Death in horror movies is practically a given. Slashers, haunted houses, and supernatural thrillers thrive on the expectations that beloved characters (or at least most of them) won’t make it to the end. Audiences walk in knowing that the body count will rise, and part of the fun is guessing who survives long enough to scream again.
But outside of horror, the idea of killing off every major character feels bold. When a drama, sci-fi adventure, or even a romantic comedy decides to wipe the slate clean, it hits differently. It’s less about jump scares and more about inevitability or absurdity. What makes these non-horror movies still fascinating is how organically the deaths take place. In some, like sweeping science fiction epics, the end is written in the stars. And in others, it is a slow, tragic march of fate that feels sad but fitting.
Whether it’s a doomed mission or a satirical take on human folly, here are 11 non-horror movies where everyone dies.
11
‘On the Beach’ (1959)
Stanley Kramer’s On the Beach is set in a post-apocalyptic world where nuclear war has wiped out most of humanity. The story takes place in Australia, one of the last habitable places, as survivors wait for the spread of radiation. Gregory Peck plays Commander Dwight Towers, an American submarine captain who bonds with Ava Gardner’s Moira Davidson while grappling with the loss of his family. Alongside them, Anthony Perkins portrays Peter Holmes, a young officer trying to protect his wife and child, and Fred Astaire takes on a rare dramatic role as a scientist named Julian Osborne.
The movie is quiet, deliberate, and devastating, as it shows ordinary people trying to live normal lives while knowing the clock is ticking. But every character ultimately succumbs to the fallout. Towers and his crew return to sea, Moira watches them depart, Peter and his wife take suicide pills to spare their child from suffering, and Julian calmly drives his race car to death. The sobering realism, haunting restraint, and the banner urging “There is still time… brother,” still feel jarring and unforgettable.
10
‘Scarface’ (1983)
Directed by Brian De Palma, Scarface follows Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant who claws his way to the top of Miami’s drug empire. Al Pacino’s performance is ferocious. It charts Tony’s rise from small-time hustler to ruthless kingpin. Steven Bauer plays Manny, his loyal friend, and Michelle Pfeiffer stars as Elvira, the disillusioned wife who grows weary of Tony’s excess.
Tony’s empire expands, but his enemies multiply and his relationships crumble under the weight of his own ego. The climax of the movie is legendary. Tony, coked out and defiant, faces an army of assassins in his mansion. Manny is killed earlier, Elvira leaves him, and Tony’s sister Gina dies in the chaos of his paranoia. Finally, Tony himself is gunned down, and he collapses into a fountain beneath the infamous “The World is Yours” sign. Though divisive upon release in 1983, Scarface became a cult classic thanks to Pacino’s performance and Oliver Stone’s script.
9
‘Reservoir Dogs’ (1992)
Quentin Tarantino’s debut, Reservoir Dogs, is a crime thriller about a botched diamond heist told through fractured timelines and claustrophobic tension. A group of criminals, each given color-coded aliases, like Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), and others, assemble for what should be a simple job. But when the robbery goes wrong, suspicion tears the group apart.
Tarantino’s sharp dialogue and nonlinear storytelling made the movie stand out almost immediately, and it set the tone for his career. But what’s worth discussing is the final act, where nearly everyone is dead. Mr. Blonde is shot by Mr. Orange after torturing a cop. Mr. White kills Joe Cabot and Eddie, only to be gunned down himself when police storm in. Mr. Orange, revealed as the undercover cop, bleeds out after confessing to Mr. White. Even Mr. Pink, who seems to escape, is implied to be caught or killed off-screen.
8
‘Hamlet’ (1996)
1996’s Hamlet, directed by Kenneth Branagh, is the only full-text movie adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, running over four hours and shot in 70mm. Branagh plays the Danish prince who returns home to find his father murdered, and his mother Gertrude married to his uncle Claudius. Haunted by his father’s ghost, Hamlet vows revenge, feigns madness, and spirals into paranoia.
Known for capturing the grandeur of Elsinore with its sweeping visuals and incredible supporting performances, Hamlet stands as a definitive cinematic masterpiece. But its total body count earns it a natural place on the list. Hamlet kills Claudius but is mortally wounded by Laertes, who also dies. Gertrude drinks poisoned wine, Ophelia drowns in madness, and Polonius is stabbed behind the tapestry. Even Rosencrantz and Guildenstern die offstage.
7
‘The Perfect Storm’ (2000)
Based on the true story of the 1991 “Storm of the Century,” The Perfect Storm dramatizes the doomed voyage of the fishing vessel Andrea Gail. We follow Captain Billy Tyne, who convinces his crew to risk one last trip for a big catch. They sail into the Atlantic just as a rare convergence of weather systems creates a monstrous storm, leaving the crew to battle towering waves and failing equipment.
Starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly, and John Hawkes, the movie combines character drama with disaster spectacle. The ending is horrifying, though, because the Andrea Gail capsizes, and all six crew members perish. Peterson avoids melodrama and lets the sheer inevitability of nature take things over. The movie was a box office hit, grossing over $328 million worldwide.
6
‘The Departed’ (2006)
Adapted from Hong Kong’s Infernal Affairs, Martin Scorsese’s The Departed centers on two men on opposite sides of Boston’s crime war. Billy Costigan infiltrates mob boss Frank Costello’s crew, while Colin Sullivan secretly reports from inside the police. Their lives intertwine as each tries to expose the other, with tension building through betrayals, double crosses, and shoot-outs.
Apart from Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, and Matt Damon, the ensemble cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, and Vera Farmiga. In the end, Billy is shot by Sullivan after uncovering him, Sullivan kills more allies to cover his tracks, and eventually Sergeant Dignam executes Sullivan in cold blood. Nearly every central figure is eliminated. The movie won Scorsese his long-awaited Best Director Oscar and Best Picture, and was praised greatly for its taut storytelling.
5
‘Sunshine’ (2007)
Sunshine is a sci-fi thriller set in 2057, where Earth faces extinction as the sun dies. Aboard the spaceship Icarus II, physicist Robert Capa, engineer Mace, pilot Cassie, and biologist Corazon try to deliver a nuclear payload to reignite the star. However, their mission takes a dark turn when they discover the wreck of the failed Icarus I and they start succumbing one by one to the extreme conditions and their own psychological demons.
Danny Boyle’s movie is a non-horror sci-fi masterpiece with a bittersweet ending where humanity is saved, but the entirety of the crew saving it is gone. Mace freezes to death, Corazon is killed by Pinbacker, Harvey is lost in space, and Cassie also dies. Capa succeeds in detonating the payload, reigniting the sun, but dies in the process. A cult favorite, it’s the total wipeout of characters that makes Sunshine a textbook entry for this list.
4
‘Melancholia’ (2011)
Lars von Trier’s contemplative and visually stunning sci-fi drama is split into two parts, and it follows sisters Justine and Claire. Justine’s wedding night collapses under the weight of her depression, while Claire struggles to hold her family together as a mysterious planet named Melancholia hurtles toward Earth, threatening to wipe out all life.
The movie’s dreamlike cinematography and deliberate pacing stress on existential dread, with outstanding turns from Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexander Skarsgård, Kiefer Sutherland, and John Hurt elevating the material. The ending of Melancholia is absolute. The planet collides with Earth and wipes out everyone. Von Trier’s vision is uncompromising like that. He doesn’t tease survival; he just embraces total destruction with disturbing precision.
3
‘Seeking a Friend for the End of the World’ (2012)
A romantic dramedy set against an impending apocalypse, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World centers on Dodge, who abandons his wife when he hears the news of an asteroid inching closer to Earth, and meets Penny, his eccentric neighbor. Together, they go on a road trip – Dodge to reconnect with his high school sweetheart, and Penny to reunite with her family.
They encounter bizarre pockets of humanity coping with the end along their way, and the movie closes with Dodge and Penny lying together, finally finding peace when the asteroid strikes. Every character, friends of the characters, and strangers, face the same fate. Lorene Scafaria’s movie was a modest hit at the box office, but it goes without saying that Steve Carell and Keira Knightley’s chemistry alone makes it worth a watch.
2
‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ (2016)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story expands the Star Wars saga by telling the story of the rebels who stole the Death Star plans. Jyn Erso, daughter of scientist Galen Erso, joins Cassian Andor, K-2SO, Chirrut Îmwe, and Baze Malbus on a desperate mission. Together, they infiltrate Scarif to transmit the plans to the Rebel Alliance, which in turn sets up the events of A New Hope.
It’s a brilliant film by Gareth Edwards, balancing war-like visuals with character-driven sacrifice. But like all movies on this list, every major character dies in the end. K-2SO is destroyed while holding off stormtroopers, Chirrut falls after completing his mission, Baze dies avenging him, and Cassian and Jyn die together on the beach as the Death Star wipes out Scarif. The mission succeeds, but none of the heroes live to see it.
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