History Main / LiteralCliffhanger

[[folder:Film -- Animation]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

** The ending of ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' also has this, though they're hanging off a broken RopeBridge above a crocodile-filled ravine.

* In a {{filler}} episode of ''Anime/RanmaOneHalf'', both Akane and Ranma jump over a cliff to retrieve a MacGuffin. Ranma catches the [=MacGuffin=], Akane catches Ranma's hand and a convenient branch on the side of the cliff.

* The {{Edutainment}} show ''Series/BetweenTheLions'' has a segment called "Cliff Hanger", which was about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a guy hanging from a cliff]]. Each episode contains a segment with the titular character trying find a way up the cliff, but somehow ''always'' ends up back where he started: [[StatusQuoIsGod hanging from a cliff]]. [[BookEnds with his]] catchphrase:

* ''Film/{{Cliffhanger}}'', starring Sylvester Stallone as a professional mountain climber. The film's ColdOpen even features a literal cliffhanger, leading to a TakeMyHand moment that [[spoiler:fails]].

* The {{Edutainment}} show ''Series/BetweenTheLions'' has a segment called "Cliff Hanger", which was about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a guy hanging from a cliff]]. Each episode contains a segment with the titular character trying find a way up the cliff, but somehow ''always'' ends up back where he started: [[StatusQuoIsGod hanging from a cliff]]. [[BookEnds with his]] {{Catchphrase}} :

* ''Series/AlteredCarbon''. Takeshi Kovacs gets thrown off a cliff for the cliffhanger ending of "I Wake Up Screaming". In the next episode, he wakes up to hear Trepp Imani telling him repeatedly: ''Don't'' move, ''don't'' look down, ''don't'' open your left hand." Turns out his left hand is clutching onto a tiny ledge on the cliff face, thanks to the subconscious survival instincts built into his [[SuperSoldier military-grade body]].

* In a ''Manga/CaseClosed'' case that takes place in an island, [[spoiler: Kazuha and Heiji find themselves like this. Since the cliff's about to break Kazuha tries to get Heiji to release her so he will survive, but he manages to hold on and ultimately save the two of them.]]
* ''Manga/FruitsBasket''. In the end, [[spoiler: a screaming Akito corners Tohru on a cliff. Tohru almost manages to convince her to let go of her hatred. But when Tohru extends her hand to Akito and she is about to take it... the cliff collapses, Tohru falls.]]

** In ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'', Zira dangles from a cliff over a swift river with tumbling logs. [[spoiler: After Kiara reaches her paw to help Zira, Zira appears to swipe it away before falling to her death.]] This is gentler than the original version, where [[spoiler: Zira outright refuses to be saved by Kiara, and intentionally lets go of the cliff.]]

* In the ClimbingClimax near the end of ''Film/BladeRunner'', the protagonist Deckard slips and nearly falls to his death off the side of a tall building. [[spoiler: [[TakeMyHand The film's villain, Roy Batty, saves him.]]]]
* ''Film/{{Cliffhanger}}'', starring Sylvester Stallone as a professional mountain climber. The film's ColdOpen even features a literal cliffhanger, leading to a TakeMyHand moment that [[spoiler: fails]].

* ''Film/TheGoodSon'' ends with [[spoiler: a mother holding on to the hands of her ObviouslyEvil son and her CassandraTruth nephew while they both hang off a cliff. She isn't strong enough to pull them both up, so she drops the evil one.]]

** In ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', Gandalf clings to the broken edge of the Bridge of Khazad-Dûm before falling to his [[spoiler: temporary]] death.

* ''[[Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus The Mark of Athena]]'' ends on a cliff hanger with [[spoiler: Percy and Annabeth]] hanging from a cliff over Tartarus.

* In ''The Fires of Heaven'' ( ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' book 5), Asmodean describes an incident in which he saw a man dangling from a cliff with nothing to grab but a weakly-rooted tuft of grass; having no better hope of saving himself, the man grabbed it, and of course it pulled loose. Full circle in that Asmodean is using this real incident as a metaphor for his own situation. When asked whether or not he helped the man, he evades the question.

* Episode 4 of ''Series/SquidGame'' ends [[spoiler: in the middle of a [[DeadlyGame tug-of-war game]] where the losing team is dropped off a ''very'' high bridge, just as our protagonists make a desperate last-ditch attempt to get the other team off their feet by running ''towards'' the chasm.]]

* Can potentially take place in the ''Sanroku no Mystic'' side of the ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'' DatingSim, ''Doki doki survival''. If [[HotBlooded Sanada]]'s path is pursued, at some point he and the PlayerCharacter Tsugumi will be hanging off a cliff, with him using a hand to hold on the rock and the other to hold on the terrified Tsugumi. [[spoiler: He manages to lift her up to safety, then climb his own way up.]]
* In the ''VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries'' game ''Fleeing the Complex'', Henry can end up in one of these in one path, stuck in a wrecked truck about to topple over a cliff, with the Warden threatening to push him over if he doesn't surrender, and three options to get out of it. [[spoiler: Not using any of these options and letting the Warden push it over the cliff is actually the ''correct'' option, leading to the Presumed Dead ending.]]

-->[[spoiler: Grif: OH, FOR GOD'S SAKE! LOOK OVER THE DAMN EDGE! I CAN'T HOLD ON FOR MUCH LONGER!]]

** In the ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'', Zira dangles from a cliff over a swift river with tumbling logs. [[spoiler: After Kiara reaches her paw to help Zira, Zira appears to swipe it away before falling to her death.]] This is gentler than the original version, where [[spoiler: Zira outright refuses to be saved by Kiara, and intentionally lets go of the cliff.]]

-->[[spoiler: Grif: OH, FOR GOD'S SAKE! LOOK OVER THE DAMN EDGE! I CAN'T HOLD ON FOR MUCH LONGER!]]\\
* In ''WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail'', Strong Bad was asked in an email to "Please resolve all the cliffhangers." Strong Bad replies, "Okay," and cuts to the page picture.

'''Strong Bad:''' ''(while carrying the [[RunningGag Bigg Nife]])'' Okay, cliffhangers! Prepare to be resolved!

* ''Film/TheIslandAtTheEdgeOfTheWorld'': While trying to cross the volcano, Sir Anthony slips and slides off the side of the mountain; saving himself by grabbing an improbably located tree branch. However, the scree he dislodges gives away their position to The Godi and his men.

* Lampshaded in ''VideoGame/{{Deadpool}}'' during the transmission tower and magnetic apocalypse sequence in Genosha; after the last Wheel of Insanity, close to the top, explodes in his face and sends him flying, Deadpool manages to hang on to a piece of floating debris.
-->A ''cliff''hanger! How profound.
* ''Series/MythBusters'' tested this (specifically, the whole deal with the person just hanging there indefinitely til someone came to save them) and found even a strong person with a good grip could only hold for about a minute before falling, meaning unless you're ''really'' lucky and someone wanders by right at that moment, you're screwed.

* Tucker invokes this trope in the finale of ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue: Revelation'' when [[spoiler:[[BigBad the Meta]] drags Grif along with him to his untimely demise over a cliff. Leads to a comedic scene where they have to convince Sarge that this could have happened.]]
-->[[spoiler: Grif: OH, FOR GOD'S SAKE! LOOK OVER THE DAMN EDGE! I CAN'T HOLD ON FOR MUCH LONGER!]]\\

* [[http://narbonic.com/comic/june-13-18-2005/ This]] week of ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'' -- both [[ChekhovsGun shown in advance]] and only having to hold up a gerbil's weight, though.

* One InfiniteCanvas strip of ''[[{{Webcomic/Supermegatopia}} By Way of Booty Bay]]'', simply called "Cliffhanger", featured a slew of ''[=WoW=]'' characters hanging unto each other, the top one clinging to the edge of a cliff.
* In ''Webcomic/RustyAndCo'', [[http://rustyandco.com/comic/level-6-60/ Cube is hanging on by his broken sword catching him, and Madeline is hanging on to Cube's get up.]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Endstone}}'', [[http://endstone.net/comic/9-23/ they're hanging off a bridge and Kyri is trying to reach for them.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'': This happens close to OncePerEpisode in the digital world, for about any of the heroes. Hanging from a ledge is most distressing for the Lyoko Warriors since a fall in the Digital Sea would be fatal, unlike the usual devirtualizations. A few Literal Cliffhangers also occur in the real world.

%%* Lampshaded in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' episode "I See a Funny Cartoon in Your Future". %%ZCE

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Homer ends up wedged into a cliff-edge after [[ItMakesSenseInContext coming out second-best in an argument with a trampoline]]. He remarks, "[[ThisIsReality If this were a cartoon]], the cliff would fall off now." It does, but only after a long wait and a complaint of thirst from Homer.

* The ''WesternAnimation/MightyMouse'' cartoon "The Perils Of Pearl Pureheart" starts right off with the continuation of a presumed cliffhanger showing Pearl dangling by one foot as Oil Can Harry lowers her from a cliff towards a pack of lions.
** Similarly, "Sunny Italy" starts off with a story "in progress" that has Pearl dangling by one foot from the Tower of Pisa as Oil Can Harry uses a car jack to tilt the Tower forward.
* During the ''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}'' episode "Bravestarr and the Three Suns", part of the cliff that Judge J. B. [=McBride=] is standing on breaks away and causes her to fall. She manages to hang on for a while before losing her grip and falling. Luckily, she is saved by Marshal Bravestarr due to {{falling into his arms}}.
* Done in at least two ''WesternAnimation/TheBackyardigans'' episodes:
** This is how Tyrone meets Uniqua in "Polka Palace Party". The latter was so busy playing her clarinet that she didn't notice she was about to fall off a mesa, which is where Tyrone found her.
** In the snowboarding leg in "Race Around the World", Pablo, who is a terrible snowboarder, falls off a cliff and hangs from one of the signs that is supposed to tell the racers where to go. [[CrazyPrepared Austin]] saves him with a rope.
* A RunningGag in ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower''. Everytime Adora and Catra have a serious and emotional moment, they somehow end up in a cliffhanger (whether it's real or symbolical). The results depend on the episode.

* UsefulNotes/NewZealand's Milford Sound [[note]]techncially a fjord, but that word was not yet in the English vocabulary when the Sound was discovered and named[[/note]] has a veritable forest of literally cliffhanging trees on the sheer cliffs lining the Sound. The trees' root systems generally [[TakeMyHand intertwine with each other]] instead of anchoring on the cliff face, and are sustained by the region's rain forest climate. Occasionally [[note]]most commonly when the rains resume after one of the rare periods of drought[[/note]] these connections fail, and the resulting "[[PerfectlyCromulentWord treevalanche]]" clears an entire section of the cliffs.

* ''Anime/FutakoiAlternative'' A character is being held up by her arm by the male protagonist. She's dangling a few hundred feet above the ocean, he's trying to left her up onto a collapsing bridge.
* In a ''Manga/CaseClosed'' case that takes place in an island, [[spoiler: Kazuha and Heiji find themselves like this. Since the cliff's about to break Kazuha tries to get Heiji to release her so he will survive, but he manages to hold on and ultimately save the two of them.]]

* Happens to WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck in the Creator/DonRosa comic ''Incident at [=McDuck=] Tower''. After falling something like 50 meters from the top of a sky-scraper, he lands on a pole, which cracks under his weight. Just when he's about to reach a window, a bird settles on his head and the pole breaks.

* ''ComicStrip/BeetleBailey'' uses this trope for laughs as a running gag, with the heavy Sgt. Snorkel hanging from a branch while other characters rescue him.

* In ''Fanfic/OfMenAndMugic'', with a car, to top it off. Adam, Wally, Seth, and [[spoiler:Blade]] are in a car at the end of one of the chapters teetering on the edge of a cliff.

* In the fanfic [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4191221/1/Stripped "Stripped,"]] when ComicBook/BlueBeetle II and ComicBook/BoosterGold are [[TitleDrop stripped]] of their technological advantages, they get beaten and thrown to a cliff. Beetle's leg, broken, catches on a tree and Ted tries to bear the pain while he holds on to the dangling Booster for hours. Most of the fic relies on the tension of wondering how long they can avoid dying.

[[folder:Films — Animation]]

* A ''Parasaurolophus'' died this way in WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeVIITheStoneOfColdFire as the other dinosaurs who followed Pterano were killed by ''[[RaptorAttack Deinonychus]]''. Ducky has a similar fate, though [[TheAtoner Pterano]] [[BigDamnHeroes saves her this time!]]

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

* In ''Film/TheGreatRace'', Professor Fate jumps out a window. When the horrified observers rush over and look down, they see him hanging from a pole below the window.

* ''Film/TheItalianJob1969''. "Hang on a minute, lads. I've got a great idea..."

* Norville Barnes hangs off the edge of a high building in ''Film/TheHudsuckerProxy''.
* ''Film/TheGunsOfNavarone''. Captain Mallory while climbing the cliff.
* This happens in ''Film/{{Maverick}}'' when the title character falls over the edge of the cliff but manages to hold on the edge. The Marshal offers Maverick to [[TakeMyHand take his hand]] but he refuses until he almost falls to his death and changes his mind.
* ''Film/{{Cliffhanger}}'', starring Sylvester Stallone as a professional mountain climber. The film's ColdOpen even features a literal cliffhanger, leading to a TakeMyHand moment that [[spoiler: fails]].
* ''Film/SpyHard'': Spoofed when Steele first defeats General Rancor, when his love interest Barbara Dahl is hanging from a cliff. Not only does Steele(Leslie Nielsen)'s sleeve rip, revealing a ridiculously muscular arm, but it stretches [[CartoonPhysics like they're in a cartoon]]. She falls into the ocean to her death, performing a swan dive.
* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' has a few examples:
** In ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', Gandalf clings to the broken edge of the Bridge of Khazad-Dûm before falling to his [[spoiler: temporary]] death.
** ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing The Return of the King]]'' features an example of this when Frodo and Gollum fight inside Mount Doom near the end of the movie.
* ''Film/TheGoodSon'' ends with [[spoiler: a mother holding on to the hands of her ObviouslyEvil son and her CassandraTruth nephew while they both hang off a cliff. She isn't strong enough to pull them both up, so she drops the evil one.]]
* In the ClimbingClimax near the end of ''Film/BladeRunner'', the protagonist Deckard slips and nearly falls to his death off the side of a tall building. [[spoiler: [[TakeMyHand The film's villain, Roy Batty, saves him.]]]]
* Twice in ''Film/{{Backdraft}}'': "If you go, WE go!"
* Early into ''Film/TheDayAfterTomorrow'', the hero falls down an ice cliff but is saved by ramming his ice pick into the wall. Then his teammates save him via TakeMyHand.

* In the silent film ''Film/LaRoue'', two characters fight on the edge of a cliff. One goes over the edge and manages to cling on. He [[MutualKill shoots the other guy]] before [[DisneyVillainDeath falling to his death]].
* ''Film/ThePaintedHills'': When Taylor pushes Jonathan off the cliff, he manages to grab hold of a small bush jutting out of the cliff partway down. Jonathan manages to gasp few curses at Taylor before the bush breaks and he plunges to his death.

* In ''Film/TheShadowOfChikara'', Drusilla winds clinging to a ledge after the horses are swept off the mountainside by a landslide.
* In ''Film/TheGrandBudapestHotel'', M. Gustave ends up clinging to the edge of an icy cliff after chasing Jopling with Zero.

* The cliffhanger of ''the Carnivorous Carnival'', the ninth installment in ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents''.
* The end of ''The Colour of Magic'' by Creator/TerryPratchett. It's worth mentioning that the cliff in question is the ''edge of the Literature/{{Discworld}}.''
** An indoor version happens in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'', with Vimes climbing spiral stairs made of logs hammered in a large stone column when the one he just stepped on breaking.
* In ''The Fires of Heaven'' ( ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' book 5), Asmodean describes an incident in which he saw a man dangling from a cliff with nothing to grab but a weakly-rooted tuft of grass; having no better hope of saving himself, the man grabbed it, and of course it pulled loose. Full circle in that Asmodean is using this real incident as a metaphor for his own situation. When asked whether or not he helped the man, he evades the question.

* ''[[Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus The Mark of Athena]]'' ends on a cliff hanger with [[spoiler: Percy and Annabeth]] hanging from a cliff over Tartarus.
* Subverted in ''Literature/DragonAndDamsel''. Bernadette flails and tries to grab onto the next broken bridge below her during a deadly drop down a tower. All she gets for her efforts is a scratched hand and ''maybe'' slowing down slightly.
* The first part of ''Literature/GodsAndWarriors'' begins with [[PursuedProtagonist Hylas escaping the Crows]] who just attacked his camp in the mountains. He scrambles over the edge of the mountain trail and hides under an overhang while holding from a sapling. When the Crows eventually leave, the sapling gives under the boy's weight, and he falls into the gorge, but he luckily doesn't hurt himself.

* A ''Parasaurolophus'' dies this way in [[WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire]] as the other dinosaurs who followed Pterano were killed by ''[[RaptorAttack Deinonychus]]''. Ducky has a similar fate, though [[TheAtoner Pterano]] [[BigDamnHeroes saves her this time!]]

* Sir Douglas Mawson was an explorer on several Antarctic expeditions. One day in 1908, he was working in a tent when another expedition member, Professor Edgeworth David, called to him, asking if he was busy. Mawson ''was'' busy and said so. A few minutes later, Professor David asked again, this time explaining, "[[CasualDangerDialog I am so sorry to disturb you, Mawson]], but I am [[ACrackInTheIce down a crevasse]] and I really don't think I can hold on much longer." Mawson himself fell into crevasses at least twice in the same expedition. During a trek in 1913, he fell into ''another'' crevasse, dangled for several minutes at the end of the rope he'd been using to tow his sledge, and finally climbed up the rope -- ''twice'', the edge of the crevasse broke just as he was pulling himself out the first time.

* Tucker invokes this trope in the finale of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue: Revelation'' when [[spoiler:[[BigBad the Meta]] drags Grif along with him to his untimely demise over a cliff. Leads to a comedic scene where they have to convince Sarge that this could have happened.]]

* A ''Parasaurolophus'' dies this way in [[WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire]] as the other dinosaurs who followed Pterano were killed by ''[[RaptorAttack Deinonychus]]''. Ducky has a similar fate, though Pterano saves her this time!

* Lampshaded in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' episode "I See a Funny Cartoon in Your Future"

[[/folder]]

* In ''Fanfic/OfMenAndMugic'', [[UpToEleven with a car]], to top it off. Adam, Wally, Seth, and [[spoiler:Blade]] are in a car at the end of one of the chapters teetering on the edge of a cliff.

* The {{Edutainment}} show ''Series/BetweenTheLions'' has a segment called "Cliffhanger", which was about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a guy hanging from a cliff]]. Each episode contains a segment with the titular character trying find a way up the cliff, but somehow ''always'' ends up back where he started: [[StatusQuoIsGod hanging from a cliff. BookEnds with his]] {{Catchphrase}} :
-->'''Cliffhanger''': [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Can't... hold... on... much... LONGER!!!]]

* ''Film/TheItalianJob1969''. "Hang on lads, I've got a great idea..."

* In a ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' case that takes place in an island, [[spoiler: Kazuha and Heiji find themselves like this. Since the cliff's about to break Kazuha tries to get Heiji to release her so he will survive, but he manages to hold on and ultimately save the two of them.]]