Most films rely on leading characters to draw us in and give us someone to root for, which is likely why we are usually left with at least one remaining survivor. But sometimes, we are met with bleak endings that take even the most beloved of characters with them. Here are 18 films where everyone had met their demise by the time the credits roll.
Dawn of the Dead
A remake of George A. Romero’s classic, Dawn of the Dead’s ending, gives us a glimpse of hope, only to rip it away at the last moment. In its cruel twist ending, the remaining survivors reach a boat and evacuate the city. When they reach an island, everything seems good until it’s revealed that zombies overrun it. While their deaths aren’t shown on-screen, it can only be assumed that escape from this apocalypse is very unlikely.
Final Destination 5
The Final Destination franchise is largely known for its unique reflection on the certainty of death. The fifth and final installment of the franchise follows the same pattern, with a group of friends escaping death after a bridge collapse, only to be killed off one by one by death itself. Much like its predecessors, Final Destination 5 is jam-packed with imaginative kills. But the film’s twist ending sets it apart from the rest when the last surviving characters wind up on the plane from the original film and inevitably die in the explosion. A shocking and unexpected twist that proves no one is safe from death’s grip.
Hereditary
Arguably one of the best directors in modern horror, Ari Aster’s debut feature is a haunting and brutal journey from the first take. After a family discovers that their dead matriarch was the leader of a coven, they each meet gruesome fates up until the last survivor, Peter, throws him out of a window. The film illustrates how deeply family tragedy can affect the present, and it is both frightening and devastating in equal measure.
Cloverfield
A more thoughtful approach to the found-footage subgenre, Cloverfield follows a group of friends whose lives are interrupted by the sudden appearance of a large monster in Manhattan. If the destruction from the monster wasn’t enough, introducing its babies will surely make you lose all hope. But it’s the film’s bleak and horrifying ending that sticks with you when the remaining survivors meet their demise when the military bombs Manhattan in an attempt to kill the monster.
Cabin in the Woods
One of the most unique films in modern horror history, Cabin in the Woods is fun, clever, and downright brilliant. The film follows a group of college students who are unknowingly sacrificed for an ancient ritual monitored and run by an underground facility. But in the end, the two of them decide to let the world end rather than contribute to humanity’s survival. It’s a very melancholic way to close a movie, especially a horror movie, which is why it works so well.
The Blair Witch Project
Found-footage horror has come a long way since Blair Witch, but it still remains one of the most inventive and terrifying films of all time. When three young filmmakers set out to explore the urban legend of the Blair Witch, the witch torments them before taking them one by one. While only one death is actually confirmed on-screen, the film ends with the Blair Witch attacking Heather (Rei Hance) and Mike (Michael C. Williams).
Scarface
Tony Montana is easily one of Al Pacino’s finest and most chilling roles. Scarface follows his ascent to power as a drug lord before everything collapses and he is killed, taking everyone else with him. His rise and fall to power is epic, and like most great characters in cinema, his fate is as certain as it is powerful.
The Northman
A grittier and violent take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Northman follows Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), a young prince who is exiled after his uncle murders his father. Inevitably, he sets out on a vengeful journey to avenge his death. By the end, everyone has died, including Amleth, who killed his uncle and suffered his demise from fatal injuries.
The Hateful Eight
In true Quentin Tarantino style, The Hateful Eight is a blood-soaked and brutal affair. When eight strangers find refuge in the same stopover, things soon spiral out of control and result in violence, carnage, and death. However, the movie has a certain edge that sets it apart from Tarantino’s previous films, and even the ending manages to maintain its satirical humor despite every character meeting its on-screen demise.
Night of the Living Dead
George A. Romero was a master when it came to the zombie flick, and Night of the Living Dead is no exception. The film’s bleak ending sees Ben (Duane Jones), the only remaining survivor, mistaken for a zombie and fatally shot. In addition to being a sharp piece of societal satire, the scene is especially haunting since Ben has already been through so much and is reduced to just another body.
300
Directed by Zack Snyder, 300 centers on a group of Spartan warriors led by Leonidas (Gerard Butler), who protect Greece from the Persian invasion. A doomed mission from the beginning, their sacrifice inspires the rest of their country to battle, serving a higher purpose. But it doesn’t make it any less emotionally gut-wrenching.
The Thing
While the fate of the remaining characters is down to the audience’s interpretation, it can only be assumed that their demise is just around the corner. When a group of Antarctic researchers has their station invaded by a shape-shifting creature, capable of disguising itself as any living creature, one by one, they meet a brutal death. All except two, who are left stranded. The only problem, however, is that neither of them is sure whether the other is the Thing in disguise.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Based on a true story, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid follows the two titular criminals on the run from the law. Only the two titular characters survive by the end, leading to one of the most infamous film endings ever. The ending sees Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Kid (Robert Redford) pinned down by Bolivian soldiers. We don’t see their deaths on-screen; the film ends in a freeze-frame. But their demise is near-guaranteed.
Sunshine
Sunshine follows a group of astronauts and scientists on a mission to revive the dying sun and save Earth. But things quickly turn south when the protagonists deviate from their initial plan. By the end, the remaining crew are left with no option but to use a bomb to revive the sun, sacrificing themselves in the process.
Melancholia
From director Lars von Trier, this enigmatic sci-fi follows the relationship between two sisters who contend with their own personal dramas, all while a near-guaranteed apocalypse approaches Earth. Inevitably, Melancholia’s ending is incredibly haunting and destructive, as the leading characters and everyone else are obliterated.
Knowing
When astrophysics professor John Koestler (Nicolas Cage) discovers a time capsule that predicts the dates of disasters, he sets out on a mission to prevent the events from unfolding. But his mission is ultimately a failure when aliens abduct his son, and a solar flare destroys Earth, killing John and his son in the process.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
One of those rare sequels that manages to live up to its predecessor, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, takes place on a dystopian Earth ruled by apes. But this time, the apes declare war against the humans, and the film’s ending sees astronaut Taylor (Charlton Heston) launching a missile that wipes out all life on Earth.
The Departed
What begins as a story about two moles quickly turns violent in this Martin Scorsese flick. By the end, nearly all of the main characters are dead, with the final scene seeing mobster Sean Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) killing his rival Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon). While technically Dignam survives, the events of the film have left him dead on the inside, which is its own type of horrific demise.
