History Main / GhostButler

* Alfred Pennyworth becomes one after his death in ''ComicBook/SupermanAndBatmanGenerations'', up until he deals with the ghost of Dick Grayson tormenting a very old and frail Joker.

* In ''Film/TheHaunting1963'', doors shutting on their own ''might'' be a sign that Hill House is haunted, but it also has a [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane rational explanation]]: the hallways are built at such an angle that gravity eventually causes the doors to swing shut. [[spoiler:The real problem comes when a previously closed and locked door is suddenly opened.]]

* A staple for ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'' or ''Series/TheMunsters''.

* ''VideoGame/Doom2016'': "Demonic presence at unsafe levels. Lockdown in effect." Cue MultiMookMelee.

* WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts

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* In the ''Series/{{Thunderbirds]]'' episode ''The Uninvited'', a pyramid has a door which suddenly opens to let the visitors in, and then closes behind them, trapping them inside.

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* In ''Film/TheHaunting1963'', doors shutting on their own ''might'' be a sign that Hill House is haunted, but it also has a [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane rational explanation]]: the hallways are built at such an angle that gravity eventually causes the doors to swing shut. [[spoiler:The real problem comes when a previously closed and locked door is suddenly opened.]]

* ''WebAnimation/{{Chadam}}'': When Chadam and Simkin go to explore the Pallid part of the city, they have to enter through a dark tunnel, and the door immediately slams behind them.

** Although the front door is knocked down off its hinges, this still happens to Mickey, Donald and Goofy in ''Lonesome Ghosts''... except that the door is picked up from underneath them and then slammed ''up''.

* Played with in ''The Ghost and Mr. Chicken'', starring Don Knotts. When he tries to open the door himself, it's locked. As he turns away to absorb the eerie surroundings, the door mysteriously opens all by itself... Knotts gapes in horror for a second, then tries to proceed inside, only to have it slam shut again. Consumed by his nerves, Knotts chooses to walk away from the door, staring at it fixedly, wondering what he should do next, when suddenly [[spoiler: a trap door opens up from beneath him]].

* ''Disney's Film/TheHauntedMansion''

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E1Rose Rose]]", Rose is in the basement of the shop where she works when the door slams shut behind her. To her credit, she instantly runs to it instead of passing it off as the wind and carrying on.

* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'': This happened to anyone who entered the closet, and a few times to people who entered the house when it was under a spell.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has a spell called "Unseen Servant", which closes doors, windows, lights candles and can set tables, etc.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'''s [[EldritchLocation Dunwich Building]] has a few doors that open or close spontaneously.

* Carl Denning finds the front door completely boarded up in ''[[VideoGame/TheSeventhGuest The 11th Hour]]'', and the door leading outside from the kitchen never works.

[[quoteright:250:[[VideoGame/PaperMario64 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bootler.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[VisualPun This one]] is gentlemanly enough to [[TheJeeves open doors for you]].\\
[-[[https://www.deviantart.com/smalflp/art/MEGA-COLLAB-Bootler-485529362 Fanart by SMALFLP on DeviantArt.]]-]]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck ''comics story "The Old Castle's Secret", in which the ducks are searching for treasure in a HauntedCastle, the "ghost of Sir Quackly" ([[spoiler:who turns out not to be a ghost at all, but a thief using invisibility spray]]) does this to Donald's nephews, Uncle Scrooge and finally Donald himself, locking them all out on a battlement.

** To Luigi, a few times, in ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'', since he ''is'' in a HauntedHouse. You even have to fight an ''actual'' ghost butler.

** A literal example shown above: Bootler from ''VideoGame/PaperMario''.

* ''VideoGame/YoKaiWatch'' has Whisper, a Yo-Kai who resembles a standard cartoon ghost whose job is to be the player character's Yo-Kai Butler. There's also Sebastian/[[DubNameChange Verygoodsir]], who looks more like a butler and is technically more qualified.

* In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'', looking after [=McDuck=] Manor is [[spoiler:the deceased butler, Duckworth.]]

* Happens in the beginning of the first ''Franchise/AloneInTheDark'' video game in the Derceto mansion.

[[quoteright:180:[[VideoGame/PaperMario64 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ghost_butler.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:180:[-[[VisualPun This one]] is gentlemanly enough to [[TheJeeves open doors for you]].-] ]]

[[quoteright:180:[[VideoGame/PaperMario https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ghost_butler.jpg]]]]

!!Examples

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E1Rose "Rose"]], Rose is in the basement of the shop where she works when the door slams shut behind her. To her credit, she instantly runs to it instead of passing it off as the wind and carrying on.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse'' cartoon "How to Haunt a House", this is shown to be a critical step. The cartoon features a (temporarily) deceased Goofy who pulls a Ghost Butler on a very GenreBlind Donald, who happily comments, "Oh! Automatic doors! How convenient!"
** To be fair, Goofy ''opened'' the door rather than close it, which is admittedly not as scary.

* Used at the beginning of a video for PBS's ''Series/SquareOneTV'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOk4cMfwsIY "Ghost of a Chance"]].

* ''VideoGame/Doom2016'': "Demonic presence at unsafe levels. Lockdown in effect." Cue MultiMookMelee.
* ''Every'' door in the haunted cathedral in ''[[VideoGame/{{Thief}} Thief: The Dark Project]]'' will shut itself after a few moments if you leave it open.
* Carl Denning finds the front door completely boarded up in ''[[VideoGame/TheSeventhGuest The 11th Hour]]'', and the door leading outside from the kitchen never works.

* In ''RuneScape'', Draynor Manor's front door will automatically close itself when you walk in, and can't be opened from the inside, leaving the player stuck with a mad scientist, ghosts, a ghoul, and a vampire... until they manage to find the back door.
* ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards'', when you fight {{miniboss}}es. As an added touch, each barrier has a theme related to the environment (e.g. In the [[JungleJapes jungle]], the exits become blocked by vines).

* Occurs a few times in ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'', mostly towards the beginning of the game.

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena'', when you're in a dungeon with doors, they will always close behind you with a loud clanking, yet delayed a minute or two. Yes, it is somewhat creepy.
* In ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue'', the doors slam shut behind the party upon exiting any of the trial sections of the HauntedHouse.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Faria}}'', doors in the towers will often slam shut as you pass through them, either to set you up for an InescapableAmbush or just to enforce one-way movement.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'''s [[EldritchLocation Dunwich Building]] has a few doors that open or close spontaneously.
* ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Black'' does this during {{inescapable ambush}}es.
* The type-in BASIC adventure game ''Haunted House'' (from ''Write Your Own Adventure Programs for Your Microcomputer'') has the front door slam behind the player once they enter the house. There's no way to open it again, so the player has to find an alternative way out.
* ''VideoGame/YoKaiWatch'' has Whisper, a Yo-Kai who resembles a standard cartoon ghost who's job is to be the player character's Yo-Kai Butler. There's also Sebastian/[[DubNameChange Verygoodsir]], who looks more like a butler and is technically more qualified.

* This is played straight in the ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' episode "New Order", when Odd, Ulrich and Yumi enter the Hermitage for the first time, searching for Aelita. XANA is already waiting for them, having sent a specter to play poltergeist, and starts with closing the front door. Later, the malevolent program locks up Yumi and Ulrich in a room which he turns into a SaunaOfDeath.
* ''WesternAnimation/MonsterBusterClub'''s HalloweenEpisode, "Trick or Treat... or Alien", has a haunted house whose door close behind Danny, locking him inside, and then doing the same to the rest of the MBC. No ghost here, though, just the usual alien trying to scare away too-curious humans.

* Alfred Pennyworth becomes one after his death in ''ComicBook/SupermanAndBatmanGenerations'', up until he deals with the ghost of Dick Grayson tormenting a very old and frail Joker.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePagemaster'', in one of his challenges Richard Tyler has to go into the mansion of Dr. Jekyll (and soon afterward, Mr. Hyde). When Richard enters, the door closes and locks itself behind him.

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

* ''Film/GhostbustersII'' has a door shut and lock itself so Ray and Egon would be trapped in a room on fire.
* Happens in ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' series whenever someone enters Freddy's home.
* As per the ''Film/ParanormalActivity2'' [[http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2094926105/ trailer]] "This is the freakiest thing that happened to me last night: This is the door ''closing by itself."''
* ''Film/HellraiserInferno''. When Joseph visits his parents at the hospital he somehow walks into his childhood bedroom, only for the door to magically shut itself behind him. [[spoiler:He has to listen to his parents being tortured and murdered on the other side.]]

* Played straight in the first episode of the new ''Series/DoctorWho''. Rose is in the basement of the shop where she works. The door slams shut behind her. To her credit, she instantly runs to it instead of passing it off as the wind and carrying on.

* Used at the beginning of a video for PBS's ''Series/SquareOneTV'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOk4cMfwsIY "Ghost of a Chance"]].
* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in the first episode of ''Series/HouseOfAnubis'': When Nina arrives at the house for the first time, the door opens to let her in without her touching it.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Once the Scoobies enter the school to perform the exorcism, all the doors slam shut on them. Buffy later has to use her SuperStrength to [[ThereWasADoor break open the door]] so they can escape TheSwarm of wasps.

[[folder:Literature]]

* Inverted in ''Literature/DragonBones'', Oreg, the house ghost, is a more benevolent example. He shows (or creates?) secret doors just when needed. (He ''could'' do the opposite, as he can make himself invisible, but is never seen actually doing so) It is also mentioned that the lady-in-waiting, whom he likes, always finds her knitting needles just where she looks first, even if she forgot them in a different room.
[[/folder]]