John Waters Had Final Destination Bloodlines As His Second-Best Movie Of 2025, And The Reason Was So On-Brand

With only a few weeks and a handful of releases left to go on the 2025 movie schedule, we’re starting to see all kinds of end-of-the-year lists where actors, directors, and everyone else make a case for their favorites. While the internet was going crazy for Quentin Tarantino’s list and controversial remarks in early December, there’s another legendary and colorful filmmaker whose list has fallen by the wayside.

Earlier this month, John Waters, the Baltimore native and director of classics like Pink Flamingos, Cry Baby, and a little movie called Hairspray, provided Vulture with his favorite movies of the year… and it was something. The entire list was great, but it was Waters’ comments about Final Destination Bloodlines, one of the best horror experiences of the year, that really got me going. Oh, and his reasoning for choosing it as one of his favorites is totally on-brand.

John Waters Called Final Destination Bloodlines 'A New Realm Of Exploitation Art'

One of the most transformative LGBTQ+ filmmakers and someone who just loves to roll around in filthy words and situations, John Waters knows how to give a glowing review. And that was the case with Final Destination Bloodlines, Waters’ second favorite movie of 2025. In his best-of list, the Female Trouble and Multiple Maniacs helmer said the gory and glorious horror flick “goes beyond trash,” saying:

I don’t know about you, but I can hear Waters’ distinct voice and cadence saying those words as he typed them out (presumably on some old typewriter in his Baltimore home). Calling the latest sequel in an established horror franchise "a new realm of exploitation art" is just so great.

Coming From John Waters, That’s The Biggest Compliment You Can Get

I don’t know about you, but if I made an over-the-top horror movie where people die in incredibly violent, inventive, and wild-as-hell ways, I would jump through the roof if Waters said my creation “goes beyond trash into a new realm of exploitation art.” Hearing a comment like that, especially coming from someone as talented, boisterous, and hilarious as Waters, would honestly be the biggest compliment.

I mean, this is a guy who made a movie where the late, great Divine picked up a dog turd off the concrete and ate it, for crying out loud. This man knows trash, this man knows exploitation art, this man knows how to craft unhinged and unforgettable cinematic experiences.

But This Wasn’t The Only Great Comment From Waters’ Best Movies List

If Final Destination Bloodlines was Waters’ second-favorite movie of the year, what earned the top prize? Well, that’d go to Ari Aster’s outrageously divisive Eddington. The movie, which tackles the polarization of a small town in New Mexico in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, wasn’t for everyone. That said, the filmmaker couldn’t get enough of it:

I, for one, felt all kinds of “coo-coo crazy” after watching Joaquin Phoenix’s descent into madness in Eddington. While I wasn’t the biggest fan, don’t tell Waters, because I don’t want him hating me.

In case you want to know, here's the entirety of Waters' list:

1. Eddington
2. Final Destination Bloodlines
3. Oslo Trilogy
4. Sirāt
5. Sauna
6. Room Temperature
7. Misericordia
8. When Fall Is Coming
9. My Mom Jayne
10. The Empire

Truth be told, I haven't seen every movie on that list, so it looks like I have some catching up to do...