History Main / ElectricTorture

* In Series/Teen Wolf, this happens to be Kate Argent's favorite form of torture, (unless you're [[spoiler: Derek]], and then it's a mix of electrical, {{Mind Rape}} and {{Not If They Enjoyed It Rationalization}} torture).
** Seen in [[spoiler: The Tell]], when she attacks [[spoiler: Derek]] with a cattle prod, containing "900,000 volts" (she laughs at this) and in [[spoiler: Formality]] where she now has [[spoiler: Derek]] chained up, shirtless, and hooked up to some sort of electrical torture device that sends volts through the wires, that are connected to [[spoiler: Derek]] on [[spoiler: his]] stomach. Oh, and did I mention she has [[spoiler: Derek]] for ''at least'' 2 days?
** Used a lot in Teen Wolf. Chris Argent even notes that his family has detailed information on how electricity affects werewolves. A certain voltage prevents them from shifting, a higher voltage takes away their regeneration, and so on. It makes him question how such scientific accuracy was obtained.
** At the end of episode [[spoiler: 3x13 Anchors]], the question of where is [[spoiler: Derek]] (and [[spoiler: Peter]]) is answered when they are shown chained (shirtless,of course) to a metal chain link fence and being electrocuted. It continues in the following episode.

** Subverted when Mal and Wash [[CasualDangerDialogue have a hilarious argument while they're being tortured]]. Also subverted somewhat in that Niska did cut off Mal's ear and used some kind of under-the-skin torture thingy. True to the spirit of this trope, though, all obvious physical damage was [[StatusQuoIsGod completely healed by the end of the episode]].
** In somewhat of a subversion, Mal actually is killed by the torture, and both Mal and Wash have noticeable burns
** Mal didn't actually die from the ElectricTorture, but whatever machine Niska used on him afterward ''did'' kill him. But Niska, being a sick, sadistic ''[[ForeignCussWord hun dan]]'', [[OnlyMostlyDead brought Mal back]] just so he could torture him more.
*** It's "huai dan." Literally "rotten egg," colloquially something more like "jerkass." The more you know...

* ''{{Final Fantasy XIII}}'': A magical variant is applied to Vanille by Orphan, to force Fang's hand and [[spoiler:make her transform into Ragnarok]]. It's used, much more brutally on Fang a scene later (to the point that she needs to be revived after each blast) [[spoiler:when she fails to finish the transformation]]. It's combined with being held high in the air by the wrists for extra nastiness.

* Used in ''{{Saw}}''; Jigsaw shocks [[ActionSurvivor Lawrence]] and Adam a few times in I.

* The SoBadItsGood ''Film/ShowdownInLittleTokyo''.

A favorite of the PsychoElectro; a variant of AgonyBeam. See MagicalDefibrillator for the flip side of electroshocking humans, and HarmlessVoltage. May be part of a RoboticTortureDevice.

Sometimes an example of TruthInTelevision - certain members of the scientific and medical communities believe that nonfatal electrical current through your brain is the most painful thing a human can survive, and certain military groups around the world have begun to utilize this. When applied properly, this method also has the added bonus of not leaving any physical evidence of torture on the bodies of the "guests". Electric torture has some side benefits to interrogators as well, as it tends to mess with brain circuitry leading to feelings of disorientation and short term memory loss in addition to pain which increases confusion and makes subjects more malleable. It also tends to be convenient as it doesn't require a ton of effort on the interrogators part and rarely requires extensive cleanup beyond the occasional loss of bowel control.

* [[CanonSue John Galt]] goes through this at the end of ''AtlasShrugged''. [[TooKinkyToTorture Not only does he stoically endure the torture, but he's able to professionally troubleshoot the torture device, while still tied down, when it breaks after being turned up too high]].

* ''Film/{{Tron}}'': Subverted. The MCP tortures Sark by 'depriving him of cycles'. In this case, he RUNS on electricity, so this requires the opposite action to get the desired effect.

* In {{Series/TeenWolf}} fanfiction, most of the Derek/Kate fic have or at least mention this, as the fic is usually about Kate torturing him.

* In Series/TeenWolf, this happens to be Kate's favorite form of torture, (unless you're [[spoiler: Derek,]] and then it's a mix of electrical, MindRape and NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization}} torture).
** Seen in [[spoiler: The Tell]], when she attacks [[spoiler: Derek]] with a cattle prod, containing "900,000 volts" (she laughs this) and in [[spoiler: Formality]] where she now has [[spoiler: Derek]] chained up, shirtless, and hooked up to some sort of electrical torture device that sends volts through the wires, that are connected to [[spoiler: Derek]] on [[spoiler: his]] stomach. Oh, and did I mention she has [[spoiler: Derek]] for ''at least'' 2 days?
** Used a lot in Teen Wolf. Mr. Argent even notes that his family has detailed information on how electricity affects werewolves. A certain voltage prevents them from shifting, another takes away their regeneration, and so on. It makes him question how such scientific accuracy was obtained.

* ''ThreeKings'' does electric torture when one character is held and tortured by the Iraq Republican Guard. Done in a somewhat more gritty way as, among other things, you can hear his teeth cracking as he clenches them in pain when the current is passing through.

* Parodied in ''HotShots!: Part Deux'', where the electrical torture causes a BigBlackout and causes popcorn to come out of the tortured.
* Jamal is hooked to a car battery to "loosen his tongue" in ''SlumdogMillionaire''. The treatment knocks him out instantly.

* Used quite effectively (and somewhat humorously) in ''KissKissBangBang'', as the electricity is applied to a [[GroinAttack very sensitive area]] and another character uses the opportunity to goad the torturer on the homo-erotic subtext.

* Employed in ''BlackMamaWhiteMama'' by a BananaRepublic dictator to a presumed rebel. As is typical for the movie, the girl is rendered topless first.
* ''{{Tron}}'': Subverted. The MCP tortures Sark by 'depriving him of cycles'. In this case, he RUNS on electricity, so this requires the opposite action to get the desired effect.

* Toward the end of ''ThePresidentsAnalyst'', Dr. Schaefer is captured by [[spoiler:the phone company]], who intend to extract information about the President for their ends. They have him trapped in a phone booth and subject him to some kind of high-tech pain-inflicting technology.
* Played with in ''TheArtist'', as the movie begins with an audience watching George Valentin's [[ShowWithinAShow newest movie]], where Valentin's character is being subjected to some sort of electric torture.

* Memorably applied by [[PapaWolf Bryan]] (played by LiamNeeson) in ''Film/{{Taken}}'' on a worthless brute that addicts helpless little girls to drugs before selling them to be raped by dirty old men. He slams two long-blunt-and-rusty nails into the evil bastard's deserving thighs, connects the nails to a fuse box, and turns on the light, coolly telling him that unlike third world countries (which they used to outsource this kind of thing to), the power in Paris "will stay on till they turn it off from lack of payment on the bill." When the bastard gives up information on the person he sold Bryan's daughter to, Bryan leaves the room, with the power on.

* Daniel Keys Moran's ''The Last Dancer'' has a standard part of the plot being wireheads who have a circuit installed in the pleasure center of their brain, which is apparently highly addictive, but which requires an electrical connection to work. Sedon tortures D'van (aka William Devane) by installing the same thing into the pain center of his brain. The really nasty thing is that Sedon uses a battery pack to power it, and when Denice escapes with D'van and Sedon, for several hours Sedon doesn't mention to Denice that the battery pack is still supplying agony to D'van...

* FrederickForsyth's ''TheDayOfTheJackal'' sees the French Action Service resort to electric torture on Viktor Kowalski, with the ex-Foreign Legionnaire dying after he breaks and finishes confessing. One set of electrodes is [[GroinAttack attached to the penis.]]

* Happens twice in ''KingdomHeartsII''; first, when Sora is [[{{ForcedToWatch}} forced to watch]] Donald and Goofy being tortured by [[{{Film/Tron}} Sark]] as a demonstration towards his role as "[[{{TheManBehindTheMonsters}} a Heartless Commander]]". Later on, all three of them get paralyzed from an electric shock while trying to steal a statue from [[{{Disney/Hercules}} Hades]].
** In the manga adaptation, Tron is tortured this way in cold blood while captured[[note]]Considering that he's clearly in a lot of pain afterwards, some readers consider this the point where Sark crosses the MoralEventHorizon[[/note]]. This is both a TearJerker and NightmareFuel for those who've seen ''Film/TronLegacy'' or played ''KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', [[spoiler: considering [[BrainwashedAndCrazy what]] [[DistressedDude happens]] [[FightingYourFriend to]] [[DisneyVillainDeath him]] in both cases]].

** Of course, as the page image indicates, [[PragmaticVillainy Vader wasn't above letting a machine do the work]].
*** Actually it's more like he was physically incapable of doing that - It's stated in the EU that using force lightning would short out his body.

** In the manga adaptation, Tron is tortured this way in cold blood while captured[[note]]Considering that he's clearly in a lot of pain afterwards, some readers consider this the point where Sark crosses the MoralEventHorizon[[/note]]. This is both a TearJerker and NightmareFuel for those who've seen ''TronLegacy'' or played ''KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', [[spoiler: considering [[BrainwashedAndCrazy what]] [[DistressedDude happens]] [[FightingYourFriend to]] [[DisneyVillainDeath him]] in both cases]].

* In JohnVarley’s ''Red Lightning'' the narrator gets wordlessly threatened with this. He wakes up bound to a chair and with his scrotum connected to a box with a dial that is plugged into an ordinary wall outlet. The device is never switched on.

* On a fall 2003 edition of ''WWE Raw'', Kane tied up Shane McMahon to the ringpost. He then applied a set of jumper cables to Shane's "nether regions". The other end of the cables were hooked up to a car battery.