Warning: This article contains spoilers for Final Destination Bloodlines.

One unexpected scene in Final Destination Bloodlines has been explained by the directors. The horror sequel, which follows Death hunting down the descendants of the survivors of a disaster at a tower restaurant called Skyview, set up a potential death scene for Erik Campbell (Richard Harmon), only to reveal that he lived due to not being a blood relative of Skyview survivor Iris Campbell (Gabrielle Rose), because his mother had an affair. However, Erik is then given one of the bloodiest Final Destination Bloodlines deaths when a malfunctioning MRI machine gorily pulls a wheelchair through his torso.

During an interview with Polygon, Final Destination Bloodlines directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein shared their perspectives on Erik’s death and earlier near-death. They pointed to the line spoken by Tony Todd’s character William Bludworth, which is that “when you f–k with Death, things get messy,” indicating that Erik found himself on Death’s list by trying to trigger his brother Bobby’s (Owen Patrick Joyner) peanut allergy and then bring him back to life, thereby interrupting the chain and saving the rest of his family.

However, Stein also reflected on Erik’s moment in the tattoo parlor, which involved a chain being hooked to his nose ring, trapping him while the building caught fire. Stein shared their idea that “Death has a sense of playfulness” and that the scene, which was a major misdirect, showed Death approaching its victims like a fisher who might “hook the fish and then throw ’em back.” Read the directors’ full comments below:

Stein: Tony [Todd] says it: when you f–k with death, things get messy.

Lipovsky: That’s right. That was our answer to that question. Right after he dies, that’s the first line — “Why did he die?” And Kaitlyn’s character [echoes Bludworth]: “When you f–k with Death, things get messy.” I think that’s a very good lesson for everyone to remember.

Stein: The other big question is, why does Death hook Erik in the tattoo parlor, when he’s not next? We always liked the idea that Death has a sense of playfulness. Just like a fisherman might catch a fish without intending to kill it, and they’ll hook the fish and then throw ’em back, that’s exactly what Death is doing with Eric in that tattoo parlor scene…

The thing that makes [Bloodlines] richer as a viewing experience is that in the previous movies, you end up rooting for Death more than you end up rooting for the characters, because Death is so clever, the way he works. His Rube Goldberg magic is so much fun to watch. It’s full of irony and surprises. We wanted to retain that, and really milk all these deaths for all the fun dark comedy.

But you’re also rooting for the characters, and not wanting them to die. So it gives you both levels of experience at the same time. That really makes it a more complete, more interesting, fun viewing experience for the audience.

What This Means For Final Destination Bloodlines

Death Works In Mysterious Ways

Ultimately, the directors’ comments confirm what was already present in the screenplay by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor. The warning given by William Bludworth is more than enough explanation for Erik’s death before the ending of Final Destination Bloodlines in spite of the fact that he is technically not one of Death’s original intended victims.

The late Tony Todd played eerily knowledgable mortician William Bludworth in four of the six Final Destination movies.

However, by expanding on the reasoning behind Erik’s death, they offered further insight into how Death operates in the Final Destination movies. The playfulness of Death does not generally manifest in the exact way that it does with Erik in Bloodlines. However, there are multiple instances of Death being playful in the previous installments, including the Rube Goldbergian misdirects that are common in the death sequences and multiple instances of Death letting characters think they have survived for several days, weeks, or even months, before pulling the rug out from under them.

Our Take On The Directors’ Final Destination Bloodlines Comments

There Is More To Explore With Death