How The X-Files Inspired The Final Destination Movies
Before Final Destination evolved into a hit horror franchise, it was almost an X-Files episode. At its core, Final Destination is a slasher series, albeit with the twist that the killer was the ultimate taker of lives: Death itself. That choice instantly upped the stakes, as while Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers might be proficient in seeing their targets off to the great beyond, no one will ever be more skilled at that than the grim reaper. At the same time, being targeted for death by Death also seems like a concept perfectly befitting The X-Files.
Cheating death was a themeThe X-Files certainly did deal with at times, and FBI partners Mulder and Scully definitely would have been fascinated by the prospect of trying to stop a killing spree perpetrated by a force older than humanity. Then again, even they probably would've found themselves out of their depth, as Death is a long way from their usual monsters of the week. Still, the idea is a tantalizing one, making it perhaps unsurprising that it almost made it into the show.
Related: The Only Two Survivors Of The Final Destination Franchise (So Far)
Exploring this prospect was clearly a motivator for a young screenwriter named Jeffrey Reddick when he penned an X-Files spec script called «Flight 180.» A spec script is something written by a writer in the hopes of getting the attention of Hollywood players, and no show was bigger at the time than The X-Files. Reddick's «Flight 180» script saw Mulder and Scully investigate after Scully's brother Charles had an Alex Browning-style premonition his plane will crash, and it then does, albeit without him onboard. While «Flight 180» doesn't have all the elements of what would become Final Destination, the beginnings of the
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