Hollyweird #012 - Talking with Final Destination Producer Craig Perry

The Horror Show: A Horror Movie Podcast

IHATEHORROR

Tv & Film, Comedy

4.6 • 782 Ratings

🗓️ 6 June 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Sean is joined by producer Craig Perry to discuss the enduring success of the 'Final Destination' franchise. Perry reflects on the series' unique concept and cultural impact over 25 years, as well as the unexpected reception of the latest installment, 'Final Destination: Bloodlines.' The conversation spans Perry's early career, including his work on 'The First Wives Club' and 'American Pie,' before diving into the intricacies of creating Final Destination sequels. Craig shares behind-the-scenes insights on the film's production, the challenges of orchestrating complex death sequences, and the strategic gaps between releases. The episode concludes with a discussion on Tony Todd's memorable final scene in 'Bloodlines' and Perry's thoughts on the iconic 'Poltergeist' controversy. 00:00 Introduction to Final Destination Franchise 00:25 Interview with Producer Craig Perry 00:37 The Unexpected Success of Final Destination 01:31 Cultural Impact and Fan Reception 01:46 Craig Perry's Early Career 04:12 The Concept of Fate and Destiny 05:47 Jeffrey Reddick's Inspiration 08:25 The Role of Producers in Filmmaking 11:37 Casting Sean William Scott 14:47 Challenges and Gaps Between Sequels 16:49 Final Destination: Bloodlines 22:07 The Challenge of Sequels 22:42 Developing Set Pieces 23:17 Balancing Tone in Final Destination 23:46 The Writer's Room Process 25:02 The Importance of Tone and Set Pieces 25:50 Challenges in Creating Death Sequences 26:28 Starting from Scratch for Sequels 26:36 Pitching Ideas for Final Destination 6 27:38 John Watts' Unique Contribution 28:04 Character Dynamics in Bloodlines 30:52 The Complexity of Premonition Sequences 32:32 Technical Challenges in Filming 34:44 The Role of Second Unit 39:53 Tony Todd's Final Scene 40:50 Final Thoughts and Farewell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Ready to launch your business? Get started with the commerce platform made for entrepreneurs. Shopify is specially designed to help you start, run and grow your business with easy customizable themes that let you build your brand. Marketing tools that get your products out there. Integrated shipping solutions that actually save you time from startups to scale ups online in person, and on the go. Shopify is made for
0:22.8	entrepreneurs like you. Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup.
0:29.6	In March of 2000, we were introduced to a brand new horror franchise and a concept no one had
0:34.7	really seen before. Final destination tapped into the dread and fears we all have as humans without even having a true physical protagonist or a visual to attach the name to. Over 25 years and six movies, the franchise is on the crest of hitting the billion dollar mark, making it one of the top 10 highest grossing horror franchises of all time.
0:55.6	Today, we are thrilled to be joined by the man that really helped launch the franchise producer
0:59.9	Craig Perry. Craig, how are you doing today?
1:04.3	Well, after that, Andrew, I couldn't be anything but great. That's fantastic. And I appreciate
1:09.2	you chronicling the really crazy and unexpected success that we've had with Finalist Nation bloodlines.
1:16.8	I mean, no one really anticipated that there would be such a warm and receptive welcome.
1:21.1	So we're really enjoying that not just the old fans are getting what they were looking for in a finalist nation movie, but new fans are discovering the franchise. And thanks to the magic of Max, or HBO, I should say now, they're
1:32.9	finding all of them other movies and they're catching up. So it's a, it's a great position to be
1:37.5	enough for 25 years and me looking as old as I do. I think I've earned the gray hair.
1:42.4	That's awesome. Yeah, I was going to say we could record it three different ways in case they flip-flop again.
1:48.0	We could do max, HBO Max.
1:50.0	You know what? Let's multiply it. Let's do three different versions and multiply the revenue stream.
1:55.0	I love it. See, I like how you think, Sean. That's good times.
2:00.0	So congratulations, like you said, the reception to Bloodlines has been amazing,
2:04.9	which was, I was thrilled to see that.
2:09.3	That was really awesome.
2:10.4	I do want to start at the beginning of the franchise and then we'll come to Front,
2:14.8	uh, Bloodline.
2:16.5	Um, but I do want to say before we do that, the first
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from IHATEHORROR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of IHATEHORROR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.