Upamanyu Biswas
In ‘Final Destination Bloodlines,’ Death rears its head once more as Stefani and her extended family realize that they are next in line for a gruesome exit because of a blood debt tied to their past. As such, the entire family becomes unwitting targets for Death’s design, even though they are hesitant to believe in the seriousness of their situation. However, as the number of brutal accidents ramps up, taking a direct toll on the family as a whole, each member must decide how far they want to go in their quest for survival, even if they start off as non-believers. One such skeptic at the start of the narrative is Erik, Stefani’s cousin, who has a close encounter with Death in his tattoo shop. After narrowly escaping with his life, Erik learns that the reason he might have survived is because of a person named Jerry Fenbury, someone much closer to him than expected. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Jerry Fenbury is Erik’s Biological Father
Following his narrow escape at the tattoo shop, Erik continues to take a blasé attitude towards his mortality, even though Stefani urges him to exercise the utmost caution with his day-to-day movements. In his mind, the whole tattoo shop debacle is simply an accident with no deeper meaning attached to it. Additionally, the fact that he got out unscathed because of his leather jacket only reinforces that Stefani is being way too morbid than necessary. However, this attitude changes when Erik watches his sister, Julia, die in a terrifying manner in the garbage compactor. Subsequently, as the family starts to take their predicament more seriously, Erik learns that there is another reason behind his survival. It turns out that he is not part of the Campbell family bloodline because his mother, Brenda, conceived him through an extramarital affair with someone named Jerry Fenbury.
The truth bomb that Jerry Fenbury is his father and not Howard leaves Erik in a state of denial and anger, mostly directed at his mother. She states that she and Howard were having a difficult period in their relationship, which led to her falling into the arms of Fenbury at the time. Erik leaves the room, plainly disgusted at what he is hearing. However, judging by his tone when he speaks about Fenbury, it can be inferred that he has some knowledge about his biological father. The sneeriness and derision in his voice suggest that the man is not of the highest caliber, which is why he is even more angry with his mom for cheating on Howard with him. However, this could also be read as his raw, unfiltered first impression of finding out that his mother had an affair with a man outside the sacred confines of marriage and that he is the product of that clandestine bond.
Jerry Fenbury Inadvertently Saves Erik’s Life
While we never get to see Jerry Fenbury in the movie beyond a brief mention in the Campbell living room, the character ends up having a huge impact on Erik’s life, especially when it comes to escaping Death’s machinations. As Stefani probes into Death’s modus operandi through Iris’ book, she learns that all the direct blood descendants of Iris are the main targets for Death. However, because Erik’s father is not Howard but Fenbury, he is actually not part of the Campbell family. Thus, he ends up being spared from losing his life at the tattoo shop, even though he believes it was due to the fact that he happened to be wearing his leather jacket at the time. As a result, Brenda tells her son that despite regretting cheating on Howard to have him, she is grateful because his detachment from the Campbell family has led to him surviving Death’s design.
Intriguingly, Richard Harmon, who plays Erik, shared a social media story from a behind-the-scenes interaction with Craig Perry, a producer on the ‘Final Destination‘ franchise, where the latter can be seen wearing an “I am Jerry Fenbury” t-shirt. In the caption, Harmon wrote, “Found him,” alluding to his on-screen drama with his absent biological father. This is likely an inside joke showing that Erik is finally reunited with his real dad, even though we never get to see Fenbury grace the screen in any meaningful way. Overall, the character has a surprisingly huge influence over the narrative, allowing his son to survive by the skin of his teeth. Furthermore, it also provides a fascinating insight into how Death abides by specific rules within the universe, adding another layer of intrigue to the horror movie.
