The Madame Web Scene That's Giving Major Final Destination Vibes
Contains mild spoilers for "Madame Web"
Arguably, the most memorable scene to arise from the "Final Destination" franchise comes from "Final Destination 2," which has forever made driving behind a log truck on the freeway a terrifying proposition. The sequel's opening premonition sees a chain break on a flatbed truck, sending several massive logs flying toward following motorists, including one that goes right through the windshield of a police cruiser. It's a horrific way to kickstart a movie, and it seems like "Madame Web," Sony's latest Spider-Man spin-off, may have taken some cues from it.
There's no evidence that it's an explicit reference to "Final Destination 2," but "Madame Web" features a scene where Cassandra (Dakota Johnson) rushes to a diner after she gets a vision that shows Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) killing three girls at that location. As she heads to the restaurant, Cassie drives behind a vehicle carrying a load of massive logs, which surely makes every horror fan who has seen "Final Destination 2" tense up.
The fact that both "Madame Web" and the "Final Destination" series deal with premonitions and characters who attempt to avoid terrible fates makes the inclusion of this particular vehicle in this scene feel pretty deliberate. Sure, the truck Cassie follows could be a complete coincidence, but it's fun to draw the parallel nonetheless.
The Madame Web director doesn't mind Final Destination comparisons
The "Final Destination 2" log truck sequence is so legendary, it's entered meme status, with countless people posting humorous photos with comments on how a generation has been scarred for life from ever driving behind such a vehicle ever again. A perfect example is in a post from the Instagram account @physicalmediapresident where they share a photo that shows cars apparently refusing to line up in the lane behind a log truck. The caption reads, "Everyone in the left lane has seen final destination 2."
Even if a log truck's presence in the superhero movie was a completely random choice that had nothing to do with the fan-favorite horror franchise, "Madame Web" director S.J. Clarkson doesn't mind her film receiving "Final Destination" comparisons. GamesRadar+ brought up the similarities between the two properties, at least in terms of the basic plot, and Clarkson was all for it. "Listen, I'll take that," she stated. "It's a thriller at the end of the day and it was exciting to be able to have those thriller-slash-horror moments."
That genre naturally lends itself to "Madame Web" because, as star Dakota Johnson acknowledged in an interview with Xoop, the title character doesn't have a typical superhero power like the ability to fly. Cassie sees into the future, and much like in "Final Destination," that can have unsettling consequences. "It was so inherently psychological that it could be a thriller; more cerebral, and therefore more grounded," Clarkson said. "I found it really interesting and exciting to explore that in a cinematic world."