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Filipino talents Kaitlyn Santa Juana and Teo Briones lead “Final Destination” horror franchise

Kaitlyn Santa Juana and Teo Briones lead “Final Destination” horror franchise

Article (news)

Yong Chavez

ABS-CBN News

For Kaitlyn Santa Juana, landing the lead role in Final Destination: Bloodlines wasn’t just the culmination of a childhood dream—it was also an opportunity to bring something fresh and personal to a beloved horror film franchise.“I was introduced to this franchise through one of my childhood friends who was a horror fan,” recalls Santa Juana, who is Filipina-Canadian. “I think I just wanted to look cool in front of my friends, but I would go home at night, cry to my mom, and be like, ‘I can’t sleep.’”Now, she finds herself at the center of the latest installment in the long-running series, playing Stefani, a brilliant and tightly wound college student whose academic ambitions are interrupted by a series of violent nightmares.Stefani returns home to seek help from the one person who might hold the key to breaking the cycle: her grandmother, Iris. What follows is a race against fate, where every small decision could mean the difference between life and death.“So many people have been reaching out to me—people I know and people I don’t—sending me pictures of log trucks,” Santa Juana laughs. “I think everyone has been kind of traumatized by that logging truck incident and all the other crazy deaths that happen in Final Destination movies.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1747346463052Screenshot 2025-05-15 at 12.55.40 PM.png" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Courtesy: Warner Bros. &quot;Final Destination Bloodlines&quot;</div>Directed by Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, Final Destination: Bloodlines brings something new to the franchise—not just elaborate and gruesome set pieces, but also emotional resonance. At the heart of the film is Stefani’s relationship with her younger brother, played by Teo Briones, and a familial bond that adds weight to every terrifying moment.“I remember meeting Teo for the first time and being like, ‘Wow… he really does feel like a brother to me,’” says Santa Juana.That connection felt authentic from the start, thanks in part to a collaborative pre-production process.“We were able to come in and workshop the scenes,” she explains. “It felt like speed dating, almost, because we were all just in this room for a week getting to know each other—talking about how we’d act, how we’d behave in certain circumstances, and tweaking things to make them feel more personal.”For Santa Juana, the family element of Bloodlines is especially poignant.“I come from a huge family, so doing a Final Destination movie about a family is—first of all—scary, because you imagine this happening to your own. But I think what’s so interesting about this one is the way they’ve reimagined it. There’s so much heart and soul. The connections are deeper because it’s a family trying to make it through hard times.”Representation also plays a quiet but meaningful role. Both Santa Juana and Briones are of Filipino descent, a cultural detail that enriches the film’s emotional core. Without drawing overt attention, the story reflects a broader, more inclusive vision of what a Final Destination movie can be.“It means the world to us—to be able to represent our culture and heritage in one of the biggest franchises in the world,” says Briones, whose father is Filipino stage and screen actor Jon Jon Briones. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”Santa Juana adds: “What’s so interesting about sharing Filipino culture with the world is that it’s so family-oriented. A win for us is a win for our whole community. It really does feel like a celebration of every Filipino across the board.”That sense of community and cultural pride is what sets Bloodlines apart from its predecessors.At its core is a generational family story told through a horror lens—something that stood out to castmate Rya Kihlstedt, who plays a matriarch central to the film’s emotional arc.“They were bold enough to intertwine a family story, a generational story, into the midst of a huge horror genre,” Kihlstedt says. “The lineage of three women gives the story depth and complication that doesn’t exist in the others.”Ultimately, Final Destination: Bloodlines delivers the shocking, inventive deaths that fans expect—but with a deeper emotional impact and a sense of stakes that go beyond survival.

For Kaitlyn Santa Juana, landing the lead in Final Destination Bloodlines wasn’t just the culmination of a childhood dream. It was also an opportunity to bring something new and personal to a beloved horror film series.

For Kaitlyn Santa Juana, landing the lead in Final Destination Bloodlines wasn’t just the culmination of a childhood dream. It was also an opportunity to bring something new and personal to a beloved horror film series.

Filipino talents Kaitlyn Santa Juana and Teo Briones lead 'Final Destination' horror franchise

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Filipino talents Kaitlyn Santa Juana and Teo Briones lead 'Final Destination' horror franchise

Yong Chavez,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 16, 2025 06:02 AM PHT

|

Updated June 25, 2025 12:48 PM PHT

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Kaitlyn Santa Juana

Teo Briones

Final Destination

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Final Destination Bloodlines

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