History Main / ExploringTheEvilLair

* Riley and Kalani end up doing this by accident in chapter 23 of ''AudioPlay/WereAlive'' when they end up finding [[FanNickname Ink's]] TortureCellar.

* ''Film/{{Legend 1985}}''. Jack and his friends enter Darkness' lair to rescue Lilly and the unicorn.

[[AC:WebComics]]

* In a parody of Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/RearWindow'', [[TheSimpsons Bart Simpson]] sent Lisa to investigate the Flanders pad when he thought Ned had killed his wife.
* WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}} and Mr. Cat wind up doing this in the Season 2 finale in order to find Quack Quack, who has been kidnapped by [[NotSoHarmlessVillain Olaf]].

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/{{Earthsong}}'', where [[TheHero Wil]][[TheChick low]] finds herself in Tristram's lair. She gets up to walk off while he's asleep, and then he calls after her...to note that there are some pretty crystals down that passage there, and, oh, she'd never find her way out.

Which makes the idea of a free protagonist willingly exploring the lair once they find it ([[LetsSplitUpGang and alone,]] which is usually the case) all the more bizarre. Of course, exploring the lair represents an enormous opportunity for the heroes. If they don't know who [[DwindlingParty has been killing them off]], or [[NighInvulnerability how to kill the unkillable]], exploring the lair represents a treasure trove of clues in the form of finding a StalkerShrine, ShrineToSelf, SupervillainLair or other clues to their identity/weakness (remember, villains ''[[EvilOverlordList always]]'' keep the one thing that can harm them in their lair). It can also present them with the irresistible and incredibly dangerous chance to attack the villain or monster in their sleep. The the TrueCompanions are advised to NeverSplitTheParty; threaten to leave TheSoCalledCoward [[FineYouCanJustWaitHereAlone to wait alone]] to get him to cooperate, if necessary.

* In ''Series/ThePrisoner'' No 6 wakes up in the village and slowly gets to realise how good a trap it is.

* The end-game of ''VideoGame/{{Blackout}}'' has such a sequence with the twist being that [[spoiler:it is actually the {{Amnesiac| Hero}} PlayerCharacter's own (or rather one of his {{Split Personalt|y}}ies') evil lair which is being explored]].

* The entire point of the DragonsLair games.

There are very few situations that warrant an "OhCrap" quite as much as waking up in the villain's Evil Lair. The reasons are many and obvious, but this wouldn't be TVTropes if we didn't analyze 'em all!

* Riley and Kalani end up doing this by accident in chapter 23 of WereAlive when they end up finding [[FanNickname Ink's]] TortureCellar.

Which makes the idea of a free protagonist willingly exploring the lair once they find it ([[LetsSplitUpGang and alone,]] which is usually the case) all the more bizarre. Of course, exploring the lair represents an enormous opportunity for the heroes. If they don't know who [[DwindlingParty has been killing them off]], or [[NighInvulnerability how to kill the unkillable]], exploring the lair represents a treasure trove of clues in the form of finding a StalkerShrine, ShrineToSelf, SupervillainLair or other clues to their identity/weakness (remember, villains ''[[EvilOverlordList always]]'' keep the one thing that can harm them in their lair). It can also present them with the irresistible and incredibly dangerous chance to attack the villain or monster in their sleep. The GenreSavvy advise the TrueCompanions to NeverSplitTheParty; threaten to leave TheSoCalledCoward [[FineYouCanJustWaitHereAlone to wait alone]] to get him to cooperate, if necessary.

* ''Film/{{Legend}}''. Jack and his friends enter Darkness' lair to rescue Lilly and the unicorn.

* In ''ReturnToOz'', Dorothy going into the witch Mombi's original head case to get the key and powder of life. Of course, the head wakes up and screams like a living nightmare.
* In ''TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', Clarice Starling winds up playing hide-and-seek with "Buffalo Bill" in his basement to find a hostage, instead of getting out and calling for backup.

* ''MemorySorrowAndThorn'': Simon, upon his [[WhereItAllBegan return to the Hayholt]], with specific attention to Hjeldin's Tower, which has become EvilSorcerer Pryrates' lair. The latter is not present when he does it, but the book pulls a ChairReveal with [[spoiler:King Elias]], who ends up releasing Simon, which then turns into a HopeSpot when he's captured by the returning Norns and thrown into the forge dungeon.

* Subverted in ''{{Earthsong}}'', where [[TheHero Wil]][[TheChick low]] finds herself in Tristram's lair. She gets up to walk off while he's asleep, and then he calls after her...to note that there are some pretty crystals down that passage there, and, oh, she'd never find her way out.

* In a parody of Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''RearWindow'', [[TheSimpsons Bart Simpson]] sent Lisa to investigate the Flanders pad when he thought Ned had killed his wife.

* In Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''RearWindow'', Jeffries (convalescent with a broken foot) helplessly watches his girlfriend Lisa checking out the villain's [[strike:lair]] apartment.

* Near the end of ''HeavyRain'', Madison manages to track down the base of the Origami Killer, and bravely/foolishly breaks into it, hoping to find information about where the kidnapped boy, Shaun, is being held. Whether she succeeds at that or not, the killer surprises her on her way out. She CAN escape with her life - potentially - but if you don't think fast, she will die there.

* In ''ThePrisoner'' No 6 wakes up in the village and slowly gets to realise how good a trap it is.

For starters, the place is probably full of {{Death Trap}}s, and the owner is likely not far off and just waiting to [[OffScreenTeleportation sneak up]] on the intruder at just the right time. That they've been brought to the lair alive is seldom good news, he "[[IHaveYouNowMyPretty has you now]], [[TermsOfEndangerment pretty!]]" and can intend anything from marrying, killing, eating, mating, or ''wearing'' the captive[[note]]([[{{Series/Firefly}} And hopefully, it'll be in that order]])[[/note]]. Fun times.

For starters, the place is probably full of {{Death Trap}}s, and the owner is likely not far off and just waiting to [[OffScreenTeleportation sneak up]] on the intruder at just the right time. That they've been brought to the lair alive is seldom good news, he "[[IHaveYouNowMyPretty has you now]], [[TermsOfEndangerment pretty!]]" and can intend anything from marrying, killing, eating, mating, or ''wearing'' the captive[[note]]([[{{Firefly}} And hopefully, it'll be in that order]])[[/note]]. Fun times.