History Main / MasqueradeBall

* ''Film/{{Batman}} Returns'' has a costume {{Christmas}} party, where everyone wears a costume except, of course, Batman and Catwoman -- for whom their civilian identities ''are'' their costumes.

* Lord Fain of ''{{Lusternia}}'' has an aesthetic that mixes MasqueradeBall and ChessMotifs. Appropriately, his appearance is an extended metaphor to [[EdgarAllanPoe Poe's]] ''Masque of the Red Death'', right down to his title ("The Crimson Masque") and his [[spoiler: [[NotAMask actual lack of a mask]]]].

* A masquerade ball is the central setting for the {{Rammstein}} video for "Du Riechst So Gut '98". All the band members, in the form of one werewolf (who continually shapeshifts between all six without anyone noticing) tracks a woman in a red dress to a masquerade ball, infiltrates them, seeking her out by scent (he/they sniffs various women's shoulders, searching for her), culminating in cornering her in a bedroom, for a FetishFuel / NightmareFuel scene in which six wolf heads burst from his body as they kiss. The wolves escape as the partygoers try to catch them, and the woman is implied to have become a Werewolf as well.

* ''{{Alias}}'' brought the WigDressAccent to new levels by attending a modern retro masque party, where Sydney meets a NewOldFlame who's probably TheMole.

->-''Masquerade'', ''ThePhantomOfTheOpera''

* In the musical number/flashback "Poor Thing" in ''SweeneyTodd'', Lucy Barker, the wife of the title character, is lured to the house of Judge Turpin by Beadle Bamford, who tells her that the Judge is remorseful about what he did to her husband and wants to see her at his mansion. Unknown to Lucy, the Judge has thrown a wild masked ball at the mansion that is well underway when Lucy arrives. Lucy, confused and disoriented by the sights and sounds of the party and from the number of drinks she has at the place, winds up in the hands of Judge Turpin himself, who is anything but remorseful and has used this party as a means to trap and rape her:
--> '''Mrs. Lovett:''' She wasn't no match for such craft, you see, / and everyone thought it so droll. / They figured she had to be daft, you see. / So all of them stood there and laughed, you see. / Poor soul! / Poor thing!

** The {{Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/{{Maskerade}}'' is an AffectionateParody of ''ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', complete with [[NeverMessWithGranny Granny Weatherwax]] and [[MagnificentBastard Nanny Ogg]], rural Lancre witches who have no concept of how to behave in high society, dressing up this way and attending an opera performance. This goes about as well as could be expected given [[{{Understatement}} the witches concerned]].

* The climax of the classic ''DoctorWho'' story "The Masque of Mandragora" has one of these. A masquerade party also factors in "Black Orchid".

[[quoteright:292:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MaskedBall.JPG]] caption-width-right:292:''[[Paper faces on parade...]]'']]

[[quoteright:292:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MaskedBall.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:292:''[[Paper faces on parade...]]'']]

''Surprisingly has nothing to do with The {{Masquerade}}.''

!!Examples

* In ''Amadeus'', Salieri follows Mozart to a masked ball, at which Mozart ridicules Salieri to the delight of the crowd.

* In {{Brick}}, Laura holds a "Halloween in January," party.

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* One Republic's video for "All the Right Moves" feature a masquerade ball of Edwardian style - complete with a thieving rat.

** The {{Discworld}} novel ''{{Maskerade}}'' is an AffectionateParody of ''ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', complete with [[NeverMessWithGranny Granny Weatherwax]] and [[MagnificentBastard Nanny Ogg]], rural Lancre witches who have no concept of how to behave in high society, dressing up this way and attending an opera performance. This goes about as well as could be expected given [[{{Understatement}} the witches concerned]].

The refinery on top of the sheer trope goldmine that is the MasqueradeBall is the convention of using aliases to go with the masks. Historically, that can free participants to indulge in era-appropriate 'scandalous' behaviors -- and also make a good opportunity for the uninvited to crash. Watch out for the mass robbery by the PhantomThief and ClassyCatBurglar, and hope there's a GoldenAge SuperHero around somewhere. CharityBall often combines with the theft, to give the thiefs a good way to infiltrate.

* ''GossipGirl'', being about rich socialite teens, has a GorgeousPeriodDress costume ball. OrSoIHeard.

The refinery on top of the sheer trope goldmine that is the MasqueradeBall is the convention of using aliases to go with the masks. Historically, that can free participants to indulge in era-appropriate 'scandalous' behaviors -- and also make a good opportunity for the uninvited to crash. Watch out for the mass robbery by the PhantomThief and ClassyCatBurglar, and hope there's a GoldenAge SuperHero around somewhere.

* Referenced by TheGrimReaper in ''{{Discworld}}'', explaining why he appeared at a summoning ritual with a cocktail and a sausage-onna-stick.[[AC: "The party's nice, but I expect it'll all go downhill after midnight. It's when they think I'll be taking my mask off."]]

* In Phillipa Gregory's "The Other Boleyn Girl" Mary Boleyen flirts with Henry the VIII at a masquerade in his court.