South Philly writer Padraic Maroney has a new twist on a twisted movie series.
Maroney’s new offering Escaping Death: The Unauthorized Story Behind the Final Destination Movies takes readers behind the caution tape with more than 50 exclusive interviews of cast members, producers and filmmakers of the film franchise that left moviegoers with an uneasy feeling about inescapable death.
The book coincides with the 25th anniversary of the first Final Destination movie and the release of the sixth installment Final Destination: Bloodlines, which is due to hit the big screen on May 16. Maroney’s new book hopes to leave readers with that same resounding effect that the movie franchise has provided over the last quarter-century.
“Every day people now refer to could-be freak accidents as having a ‘Final Destination moment’ so I decided to write a book examining the franchise that started it all,” said Maroney, a Bucks County native who now lives in South Philly’s Bella Vista neighborhood. “The Final Destination films are not just horror movies; they’ve traumatized an entire generation, and the franchise has crossed over into the collective pop culture consciousness.”
Maroney’s 422-page book published by BearManor Media goes beyond the famously memorable logger truck and plane crash scenes and gets beyond the initial scare with in-depth interviews from the horror series that grossed nearly $700 million at the global box office.
This project is similar in a way to his 2021 book It All Began With A Scream, about the making of the Scream movie franchise. That book was also released in conjunction with Scream’s 25th anniversary in 2021.
Maroney’s books show his dedication of going the extra mile when it comes to iconic horror flicks. The 42-year-old has previously written movie reviews and even launched his own gossip column for the Bucks County Courier Times while still in high school.
Maroney said it took three years of research and interviews to complete his latest book.
“My aim is to celebrate the franchise, but also let people know what it was like to be on set through the stories from the people who were there,” Maroney said. “While the chances of these situations arising in real life are slim, it’s never zero. Many of the memorable moments from the franchise are inspired by true events.”
Escaping Death: The Unauthorized Story Behind the Final Destination Movies is available to order at www.bearmanormedia.com or at amazon.com.
