Final Destination 2 (2003, New Line Cinema, Blu-ray, R, 90 min.). The second “Final Destination” film, of a franchise that grew to six films this year, remains a fun thrill ride of expected deaths and near misses to throw the viewer off. There is less of the supernatural shown than in the original 2000 film, as much of the mortician’s (Tony Todd of “Candyman,” “The Crow,” “The Man from Earth”) explanation was trimmed, but it is available as an extra.

People who escaped dying in a disaster still start dying as Death acts to reclaim its victims. The film’s 189 special effects shots help establish the seven major deaths – some expected and some very much a shock.

The film often references the original film and even goes so far as to return one survivor of the crash of Flight 180, that being Ali Larter (“Legally Blonde”) as Clear Rivers, who has been hiding in a psych hospital’s padded cell for almost a year. I think the film’s catch phrase, “You can’t cheat death twice,” does not bode well for her or the others who are saved from a massive highway traffic accident by Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook of “The Virgin Suicides,” TV’s “Criminal Minds”).

While waiting on the highway on-ramp, Kimberly, who is driving three friends on a trip, foresees the upcoming deadly crash, which kills more than two dozen, after logs being transported start falling off their truck. Returning to the present, she uses her SUV to block the on-ramp, thus saving the lives of several people, including State Trooper Thomas Burke (Michael Landes of TV’s “Cruel Summer,” upcoming “Lockerbie”), who pulls her to safety as Death starts reclaiming its victims almost immediately.

Somewhat silly, there is plenty of foreshadowing during Kimberly’s premonition, like the students in a bus all chanting “pile-up, pile-up” and the little boy in a passing car smashing a toy truck and a toy car together repeatedly.

One very interesting thing just tossed into the film, but not fully explored, is that all those saved had some connection to the previous deaths of the Flight 180 survivors. Among those Kimberly saves are a mother and son (Lynda Boyd and James Kirk as Nora and Tim Carpenter), the big skeptic (T.C. Carson as Eugene Dix), a druggie (Jonathan Cherry as Rory), the pregnant woman (Justina Machado as Isabella Hudson), another woman (Keegan Connor Tracy as Kat) and a recent lottery winner (David Paetkau of TV’s “Flashpoint” as Evan Lewis).

One views a film like this for the manner of the deaths and there are several good ones here. First off, though, the highway crashes are spectacular, with 18 officially killed after Kimberly’s blocking the on-ramp saves some. The series of deaths continues with an anticipated body part stuck and a cooking fire, yet the would-be victim escapes both threats, plus a couple more, only to be gruesomely done in anyway. Another icky death involves an elevator.

Extras – most ported over from the 2003 infini film home DVD version -- include audio commentary by director David Ellis (“Snakes on a Plane,” “Shark Night”), producer Craig Perry and screenwriters J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress; four deleted and one alternate scene with optional commentary (10:18); and two music videos, The Blank Theory’s “Middle of Nowhere” (4:30) and The Sounds’ “Seven Days a Week” (3:33). There also are three featurettes, including the exceptional “Bits and Pieces,” which starts with France’s Grand Guignol theater, includes Herschell Gorda Lewis (“Blood Feast”), the so-called godfather of gore, teen splatter films and how some of the film’s death scenes were executed (30:30). The other two look at real-life people who have had near-death experiences (18:08) and recording the physical reactions of three test subjects to six of the film’s scenes (14:01). Grade: film 3 stars; extras 3.25 stars

Rating guide: 5 stars = classic; 4 stars = excellent; 3 stars = good; 2 stars = fair; dog = skip it

Soul Reaper aka Malam Pencabut Nyawa (2024, Indonesia, Well Go USA, Blu-ray, NR, 112 min.). Directed by Sidharta Tata (segment of “Quarantine Tales,” TV’s “Pertaruhan: The Series”), the horror film involves two high school students who have the ability to enter the dream realm, including main character Respati (Devano Danendra of “Doremi & You,” TV’s “Antares”), who can enter the dreams of others.

Respati’s life has not been good. He recently lost both his parents in a car crash during a trip he declined to make, and now lives with his grandfather (Budi Ros), who has a strange helper (Fajar Nugra).

In an early nightmare, Respati hears both of his deceased parents calling him and then is able to hug them downstairs. He has other hauntings, even bloody, nightmares, which he comes to realize show him the killing of three people identified as murdered on the nightly news. He next realizes there is another presence there beside his, a vicious killing one, operating in the dream realm. This person is eventually identified as a traditional witch from the small village of Bajingjowo, where his grandfather lived in for 20 years. This witch, Sukma, was tortured by the villagers for being evil, but her body disappeared.

Assisting Respati are his best friend Tirta (Mikha Hernan) and their new classmate Wulan (Keisya Levronka), who also can enter the dream realm. One of the film’s highlights is the possession of Wulan in a classroom, with the desks moving around.

The film’s special effects are good. Extras include a look at the stunts, wire work and rotating set (1:29), the makeup for the witch Sukma (1:13), the set design for the dream realm (1:32) and the set design of Respati’s bedroom (1:05). Grade: film 3 stars; extras 2.25 stars

Stowaway aka The Yacht (2022, Well Go USA, Blu-ray, R, 94 min.). For an action film, this lacks any tension. Directed by Declan Whitebloom (music videos by Taylor Swift, The Band Perry, Little Big Town), the film stars Ruby Rose (“John Wick: Chapter Two,” TV’s “Orange Is the New Black”) as party girl Bella Denton, who inherits a yacht from the father she has not seen in 20 years.

The film opens with scenes of her as a young girl with her father, including almost drowning in the ocean. It then jumps forward five years, with her getting arrested for car theft in Los Angeles. The next jump is of 12 years, with a phone call from Ed Meeser (Frank Grillo of “The Grey,” “Purge: Anarchy,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”) telling of her father’s death and her inheritance.

Going to Gulfport, Mississippi, Bella, who had been attempting to steal a motorcycle when Meeser called, is greeted by a limousine and taken to Meeser, who gets her yacht unlocked and she is given a tour of the yacht, called The Bella, by its captain, Lawson (Luis Da Silva Jr. of “Fast Five,” “Fast X”).

Later that night, Bella picks up Michael (Patrick Schwarzenegger of TV’s “The White Lotus,” “The Staircase”) at a bar and brings him back to the yacht for sex. While they are sleeping, the yacht is stolen by Jim (Danny Bohnen) and Sunshine (Scotty Bohnen), working with Lawson, who pilots it out of the harbor. Jim is seeking $80 million that he claims Bella’s father stole from him. Both worked in the military together, as did Lawson.

Michael jumps off the boat, but apparently is shot swimming away. Bella manages to call the Coast Guard, but that gives away her presence on the yacht. Lawson tells her where the lifeboat is, which she gets trapped inside during the Coast Guard’s visit. Yes, the film is that stupid. Grade: film 2 stars