Final Destination: Bloodlines confirmed why Erik Campbell (Richard Harmon) died despite not being part of the family tree of Death's design. The sixth installment of the Final Destination franchise dialed up the stakes when Death targeted a single family, killing them one by one due to a massive incident that did not happen in the past due to the intervention of one of their family members.
At the center of the story is Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), who has been having visions of a tragic accident that took place in the Skyview Tower in the 1960s, and the visionary is later revealed to be their grandmother, Iris (Brec Bassinger). After Iris' death in the present day, Death shifts its attention to the remaining family members, including Erik.
Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, Final Destination: Bloodlines features a stellar cast led by Brec Bassinger, Richard Harmon, Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Gabrielle Rose, Owen Joyner, Anna Lore, Alex Zahara, Rya Kihlstedt, and the late Tony Todd. The movie premiered on May 16, 2025, and was later released on HBO Max on August 1, 2025.
Why Did Erik Die In Final Destination?
Final Destination: Bloodlines revealed that Death's order is based on the Campbell family's age hierarchy, meaning that the oldest member will die first, ultimately leading to the youngest member.
After Howard Campbell's death (Iris' eldest son), the next one on the list is his eldest son, Erik Campbell. However, Erik is later seen alive and well despite almost dying inside his tattoo shop. In a shocking moment, his sister, Julia Campbell (Anna Lore), dies first, leading to confusion about Death's plan for the family.
Brenda, Erik's mother, later confirms that he is not part of the complex Campbell family tree in Final Destination: Bloodlines because he is not Howard's biological son. Instead, he is the son of Jerry Fenbury, a man his mother had an affair with.
Given Erik's safe status from Death's design, he becomes confident about saving his half-brother, Bobby, from certain doom. However, when he tries to save Bobby from his death by tricking the entity into stopping Bobby's heart with his peanut allergy, Erik is given the most brutal death in Final Destination: Bloodlines after a malfunctioning MRI machine inside a hospital.
Some fans wonder why Erik died, considering he is not part of the Campbell bloodline. After he brutally dies, Stefani mumbles to herself, "When you f*ck with death, things get messy," which provides the perfect explanation why Erik also died alongside Bobby.
The fact that Erik messed with Death's plan by trying to save Bobby cemented his tragic fate. In the franchise, Death is established as an intelligent force, not something to be tricked into, because the entity seems to know when someone is out to avert its plans.
The Final Destination: Bloodlines Directors Explain Why Erik Died
Speaking with Polygon in May 2025, Final Destination: Bloodlines directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein echoed the same sentiment above when they explained the reasoning behind Erik's death, with them circling back to what William Bludworth (played by the late Tony Todd) said to the Campbells in the scenes before Erik and Bobby's death:
Adam Stein: "Tony [Todd] says it: when you fuck with death, things get messy."
Zach 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 fuck with death, things get messy.’ I think that's a very good lesson for everyone to remember."
Final Destination: Bloodlines essentially explains why Erik died in the first place, and the directors point out Death's rule to remind the viewers.
But why did Death seemingly try to kill Erik inside his tattoo parlor? Stein mentioned that it is Death's "sense of playfulness," comparing Erik to a fish while the entity is the fisherman who simply wants to catch him "without intending to kill [him]:"
"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."
How Death operates in Final Destination: Bloodlines presents a much more difficult scenario for future victims, considering that the entity seemingly knows how to adapt and target those not planned to be part of his design (if they decide to mess with or trick Death). This should serve as a warning not to try to cheat with Death because it won't end well for any character who crosses that line.
