History Main / LockeDinTheDungeon

* ''Film/ThePrincessBride'' had the Pit Of Despair, where Wesley was tortured to [[OnlyMostlyDead mostly death]].

* While ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' involves plenty of dungeon-crawling, the prime example of this trope occurs in the final part of Act I, where you have to storm the Halls of Agony, King Leoric's old torture chambers, in order to find and rescue the Stranger you found at the impact zone of the Fallen Star, who has been taken there by Maghda and her Dark Coven. Since this is the ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' universe, the Coven has turned the Halls into a site for HumanSacrifice and ColdBloodedTorture of their many victims, with all the horrificness that this implies, and the place is loaded with undead and demons for you to kill in addition to the cultists, as well as the ghosts of those who were put through hell and executed down there.

*** It's even worse than that. Jaime doesn't call them cells -- he calls the oubliettes. As in, the idea is to put someone in one, [[NightmareFuel forget about them, and never come back]].

* Many of the settings in TerryPratchett's ''Discworld'' universe utilize dungeons.

*** Clearly the Inquisitors (and other higher ranking members of the Church of Om, such as the Exquisitors) believed in a form of PayEvilUntoEvil. Since suspicion of wrongdoing was considered proof of wrongdoing (because why would Om put suspicion in the mind if it wasn't true?), then the torture inflicted on their victims by the Inquisitors was considered justified, moral, and holy.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Dragon Age}}'', player character is briefly put in one of those, leading to the possibility of party members orchestrating the escape. Some of the possible origins of the Warden, most notably a female City Elf, also involve it.

* Happens a lot in ''{{Manga/Berserk}}''. Guts in his early days and as the Black Swordsman, Griffith in the Tower of Rebirth, Casca in Mozgus' dungeons, various nameless characters...

* ''TheDarkKnightRises'' has Batman captured by Bane and thrown into a dungeon with a chimney, up which only one person, [[spoiler:believed to be Bane]] has ever escaped.

[[/folder]]

* In ''{{Slaveworld}}'', every aristocratic mansion or castle comes with a dungeon block for the slaves.

** Then there are the black cells in the Red Keep, where [[TortureTechnician Qyburn]] gets a little too happy with his [[ForScience scientific pursuits]].

[[folder: Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/YouCantDoThatOnTelevision'' had a recurring sketch with one of the kids in this situation (no torture shown, of course). The commandant from the FiringSquad sketches often offered them freedom, but some terrible price.
* Series/{{Merlin}}, repeatedly.
[[/folder]]

* While ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' involves plenty of dungeon-crawling, the prime example of this trope occurs in the final part of Act I, where you have to storm King Leoric's old torture chambers in order to find and rescue the Stranger you found at the impact zone of the Fallen Star, who has been taken there by Maghda and her Dark Coven. Since this is the ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' universe, the Coven has turned it into a site for HumanSacrifice and ColdBloodedTorture of their many victims, with all the horrificness that this implies, and the place is loaded with undead and demons for you to kill in addition to the cultists, as well as the ghosts of those who were put through hell and executed down there.

A dungeon is a secluded place, often underground, where criminals or innocent victims alike are taken for [[ColdBloodedTorture corporeal punishment]] or, [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique ahem, "questioning"]]. Designed to [[MoralEventHorizon display how evil the villains are]] or to [[AbusivelySexy entertain the audience]]... [[BondageIsBad or both]]. Depending on the setting, expect the torturer to be a thug, a {{Dominatrix}} or an ExaltedTorturer.

Common in medieval settings and spy stories. Expect our heroes to escape from one at least once, even in video games [[CutsceneIncompetence where they are strong enough to beat down the guards when you finally fight them]]. Unless it's ''[[AbusivelySexy that]]'' kind of story, in which case [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption escape is impossible]] but probably [[HappinessInSlavery not wanted anyway]].

* In ''TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', after Link gets turned into a wolf, he wakes up locked in a dungeon [[spoiler: inside Hyrule Castle.]]
** The Shadow Temple in ''OcarinaOfTime'' has some elements reminiscent of a dungeon as well, such as chains, prison cells, and torture devices.
* In ''TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', you can be locked in one of these for crimes. You have a choice: serve your time and lose some skills, or attempt an escape.
* In ''{{EverQuest}}'', Highpass Hold has one of these in the basement. Complete with mad prisoners, a Dark Elf dominatrix and her poor suffering male High Elf victim.
* In ''DungeonKeeper II'', you are encouraged to build a dungeon in your dungeon. that is, a dungeon of ''this kind'' inside the "heroes come here to kill monsters" kind of dungeon.
* In ''QuestForGlory II: Trial By Fire'', you are captured and put in a dungeon with a recently tortured HeroOfAnotherStory. 10 seconds later, you escape together.

* Where it all begins in ''{{Exiern}}'', in the Evil Wizard Faden's dungeon.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* In one episode of the {{Kuroshitsuji}} anime, Sebastian is locked in a dungeon where the crazy [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Angela]] is ''prepared'' with her own sleazy torture-monger to extract information out of him and to convince him to join her side to destroy Ciel.

* ''YouCantDoThatOnTelevision'' had a recurring sketch with one of the kids in this situation (no torture shown, of course). The commandant from the FiringSquad sketches often offered them freedom, but some terrible price.

[[folder: Film ]]

* In the movie {{Labyrinth}}, Hoggle and the girl are taken to an "oubliette", which Hoggle describes as a place where one puts prisoners who are to be forgotten.

* TheManInTheIronMask was kept in a dungeon until he was released by the musketeers.
* The Inquisition scene in HistoryOfTheWorldPartOne would be a subversion. Fairly standard dungeon: people in shackles, getting tortured, etc.... And then everyone breaks into song.

[[folder: Literature ]]

* HarryPotter subverts the concept of Dungeons. Some Hogwarts dungeons are classically dungeon-ey, and some serve as Potions classes (mind you, this setting is dangerous if the potions being brewed there may be explosive if not done correctly).

* In TheSilmarillion, [[TheHero Beren]], [[TheWisePrince Finrod Felagund]] and their followers were locked in a particularly horrific Dungeon and eaten one by one by a [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolf]].
* In {{Slaveworld}}, every aristocratic mansion or castle comes with a dungeon block for the slaves.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* {{Castlevania}} games often include a dungeon area.
* In TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess, after Link gets turned into a wolf, he wakes up locked in a dungeon [[spoiler: inside Hyrule Castle.]]
** The Shadow Temple in OcarinaOfTime has some elements reminiscent of a dungeon as well, such as chains, prison cells, and torture devices.
* In TheElderScrollsIVOblivion, you can be locked in one of these for crimes. You have a choice: serve your time and lose some skills, or attempt an escape.
* In {{EverQuest}}, Highpass Hold has one of these in the basement. Complete with mad prisoners, a Dark Elf dominatrix and her poor suffering male High Elf victim.
* In DungeonKeeper II, you are encouraged to build a dungeon in your dungeon. that is, a dungeon of ''this kind'' inside the "heroes come here to kill monsters" kind of dungeon.

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* {{series/Merlin}}, repeatedly.

* In The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion, you can be locked in one of these for crimes. You have a choice: serve your time and lose some skills, or attempt an escape.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* ''CityOfDreams'' has "The Tower of Atonement" where people are taken to be whipped et cetera for whatever mischief they have done.
* In one ''DeadPool'' adventure, our hero gets chained up in a dungeon to be eaten by zombies. Being the person he is, he have only one thing to say about his situation: "[[{{Safeword}} SAFEWORD!!!]]"

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

[[AC: {{Film}}]]
* In the movie {{Labyrinth}}, Hoggle and the girl are taken to an "{{Oubliette}}", which Hoggle describes as a place where one puts prisoners who are to be forgotten.

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]

* In {{Slaveworld}}, every aristocratic mansion or castle comes with a dungeon block for the slaves.

[[AC: VideoGames]]

* In DungeonKeeper II, you are encouraged to build a dungeon in your dungeon. that is, a dungeon of ''this kind'' inside the "heroes come here to kill monsters" kind of dungeon.

[[AC: {{Webcomics}}]]
* Where it all begins in ''{{Exiern}}'', in the Evil Wizard Faden's dungeon.