Millennial anxiety in comeback mode as ‘Final Destination' returns

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Pune: A popcorn horror series in 2000 quickly grew into psychological terror for millennials who can also be called the 'Final Destination' generation. The idea that death could strike through bizarre, but completely possible accidents took root in young viewers' minds then.
Now, millennial anxiety has found a throwback trigger with the release of 'Final Destination: Bloodlines' in India on May 16.
Fourteen years after the last instalment, the franchise has brought back the irrational fears it successfully embedded into an entire generation's psyche.
So if a millennial grips the steering wheel just a little tighter while driving behind a truck carrying metal rods, they should know they are not alone.
It is the same if one involuntarily clenches every muscle when somebody does a gymnastics flip in a video. And, if the sound of a sudden elevator jolt spikes the heartbeat, the series definitely has the person in it clutches.
Pranav Iyer (39) is a fintech professional who commutes from Undri to Hinjewadi daily. He said, "I quickly change lanes if I'm behind a truck with pipes, logs or any construction material. It's like a reflex even now.
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The minute I spot something sticking out of a vehicle, my brain thinks of the 'Final Destination 2' scene where logs fall out and everyone dies in an unexpected and macabre way. I tell myself not to think of it, but desperately try to move away from behind the vehicle.
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Teacher Pritha Dasgupta (42) has been terrified of stepping onto an escalator after she watched a scene from the movie. "I still get slight anxiety when I have to take an escalator.
I ensure there's nothing in my footwear or clothes to get caught in the machine. My heart is in my mouth till I step off," she said.
The lingering fear is a form of associative conditioning and not entirely irrational, according to mental health professionals.
Clinical psychologist Yukhta Pathak said, "What the 'Final Destination' franchise did was introduce highly specific situational fears which hijack normal daily routines.
Since the scenes were grounded in reality, situations like driving behind a truck carrying projectiles, setting up a barbecue or visiting the ophthalmologist were processed as potential threats. The fears became anchored for millennials, who encountered these ideas while still forming adult cognitive patterns.
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She explained this as a phenomenon where a stimulus like a log truck or a gymnastics routine becomes linked with fear due to intense visual memory of audiences.
Over time, the association causes stress or avoidance behaviour even without direct danger.
"As a generation, millennials already carry a base-level anxiety because of job insecurities, rising cost of living, climate dread and social media, among others. We have hyper-vigilance disguised as common sense because the chaos we are already dealing with is stoked by a mental inventory of elaborate death sequences," said Aatish Makhija (38), a film buff.
It is a very millennial trait to still remember the scenes vividly. "I cannot get myself to undergo lasik surgery because of the eye surgery scene. I know no doctor will turn a machine pointed at my eye and just leave the room like in the movie, but I squirm at the thought," said Priyanka Shah, a 40-year-old homemaker.
The return of the franchise is also a reminder of how pop culture shapes a generation. Remember, millennials grew up with Y2K paranoia, 'Friends', Orkut and a healthy suspicion of ceiling fans.

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