History Main / DeathByLookingUp

-->-- '''Frankie Boyle''', ''Series/MockTheWeek'', "Unlikely Last Words"

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut'', after Gus (who acted as the commander of the children faction of the resistance against Benedict's No Recess group) sprayed soda on the ninjas, the ninjas attempt to attack Gus out of revenge, but then Gus tells them to stop, and then points upward. The Ninjas take the hint and look up... only for Spinelli to flatten them with a flying press.

* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin'', [[Creator/TimCurry Drake]] is crushed to death by the very boulder he was attempting to kill Hubie with.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'': While fleeing from the Phantasm, Buzz Bronsky falls into an open grave. He looks around as the Phantasm taunts him, then looks up to see a massive stone angel toppling on top of him.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* A VictimOfTheWeek on ''Series/{{Castle}}'' looked up to see a gargoyle's head dropping down upon him.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' likes playing with this trope. The first time it happens, a piano is dropped on him, but he didn't look up. The second time, both Sam and Dean do look up, but then time freezes and when the air conditioning unit finally does hit the ground, they're not in the same position as before.
* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': In "The Dark Rider", one victim is lured outside his ancestral home and looks up just in time to see a gargoyle toppling on top of him.
* ''Series/JonathanCreek'': In "The Clue of the Savant's Thumb", the killer attempts to topple a stone angel off the roof on to Fariba. She looks up and sees it coming. Her adoptive mother knocks her out of the way and is instead killed by the statue.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* The 2009 ''WesternAnimation/WonderWoman'' made-for-DVD animated film features a mook looking up and the last thing he sees is Wonder Woman descending upon him. Given that, in this DarkerAndEdgier version of the tale, the Amazon kills cold-bloodedly (having done so to a couple of fellow mooks moments earlier and she'll do so again afterwards), it's very likely it was the last thing he ever saw.

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' series, a spell called an Entropy Curse, which causes the victim to die in strange ways, can result in this. Done well, the Curse is completely plausible, such as a person tripping down stairs. Done poorly, the Curse results in utterly ridiculous deaths such as being hit by a speedboat --- while miles from the ocean. One person dies when a frozen turkey falls out of an airplane flying overhead --- and crushes the person's skull. The pop-up timer on it then goes "ding"

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

* Downplayed in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', as the trope doesn't kill its target. Talking to Doctor Strange on Titan, Thanos looks up to see Iron Man dropping down a building-sized piece of wreckage on him. Since it's [[BigBad Thanos]] we're talking about, this is only the opening salvo of the fight.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': Averted in the ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' trailer, in which the fellow looks up and then proceeds to unleash his fury on the offending dragon.

They will usually be alerted by a [[BombWhistle whistling sound]], combined with the [[ShadowOfImpendingDoom rapidly growing shadow]] of the object that is around them. It is rare (but not unknown) for characters to leap out of the way, and instead choose to [[DeerInTheHeadlights stare at it in shock]] until they are crushed. Of course, it's fairly surprising to see [[PianoDrop a piano bearing down on you]] in the middle of the sidewalk, and this is very much a case of TruthinTelevision. Sometimes, a character, if trying to invoke the trope on someone they are fighting against, will also point up slightly to hint that they should look up, to which the enemy inevitably falls for it just as they are flattened.

* Subverted in ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Return of the King]]'', where Gothmog stares at the huge chunk of rock that is about to crush him, only to take a step back at the last second, causing it to miss him completely. And then he ''spits on it''.

* Subverted in ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Return of the King]]'', where Gothmog stares at the huge chunk of rock that is about to crush him, only to take a step back at the last second, causing it to miss him completely. And then he ''[[{{Badass}} spits on it]]''.

They will usually be alerted by a [[BombWhistle whistling sound]], combined with the [[ShadowOfImpendingDoom rapidly growing shadow]] of the object that is around them. Of course, they are always comically slow in looking up to see the object... and even once they see it, they refuse to do anything useful such as [[OneDimensionalThinking leap out of the way]]. They instead choose to [[DeerInTheHeadlights stare at it in shock]] until they are crushed. Of course, it's probably fairly surprising to see [[PianoDrop a piano bearing down on you]] in the middle of the sidewalk... but you would think survival instinct counted for something. Sometimes, a character, if trying to invoke the trope on someone they are fighting against, will also point up slightly to hint that they should look up, to which the enemy inevitably falls for it just as they are flattened.

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': Happens in classic cartoon fashion to Jotaro. He survives.

* ''GauntsGhosts'' has Mkoll, the titular regiment's Chief Scout, inflict this on a Dark Eldar warrior after outwitting him in what amounted to a hunter's duel.

* In the DresdenFiles series, a spell called an Entropy Curse, which causes the victim to die in strange ways, can result in this. Done well, the Curse is completely plausible, such as a person tripping down stairs. Done poorly, the Curse results in utterly ridiculous deaths such as being hit by a speedboat --- while miles from the ocean. One person dies when a frozen turkey falls out of an airplane flying overhead --- and crushes the person's skull. The pop-up timer on it then goes "ding"

* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin'', [[TimCurry Drake]] is crushed to death by the very boulder he was attempting to kill Hubie with.

They will usually be alerted by a [[BombWhistle whistling sound]], combined with the [[ShadowOfImpendingDoom rapidly growing shadow]] of the object that is around them. Of course, they are always comically slow in looking up to see the object... and even once they see it, they refuse to do anything useful such as leap out of the way. They instead choose to stare at it in shock until they are crushed. Of course, it's probably fairly surprising to see [[PianoDrop a piano bearing down on you]] in the middle of the sidewalk... but you would think survival instinct counted for something. Sometimes, a character, if trying to invoke the trope on someone they are fighting against, will also point up slightly to hint that they should look up, to which the enemy inevitably falls for it just as they are flattened.

-->-- '''Frankie Boyle''', ''Series/MockTheWeek'', "Unlikely Last Words",

-->"The Naney Reagan chandalier!" ''(crunch)''

* {{Amelie}}. Amelie's mother meets this fate, courtesy of a suicidal Canadian tourist jumping off a church roof and landing on her.
* ''[[TheTransporter Transporter 3]]'': The warehouse fight scene ends with Frank Martin hitting a switch that drops a car onto two temporarily incapacitated bad guys, who look up, scream, and hold their hands up (ineffectually).

* TheDragon from ''[[Film/LethalWeapon2 Lethal Weapon 2]]'' got a face full of shipping container.

* In the climax of TadWilliams' ''Literature/{{Otherland}}'', the BigBad and his minions don't notice the satellite that is [[DeathFromAbove about to crash into their headquarters]] until far too late to do anything about it. They then play out several variations of fleeing ineffectually before being spectacularly blown up.

* The 2009 ''Film/WonderWoman'' made-for-DVD animated film features a mook looking up and the last thing he sees is Wonder Woman descending upon him. Given that, in this DarkerAndEdgier version of the tale, the Amazon kills cold-bloodedly (having done so to a couple of fellow mooks moments earlier and she'll do so again afterwards), it's very likely it was the last thing he ever saw.

* In part two of ''NazoUnleashed'', Super Sonic rushes into space and then aims back at Nazo back on earth in a manner similar to a meteor. When Super Sonic is close to impact, Super Shadow, who is currently fighting Nazo at this point, points up slightly. Nazo takes the hint and looks up... only for Super Sonic to collide into him and seriously injure him.