What is the earliest instance of a film where none of the protagonists survive?
I was having a discussion about this with a colleague, who claimed that Evil Dead (1981) was the first film he knew of that had all the main characters die off. However he forgot that Mia survives that film.
This got me thinking - what is the earliest film that has every single "good" character die before the end? Not just the "bad guys" winning, but a total wipe of the characters.
Best Answer
Most likely All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). All of the main characters die during battle.
If you want a movie where everyone dies, it might be Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970). That movie ends with the destruction of Earth by a nuclear weapon.
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The Quarry: Best ending Rough night - all characters survive - the werewolf curse is broken
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