Why was this one Final Destination Bloodlines character killed despite the twist?

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Final Destination Bloodlines. Reader discretion is advised.

Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein's Final Destination Bloodlines shows Erik Campbell (Richard Harmon) dying despite the fact he is not connected to the family bloodline, as revealed during an earlier plot twist. So, some viewers might be wondering why he still gets killed. Before diving into that, let's look at what this curse is all about and how he was not affected by the twist.

Bloodlines marks the sixth chapter in the franchise, and it follows college student Stefani Lewis (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) returning to her family to know the truth behind her strange premonitory nightmares. She realizes they are connected to her grandmother Iris who witnessed it.

While at home, Stefani realizes that the Grim Reaper is coming for Iris' bloodline and is killing her family from oldest to youngest. Somehow, Erik gets spared from all this mess while in his tattoo parlor. That leads them to learn that Erik is not technically a part of their bloodline since his mother conceived him from another man. Even then, by the end of the film, he gets killed. So, some viewers were wondering how he doesn't survive the brutal trap of death. As it turns out, Erik's death can be explained by a small quote from William Bludworth (Tony Todd). He says:

"When you fu*k with death, things get messy."

During a conversation with Polygon on May 28, 2025, Lipovsky, and Stein offered a detailed explanation as to why Erik dies despite escaping the family curse.

Final Destination Bloodlines shows Erik dying because he tries to cheat death

Richard Harmon has been getting a lot of praise on social media for his performance in Final Destination Bloodlines. Yet, the question about his death has been bugging the fans. So, the folks at Polygon asked the directing duo about this seemingly odd death. To explain, co-director Adam Stein reiterated the aforementioned quote from William Bludworth.

Some might wonder how exactly Erik cheated death during the film. There is a rather simple explanation for that. During the family meeting with Bludworth, Erik hears about a way to defeat death. It is connected to Kimberly Corman, the young woman (from Final Destination 2), who seemingly gets revived after her death. So, in line with this, he decides to use Bobby (Owen Patrick Joyner) for an experiment.

Erik gives Bobby a snack that can trigger his peanut allergy, leading to his potential death. He believes reviving Bobby is his way to saving Bobby from the trap of the Grim Reaper. However, it backfires on both. That's because he used a known method to trick death. During the Polygon interview, Zach Lipovsky confirmed that this is their answer to the questions related to Erik's death in Final Destination Bloodlines.

“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*ck with death, things get messy.’ I think that’s a very good lesson for everyone to remember.”

Speaking about the tattoo parlor scene, Stein added:

“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 Erik in that tattoo parlor scene.”

Final Destination Bloodlines is in cinemas now.