Though it's not uncommon for a character in a movie to meet a fitting end by the end of a narrative, it's never guaranteed to happen. Some manage to escape death's clutches and live on passed the credits while others are left to suffer the consequences. These consequences can vary depending on the film's genre, with some feeling somewhat cruel.
Death in cinema is often presented alongside a sense of finality. A character's on-screen death usually signifies the end of their story, but some stories only truly begin after a death has been witnessed. Countless movie characters suffer terrible fates, but some fates are much worse than death.
10 Ben Carson - Mirrors
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Alexandre Aja's Mirrors documents the unfortunate life of an ex-cop who finds himself plagued by malevolent forces. Ben Carson takes a job in a department store and, though his role appears relatively simple, he begins to see some truly terrifying things in the antique mirrors scattered throughout.
Ben deduces that a sinister force is using these mirrors to gain access to the real world. To ensure the safety of his wife and children, he embarks on a daunting quest to trap the entity but ultimately ends up losing. The movie ends with Ben trapped in the mirror dimension, doomed to exist in a world that can't see him.
9 Nyles & Sarah - Palm Springs
Max Barbakow's Palm Springs follows the stories of Nyles and Sarah, an unlikely duo who find themselves experiencing the same events over and over again. Sarah meets Nyles at her friend's wedding reception and the two immediately hit it off. They leave the wedding together, but their fates become intertwined when Sarah wanders into a vortex.
Sarah awakens the next day to learn time hasn't passed. The events of the day she has already experienced are now repeating themselves, forcing Sarah to relive her previous day. Believing there is no end to the cycle she finds herself in, she attempts to end her life, only to wake up in the same loop once again.
8 David Drayton - The Mist
Frank Darabont's The Mist follows the story of a father and son on a quest to survive. When a storm hits their quaint home in Maine, David and Billy Drayton are forced to venture into a nearby town to obtain the necessary supplies to survive. Upon arriving, however, the pair quickly find themselves amidst a nightmare.
A dense fog has shrouded the town, leaving residents perplexed and scared. To make matters worse, David believes that monsters are hiding behind the fog waiting for their chance to attack. The climax of The Mist sees David taking the lives of his new acquaintances and his son to spare them a more painful death, only to be found and rescued shortly after.
7 Andre Logan King - Get Out
Jordan Peele's Get Out follows the story of Chris Washington and his girlfriend, Rose Armitage. Rose feels that they have the point in their relationship where it's time to meet their in-laws. Chris obliges this request but slowly comes to regret his decision, especially upon meeting Andre.
Though Andre doesn't die, the fate gifted to him is arguably much worse. He loses all control of his body and is forced to watch on from the sidelines as someone else makes use of his identity. Unlike Chris, Andre never gets a chance to escape the sunken place and likely remains as a vessel.
6 C - A Ghost Story
David Lowery's A Ghost Story tells a heart-wrenching tale of what befalls someone after they have died. The main protagonist, C, suffers a fatal wound after a car accident and wakes up to find himself in a hospital bed, covered by a sheet.
He returns home only to realize that his wife is unable to see him but refuses to give up on sending her a message. His devotion to the life he once lived leads him to remain in this purgatory state until the Earth's cycle begins again, forcing him to experience two different lives while never getting the chance to change them.
5 Barty Crouch Jr. - Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire
Mike Newell's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire documents Harry's fourth year in attendance at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Though Voldemort was defeated by Harry two years prior, the Dark Lord's followers have been preparing for him to return.
Barty Crouch Jr., played by David Tennant, escapes from Azkaban to set this plan in motion. He takes on the appearance of Alistair Moody and directs Harry down a sinister path to revive Voldemort. Though his plan was a success, he is eventually caught by Dumbledore and sentenced to receive a Dementor's kiss, a fate most wizards and witches regard as far worse than death.
4 Will Turner - Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End
Gore Verbinski's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End follows Jack Sparrow's quest to rid the world of Davy Jones, the ocean's primary ruler. Davy banished Jack to his locker during the climax of Dead Man's Chest, but Jack refused to accept his fate and returned to enact his revenge.
Davy impales Will Turner during the climax, leaving him for dead. Jack, understanding what must be done, places a broken sword in Will's hand and helps him to stab Davy's heart. Will goes down with the Flying Dutchman but emerges a few moments later as the vessel's new captain. He gains a second chance at life but must spend the rest of his life at sea and can only return to land once every ten years.
3 Heartless Woman - The Lobster
Yorgos Lanthimos's The Lobster takes place in a dystopian world where members of society are expected to form relationships or be punished. David, played by Colin Farrell, is given 45 days to find an appropriate match, or he will be transformed into an animal of his choosing.
David offers himself to an emotionless woman in the hope of gaining her favor, thus, preventing his fate. The Heartless Woman, however, remains skeptical of his advances and murders David's brother to test his loyalty. David, devastated by the woman's actions, decides that killing her would provide little satisfaction and instead opts to transform her into an unspecified animal.
2 Dae-su Oh - Oldboy
Park Chan-wook's Oldboy follows the life of Dae-su Oh, an obnoxious alcoholic who appears to have no care for how his actions affect the world around him. He is a truly oblivious and ignorant man, that is until he is kidnapped and held captive in a room for fifteen consecutive years.
Upon escaping his cell, Dae-su vows to get revenge on the person who imprisoned him. He spent his time in confinement training for the day he meets his captor, but his skills serve little help during the fated encounter. Lee Woo-jin was always one step ahead of Dae-su, even going as far as to manipulate Dae-su into forming a romantic relationship with his daughter and ruining his life.
1 Charlie Graham - Hereditary
Ari Aster's Hereditary documents the harrowing tale of the Grahams, an ordinary family plagued by sinister forces. Annie Graham's mother has passed away, leaving the family confused as to what they should feel. Annie spares little sympathy for her mother's death but Charlie, her daughter, is heartbroken.
Charlie meets an unfortunate end shortly into the narrative when her brother, Peter, loses control of his car. Peter's relationship with Annie was already strained, but Charlie's death complicates matters even further. The guilt felt by Peter eventually manifests to the point where his body becomes vulnerable to the spirits seeking to possess it. Upon his death, Charlie's spirit returns and takes control of Peter's lifeless body.