As all horror fans know, a horror franchise never dies, it simply lurks in the shadows until it’s ready to spring into a life once again.

The last time we saw a Final Destination film was in 2011, with the fifth in the entry, so this sixth iteration has taken its sweet time getting here, which begs the question, was it worth the wait?

It’s 1968 and the Skyview Tower is getting its official opening ceremony. Paul (Max Lloyd-Jones) has surprised his girlfriend Iris (Brec Bassinger) with tickets to the event, which includes a meal at the top of the tower in its impressive restaurant.

However it doesn’t quite go to plan, which sees the couple end up just at the bar instead. It’s not long before the date goes horrifically wrong, as the tower starts to destruct, with everyone there dying one way or another.

Thankfully that didn’t happen, it was just a dream that Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) had, unfortunately more than once, as she’s been haunted by the same one for a couple of months now, which is effecting her grades.

She’s aware that iris is in fact her grandmother, so decides to go home and find out more about her. But when she gets there, she finds the family are tight-lipped and unwilling to talk about her. And it seems with good reason, as it turns out she was a little cuckoo, spouting nonsense about death trying to kill her.

But it turns out Iris knew what she was talking about, and now her family are in serious danger, with death keen for a little payback.

If you’re going to make a film in Hollywood, or anywhere else for that matter, making a horror is a good choice. Historically they have relatively low budgets, as this one did, featuring a cast of mostly unknowns, as this one also does. And they are a crowd pleaser, usually resulting in substantial profit at the box office, as every entry in this franchise has done.

And even though they can be formulaic, which actually is part of the appeal, because if you’ve seen a Final Destination film, you know what you’re in for, and this one doesn’t disappoint.

It’s the cinematic equivalent of the children’s game Mouse Trap, that follows a number of events that unfold, but instead of leading to setting off a trap, it leads to death. Much death. Gloriously bloody deaths.

Thankfully the film doesn’t take itself too seriously, being quite playful throughout, such as setting up an obvious kill, then sticks its tongue out at the audience by taking it in another direction.

And although it’s silly, gory fun, it still respects the lore of the franchise, which you need in such a long-running series.

It’s certainly the longest in the series, and you do feel it at just ten minutes shy of two hours, especially with its ending which just runs out of steam.

There’s something interesting however, about the fact that death, who is referred to as ‘he’, is a character within the film, although never seen, which let’s face it, is unusual for a horror film. And yet you do get the impression that they are all challenged by death, and ‘he’ is indeed out to get them, despite lacking a physical presence.

Far too often horror films can take themselves seriously, which thankfully isn’t the case here; directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein know exactly what they’re delivering here, so laughing out loud at the ludicrous nature of it all is not only expected but encouraged.

There’s nothing quite like the Final Destination franchise, and this latest one is a welcome addition. Let’s just hope that death doesn’t wait so long next time.