History Main / LockeDinTheDungeon

* ''Franchise/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).
** Note that most RealLife high schools have the chemistry lab(s) on the ''uppermost'' floor of the building.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', after Link gets turned into a wolf, he wakes up locked in a dungeon [[spoiler: inside Hyrule Castle.]]

* In ''{{VideoGame/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.

** Lord Vetinari, Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, uses the dungeons under the palace to great effect as a deterrent and, naturally, as a punishment.
** The Inquisitors of Om in Omnia, as described in "Small Gods," were employed to torture confessions out of alleged heretics. They did their work in the dungeons beneath the streets of Omnia. To the Inquisitors, though, it was just another job, not something done for pleasure or sadism.

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* In the original ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia'', the eponymous Prince is locked by the EvilVizier BigBad in the palace's dungeon at the beginning of the game. From there begins the Prince's time limited SaveThePrincess quest (beginning with the Prince escaping from the dungeon through a fragile floor).

* This tends to happen in film adaptations of Creator/AlexandreDumas' novel ''The Vicomte de Bragelonne'', namely the third part of the novel, which tells about TheManInTheIronMask. In the 1929 film ''Film/TheIronMask'', the 1998 Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio film ''Film/TheManInTheIronMask'', and other film adaptations, the Man in the Iron Mask is kept in a dungeon until he's released by Literature/TheThreeMusketeers.

* In the ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper'' games, 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. From there you can either leave them to starve to death (and eventually turn into [[DemBones skeletal minions]]) or throw them in a torture chamber for [[TortureAlwaysWorks information]], [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil swaying them to your side]], or [[ForTheEvulz your own amusement.]]

* In ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper 2'', 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.

** The ruling house of the [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Dreadfort]], the Boltons, really love [[FlayingAlive flaying people]], so you can probably guess what goes on down there. As a bonus, we get inside the head of a character who spends a year enjoying the finest treatment the Boltons have to offer. He doesn't fare well.

* On ''Series/{{The 100}}'', the Grounders chain Jaha and Kane up in the ruins of an old subway station without food or water, and told [[SadisticChoice one of them will only be given a chance to leave if they kill the other one]].

* Most castles in ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' have this. Many have their own flavor to add as well. Here are a few:

*** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', Zelda is held prisoner in the dungeon of Hyrule Castle at the beginning of the game.

* ''Film/TheManInTheIronMask'' was kept in a dungeon until he was released by the Musketeers.

* ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' has Neo help a Witch rescue herself from the Merovingian's dungeons.
* ''VideoGame/EnterTheMatrix'' has a different section of the Merovingian's dungeons, where the doors are barred and all the prisoners are too skinny, very pale and were possibly blinded.

* ''CityOfDreams'' has "The Tower of Atonement" where people are taken to be whipped et cetera for whatever mischief they have done.

* A feature in CrusaderKings. For obvious reasons, locking people up there tends to lower their opinion of you. Furthermore, locking people up without reason or legal justification will lower peoples' opinion of you, and if they hold land, may trigger a revolt.

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 [[RomanticizedAbuse entertain the audience]]... [[BondageIsBad or both]]. Depending on the setting, expect the torturer to be a thug, a {{Dominatrix}} or an ExaltedTorturer.

* The Inquisition scene in ''HistoryOfTheWorldPartOne'' would be a subversion. Fairly standard dungeon: people in shackles, getting tortured, etc.... And then everyone breaks into song.

* ''TheManInTheIronMask'' was kept in a dungeon until he was released by the Musketeers.

* In ''[[DungeonKeeper Dungeon Keeper 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.

* ''{{Castlevania}}'' games often include a dungeon area.

* In the movie ''Film/{{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.