Rule #3: Take the life of another person

The second most common method of cheating Death is to take the life of another person. It is seen as providing a scapegoat to fill one's place in the plan. In Final Destination 5, this is the only absolute way the survivors believe that they can cheat Death. To some extent, it works. For example, Nathan Sears (Arien Escarpeta) survives until the end of the film after accidentally killing an innocent construction worker. After protagonist Sam Lawton (Nicholas D'Agosto) - the last person on the list to die - kills his friend Peter Friedkin (Miles Fisher) in self-defense, Death's plan for them ends.

Exception #1: Changing the order doesn't always work

According to Final Destination, when the next person in Death's design is saved, they are more likely to live to see the next person die, but this rule has many flaws. At the end of the film, Alex, Carter, and Clear are in Paris. Despite reformulating Death's plan, Carter dies in Paris and it is later revealed that Alex died after Final Destination 1, thus proving that this "rule" does not actually work.

Part of the explanation may lie in how Alex survived the electrocution in Final Destination. Although he points out that no one helped him out of the accident so he should still be next, the scene shows paramedics tending to him after the electrocution, which suggests that they saved him. Therefore, Death bypassed Alex and returned to Carter, suggesting that the cycle didn't end, but only started over. However, there's also a flaw in that as it means: Clear would be next, even though she died in Final Destination 2, but it happened after Alex died.

Exception #2: Using a life form doesn't change anything

The concept introduced in Final Destination 5 that killing someone means they'll take their place in Death's plans is an interesting one and sets up new goals for the series. However, by the end of this thriller, it becomes clear that this isn't the resolution the main characters were hoping for, as Sam and his girlfriend Molly (Emma Bell) find out.

The film follows the couple as they move to Paris, where it is revealed that Final Destination 5 is a prequel to the first film. Sam and Molly find themselves on Flight 180 in the year 2000 with Alex Browning and his classmates. As Alex and the survivors of the first film exit the plane, Sam and Molly remain seated. With two of the final three survivors of the fifth film on board, the plane explodes. When an engine separates from the plane, it crashes onto Nathan. No one survives, despite one person being killed to replace them.

Is there a way to trick Death's plans?

Whatever methods the survivors of these crashes use are all but useless, as Death will eventually come for them. No matter what these characters try over the course of the five films, there is only one successful way to avoid death. The survivors of Final Destination 2 somehow keep this a secret. It is worth noting, however, that the home video releases of Final Destination 3 include confirmation that Kimberly and Thomas died between the two films in a wood chipper accident.

Whether they kill someone to replace them or the Reapers temporarily ignore them, the Reapers always return to reclaim what they took from their original design. Unless, of course, they are resurrected from the dead. In which case, as we've seen, they're fine. Ultimately, the Reapers' rules and exceptions become more confusing and confusing as the series progresses. With the release of the sixth Final Destination film, some clarity will be given on exactly how to avoid the Reapers, or even if it's even possible.

Will Final Destination 6 change the rules and exceptions again?

The rules of death in Final Destination have always been added to as new films in the series come out. However, the upcoming sixth film in the Death Scythe series could see the biggest changes yet. Final Destination creator Jeffrey Reddick has confirmed that Final Destination 6 will change the formula of the Reaper's plan. While assuring fans that it will still be a "true" Final Destination movie.

Final Destination 6 - Death Scythe: Bloodline has officially been released in Vietnam. You can go to the cinema to see what surprises Final Destination 6 will have!

Isabella Humphrey

Update 28 June 2025