William Bludworth

William Bludworth is a fictional character in the Final Destination film series, portrayed by Tony Todd. He appears in Final Destination, Final Destination 2, and Final Destination 5.[1][2] William Bludworth is the owner of Bludworth Funeral Homes and has the most knowledge of Death and its forces or capacities, and can basically be seen as the Grim Reaper throughout.[3]

William Bludworth
Final Destination character
Tony Todd as William Bludworth, as depicted in Final Destination 5
First appearanceFinal Destination
Last appearanceFinal Destination 5
Created byJeffrey Reddick
Portrayed byTony Todd
In-universe information
OccupationCoroner
LocationMt. Abraham, New York
North Bay, New York
StatusAlive

Films

Final Destination (2000)

In the first film, Alex Browning and Clear Rivers sneak inside the morgue to glimpse at Tod Waggner's corpse. Bludworth catches them in the act and asks why they came. Offering his help, he explains to them the rule of Death: those who cheat death will be revisited by Death once more to claim back their lives that should have been lost. He also tells them about Death's list (a list of the order of deaths of the survivors in the original incident) and how it will work on them once again. Finally, he states that ruining the list can affect the remaining survivors. Bludworth warns them about the consequences of tampering with the design.

Final Destination 2 (2003)

In the second film, Bludworth is revisited by Claire, together with Kimberly Corman and Thomas Burke, to obtain help about cheating death. He is seen de-accessorizing the corpse of Evan Lewis. However, he only mentions to them the rule of life and death: new life can defeat Death. At first the characters think this means the birth of a child whose mother death was supposed to take. However, it is revealed later that if one of the survivors were to die then be resuscitated, they would defeat death. Kimberly eventually intentionally drowns herself and is resuscitated by CPR.

Final Destination 5 (2011)

Despite being absent from the third and fourth films, Bludworth reappears in the fifth film. In this film, he is seen as a coroner who the characters encounter several times, and informs them only that by taking a life can they live, for they will receive the lifespan of the person they've killed. The point they neglect to realize, however, is that they have no way of knowing how long the person they would kill has to live on their remaining lifespan.

Casting
Tony Todd, famous for portraying the titular role in the Candyman films, played William Bludworth in Final Destination, Final Destination 2, and Final Destination 5. Todd's role is one of only two characters to appear in at least two films besides Ali Larter's character Clear Rivers.

Tony Todd, who played Candyman in the 1992 film Candyman, was cast as mortician William Bludworth. Writer Glen Morgan initially wanted Todd for the role for his deep voice that would give the film an eerie tone.[1]

Reception

Todd's performance in Final Destination has received positive reviews among critics. Joe Leydon of Variety complimented his performance, saying that "Todd --- an old hand at scary stories after the "Candyman" series --- overplays with enough relish to position himself as a probable returnee for a Final Destination 2".[4] Brett Gallman of Oh, The Horror! described Todd's wry and sinister portrayal "has crafted one of the genre's most memorable characters in recent memory, though he's only appeared twice for about five total minutes in the series."[5]

On the other hand, Todd's role in Final Destination 2 received mixed reviews among critics, most complaining about Todd's minimal screentime. Robert Koehler of Variety remarked that Todd's "single, distinctly flat scene" was wasted by the filmmakers.[6] Gallman of Oh, The Horror! is enticed by Todd's role "whose purpose has still yet to be revealed in the franchise."[7]

References
  1. Yahoo!, Yahoo! Movies. "Final Destination Cast List in Yahoo! Movies UK and Ireland". Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
  2. Yahoo!, Yahoo! Movies. "Final Destination 2 Cast List in Yahoo! Movies UK and Ireland". Retrieved September 19, 2010.
  3. James Wong (director). Final Destination 3 (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition) (DVD). New York City, United States: New Line Cinema. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  4. Leydon, Joe (March 19, 2000). "Review: 'Final Destination – Tepid Teen Thriller'". Variety. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  5. Gallman, Brett (August 13, 2009). "Horror Reviews – Final Destination (2000)". Oh, The Horror!. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  6. Koehler, Robert (January 26, 2003). "Review: 'Final Destination 2'". Variety. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  7. Gallman, Brett (August 16, 2009). "Horror Reviews – Final Destination 2 (2003)". Oh, The Horror!. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
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