Warning: This article discusses topics of extreme violence and death.
Horrorisn’t the only genre with movies where all the main characters die. Some ofthe best movies of all timesee the deaths of one or more characters, and it’s always a shock when a prominent figure dies. However, it’s an unusual occasion in which all the main characters die. Plenty ofslasher movies kill off every character, although this is the staple of the subgenre.
While it’s normal for a horror movie to slaughter its characters, whether that’s one-by-one or all in one go, it’s strange when another genre kills so many people.Sudden character deaths in moviesoften cause a significant shift in tone, so killing more than one off is a brilliant way for a film to grab the audiences’ attention. Whether it’s because of an apocalypse, revenge, or a series of coincidental events, these movies continue to astound viewers when all of their main characters die.
Hamlet
Cast
Hamlet (1996) is a film adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic play, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as the titular prince. Set in a richly detailed, late-19th-century Denmark, the movie follows Prince Hamlet as he grapples with treachery, revenge, and madness after the death of his father. The ensemble cast includes Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi, and Kate Winslet, ensuring a faithful and compelling retelling of the iconic tragedy.
Revealing that everyone dies inHamletis far from a spoiler, and anyone who is vaguely familiar with the works of William Shakespeare should know this, too. The 1996 adaptation ofHamletis one ofKenneth Branagh’s best movies, which is frequently praised for how well it lives up to its source material.Hamletis the ultimate murderous revenge story, with the titular character setting his sights on his uncle Cladius, after the death of his father. However, Cladius isn’t the only one to be killed off inHamlet.
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Various other characters die in several ways. Ophelia appears to commit suicide due to madness, Polonius is killed by Hamlet by accident, and Gertrude mistakenly takes the poison that is meant for Hamlet, to name a few.Although Horatio is technically listed as a main character, he is more of a supporting figureas he plays a backseat role during a large chunk of the film. However, the fact he is the sole survivor, despite threatening suicide at the end of the movie, is a more harrowing fate than death itself.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a standalone film set in the Star Wars universe, where a group of resistance fighters, led by Jyn Erso, embarks on a mission to steal the Death Star plans. This pivotal event sets the stage for the iconic saga to follow.
While it’s not unusual for one or two villainous characters to die intheStar Warsmovies,Rogue One: A Star Wars Storygoes to the extreme by killing off all of its main characters in the final battle.It’s baffling thatRogue Oneonly killed one main character originally, considering the final death count is so unexpected for theStar Warsfranchise. K-2SO sacrifices himself to buy Jyn and Cassian more time, only for the pair to die when the Death Star destroys the citadel.
Every member of the Rebel command ship is butchered by Vader, too, so it’s not just the main characters who are dead by the end of the film.
Chirrut is brutally killed after he activates communication with the Rebel Fleet, followed shortly by Baze’s demise, and Bodhi meets his end by a grenade. Every member of the Rebel command ship is butchered by Vader, too, so it’s not just the main characters who are dead by the end of the film.Although the slaughtering of hundreds isn’t new in theStar Warsuniverse, it’s usually Stormtroopers or Clones that are killed in such large groups,and it’s shocking thatRogue Onefeatures the deaths of so many prominent characters.
Sunshine
Sunshine, directed by Danny Boyle, follows a team of astronauts on a critical mission to reignite the dying Sun and save Earth from an impending freeze. Set fifty years into the future, the film explores their journey and the challenges faced in their attempt to restore solar life.
Danny Boyle and Cillian Murphy’s sci-fi movieSunshine,implies that there will be death from the beginning.Sunshinefollows a group of eight astronauts from the year 2057, who leave Earth in the attempts to reignite the Sun in order to save a freezing Earth. Their mission immediately suggests that the group will be in extreme danger, despite the characters insisting that they are going to return home.It’s no surprise that everyone dies, but the ways they are killed off are unexpected.
Capa and Cassie are the only ones to die from the bomb explosion at the end ofSunshine.The rest of the crew is picked off in other ways, though.Kaneda is incinerated while fixing a panel, Harvey misses the airlock when jumping from Icarus I and dies from space exposure, Searle is exposed to unfiltered sunlight and burns, Trey commits suicide, Pinbacker stabs Corazon, and Mace freezes to death. Even thoughSunshineisn’t a horror movie, it feels like one at times, especially as audiences are never sure who will die next.
This is the End
In This Is the End, a group of celebrities play exaggerated versions of themselves during the end of the world. Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride star in the 2013 apocalypse comedy, with appearances by Emma Watson, Rihanna, Kevin Hart, Paul Rudd, Mindy Kaling, Channing Tatum, the Backstreet Boys, and various other Hollywood celebs.
This Is the Endis afantastic apocalyptic comedy by Seth Rogenand Evan Goldberg, which follows the fictionalized versions of several Hollywood actors, including Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, and many more. There are many deaths inThis Is the End, and shortly after the film’s beginning, dozens of huge celebrities like Rihanna and Michael Cera are swallowed up by the ground.While a small group survives the early hours of the apocalypse, by the end of the movie, everyone is dead.
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However,many of the deaths inThis Is the Endare very comical.Franco is eaten alive by cannibals, Hill is possessed by a demon and burned to death, and anyone else who manages to keep themselves safe until this point is raptured by God. Although the characters reunite at the end, strangely encountering the Backstreet Boys, they are technically in Heaven and are now dead.This Is the Endis a movie in which audiences aren’t exactly devastated by the demise of the characters, and considering it’s a barelyrealistic apocalypse movie, it makes sense nobody survives.
Don’t Look Up
Don’t Look Up follows two astronomers (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) desperately trying to warn humanity about an approaching comet that they believe could wipe out all life on Earth. When the President (Meryl Streep) and her son (Jonah Hill) ignore their warnings, they embark on a media tour to enlighten the public, earning the ire of the global populace who refuse to believe in the danger. Meanwhile, an eccentric billionaire (Mark Rylance) begins to fund an emergency colonization mission to take humanity out among the stars.
Don’t Look Up’s characters are loosely based on real people, although this doesn’t necessarily make it easier to root for their survival.Every single person inDon’t Look Upis killed by a comet colliding with Earth, whether that’s the characters or just the billions of unknown people living their lives. It’s admirable that Mindy refuses a space on the sleeper ship, despite working so hard to open humanity’s eyes to their impending doom, although it’s later clear that this is the correct decision.
2000 people, including the President and BASH’s CEO, escape Earth and arrive on an alien planet thousands of years later.
Don’t Look Up’s after credit scenesreveal President Orleon is abruptly killed by a bird-like creature, and it is assumed that the 1999 remaining survivors also succumb to a similar fate.The only character who is alive by the end ofDon’t Look Upis the President’s son, Jason,although he likely doesn’t survive for long after by himself. Nobody wants an extinction-level event, but considering the government and BASH’s behavior, it’s easy to argue they deserve their brutal demise.
The Hateful Eight
Quentin Tarantino’s 2015 Western incorporates elements of the mystery and thriller genres. Set in 1877, The Hateful Eight follows eight strangers who seek refuge from a blizzard in an isolated stagecoach stopover. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, and Channing Tatum, The Hateful Eight was inspired by the Western TV shows of 1960s.
There are severalmovies where every character is actually horrible, and one of those isThe Hateful Eight, which is whythe deaths of the main personalities aren’t exactly hard to watch.Quentin Tarantino’s Western is set just after the Civil War and follows a group of strangers who all take cover from a blizzard in a stagecoach stopover, and throughout the film, each of them is brutally killed off. The various confrontations are viscous, which results in deaths from shooting, poisoning, and hanging.
Tarantino’s depiction of extreme violence is like no other, so it’s no surprise that everyone dies inThe Hateful Eight.
The Hateful Eight’s timelineis complicated, and flashbacks reveal others are killed before the events of the film begin.Mannix and Warren appear to surviveThe Hateful Eight, but considering how badly damaged they are, the movie’s ending is up to interpretation, as it seems likely that the pair quickly succumb to their injuries after the credits roll. Tarantino’s depiction of extreme violence is like no other, so it’s no surprise that everyone dies inThe Hateful Eight.
Melancholia
Melancholia follows the story of Justine and Michael whose tumultuous wedding is overshadowed by the looming threat of a planet on a collision course with Earth. Set amid rising family tensions, the film explores personal and existential crises as the celestial body Melancholia approaches.
Melancholiais a fascinating watch, and while it is anend-of-the-world movie that actually ends the world, Lars von Trier’s take on the events that lead to the disaster is definitely unique.Justine’s ever-growing despair and further descent into depression suggests that she’ll meet her end by killing herself,but she doesn’t. In fact, it’s Claire’s husband, John, who commits suicide after his enthusiasm for astronomy betrays him.
With the titular rogue planet on course to collide with Earth,the sisterly relationship between Justine and Claire is somehow stronger and simultaneously more strained than ever.Justine finds peace at their impending doom, as does her nephew Leo, although it’s likely that he doesn’t fully understand the situation. It’s Claire who loses control of her emotions just before the three of them, and the rest of the world, are engulfed in a wave of fire.Melancholiais scary in its own way, and the movie proves that the effects of climate change are undoubtedly terrifying.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World follows two strangers, played by Steve Carell and Keira Knightley, who set out on a road trip to find a high school sweetheart before an oncoming asteroid brings forth the end of the world.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the Worldstars Keira Knightley as Penny and Steve Carell as Dodge, two complete strangers who find comfort in one another in the lead-up to an asteroid wiping out life on Earth. While a majority of the deaths are due to the asteroid, others die in different ways. Shortly after the announcement of the extinction-level event, several people commit suicide, including one of Dodge’s colleagues and a man called Glenn, who the pair encounter while on their crazy journey to get Penny back to England so she can say goodbye to her family.
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Penny’s awful ex-boyfriend Owen is left behind in the riots, and if he doesn’t die when the asteroid hits, it can be assumed that he is killed during the chaos in the streets.Seeking a Friend for the End of the Worlddoesn’t focus on saving the world, rather the importance of making the last days count.It’s heartbreaking that Dodge and Penny find one another in such a terrible situation, especially as they have been neighbors for years,but at least they find solace together as the Earth is destroyed.
2Employee Of The Month (2004)
Faking A Death Can Be Fatal
It isn’t suggested everyone is going to die throughout a majority ofEmployee of the Month, that is, until itsshocking movie twist ending.Employee of the Monthfollows Dave, a man who loses his job at the bank, and his fiancée Sara, all in the same day.When Dave is injured in a bank robbery, it seems that his luck has completely run out. However, it turns out that the robbery is part of a convoluted plan between Dave, Sara, and their friends Wendy and Jack, which results in all of their deaths.
Greed is a complicated thing, and after faking Dave’s death and claiming his life insurance, the group plans to split the money.Employee of the Monthhighlights the complexities of long relationships between people,and Jack abruptly shoots Dave over a childhood accident that causes a lot of animosity. To add a twist to a twist, Wendy then kills Dave and runs off with the money and Sara, who turn out to be a secret couple. Although it seems like Wendy and Sara get their happy ending, it’s cut short when their car is hit by a bus.
Scarface
Brian De Palma’s iconic crime drama is loosely based on the 1929 novel of the same name and follows Cuban refugee Tony Montana (Al Pacino), who begins a life of crime after arriving in Miami. It chronicles his rise from a penniless thug to one of the richest and most ruthless kingpins in the world, amassing a criminal empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
There are over 40 deaths inScarface, and while most of these aren’t those of the main characters, it’s still astounding how many people die in the film. From the arrival ofAl Pacino’s Tony Montana inScarface, the smell of death is in the air, and the protagonist is quickly forced to watch Angel be dismembered with a chainsaw.This sets off a chain of events in which Tony kills several other people and climbs the gangster ladder, which leads up toScarface’s iconic gun scene.
Tony murders his right-hand man, Manny, because he is jealous of his relationship with his sister, Gina. She is, in turn, killed by a henchman after she shoots Tony in a rage. Chi-Chi is also killed by invaders, which sends Tony into such a state that he attacks them with a grenade launcher.Tony’s death is a shocking moment,although the shot of him falling from the balcony and into the pool is a beautiful piece of cinematography. Nobody from Tony’s past survives, nor him, although the impact he leaves behind isn’t forgotten about.
