no/single survivor in a film

I guess heroic deaths make everything better, if everyone dies. Whereas if Sleeping Beauty is unexpectedly torn apart by wolves it's upsetting to the audience.

Quote: rxwine

Whereas if Sleeping Beauty is unexpectedly torn apart by wolves it's upsetting to the audience.

Some of the recent Netflix films are a little along those lines.

I interpret the ending of Dawn of the Dead that all the characters died. At least the remake, never saw the original.

I'd recalled seeing a movie on tv which followed the classic 'group of survivors try to get together to prevent teotwawki' scenario, but where the world actually did end with zero survivors.
It took me a while to re-identify the film, but here it is...

https://a4d.fandom.com/wiki/Annihilation_Earth

Quote:

A view from outer space shows shock waves from the blast tearing the planet apart, with a gigantic crack forming in the immediate area of the blast. Moments later the planet's core is breached, causing it to explode.

The film concludes with a shot of pieces of what was once Earth floating through space, followed by a blank screen reading simply, Extinction.

Quote: Wizard

I interpret the ending of Dawn of the Dead that all the characters died. At least the remake, never saw the original.

I think both Dawn of the Dead (original and remake) end just as the characters are about to be devoured.
Night Of The Living Dead (1968) ends with the accidental shooting of the only survivor

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) unlike the remake ends with the Doctor calling the FBI.

The "final girl" is a staple of a lot of horror films which I think was established with Alien (1979)