History Main / MatchlightDangerRevelation

* In the 1999 film ''Film/{{The Mummy|Trilogy}}'', as Rick (Creator/BrendanFraser) and Evy (Creator/RachelWeisz) escape the rapidly collapsing pyramid, they are forced to leave Rick's traitorous friend Beni behind, and the pyramid seals itself behind them. Beni retreats back into a massive room filled with treasure, with the only light source being his illuminated torch. Thousands of (flesh-consuming) scarabs stream into the room around him, and the light slowly goes out on the torch as they get closer, and... you know the rest.

* Subverted in ''ComicBook/DeCapeEtDeCrocs''. The heroes go to a dark room they assume to be the explosive storage room. Eusebio lit a candle and reveals they are in the food storage room.

* Subverted in ''ComicBook/DeCapeEtDeCrocs''. The heroes went to a dark room they assumed to be the exposive storage room. Eusebio lit a candle and revealed they were in the food storage room.

* ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke: Go West!'' features villains Crook and Bartleby, after a ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes moment in an abandoned mine, lighting a match only to find themselves next to a ''mountain'' of dynamite boxes. However, the match isn't the biggest problem... more pressing is the fact that [[DogsAreDumb Rantanplan]] was chasing them with a lit stick of dynamite, [[GoFetch which he let go at their feet]].

* ''ThePhantomOfTheOpera'': Raoul and the Persian escape from the Phantom's DeathTrap and find themselves in a pitch black cellar full of barrels. The Persian lights his lantern so they can open up a barrel and examine the contents... which turn out to be gunpowder. The Persian quickly throws his lantern away.

* Subverted in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E4DaleksInManhattan "Daleks in Manhattan"]], when the ColdOpen involves a man being lured into the prop room backstage at a Broadway theater by suspicious sounds. He lights a match, which reveals a face leering at him, belonging to a dummy of a pirate. He breathes a sigh of relief, puts out the match, and then is ambushed by a PigMan.

[[folder:New Media]]
* Once read on a mine exploration forum:
-->If you can light a cig it's fine.\\
If you struggle to light a cig it's poor.\\
If you can't keep a cig lit it's bad.\\
If you can light a cig AND everyone else around you, along with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firedamp the entire mine]], then it is bad too.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Video]]

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Not a match in episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E6BoastBusters "Boast Busters"]], but otherwise played very straight: While they are in the cave of the Ursa Major, Snips complains about the darkness and Snails uses magic to create a light at the tip of his unicorn horn. And thus the two foals discover that they are just under the nose of the giant ursine monster.

-->'''Genie''': Sure is dark in here.\\
'''Iago''': Yeah, and there's a funny smell here, too. It kinda smells like...like... (''Genie lights a fire with his thumb and the room lights up revealing barrels around the gang'')...lamp oil.\\
'''All''': [[OhCrap LAMP OIL?!]]\\
'''Aladdin''': Don't do that! (''shoves Genie's lit thumb into the blue guy's mouth'') One spark, and this place will blow like… like…\\
'''Iago''': Like it's ''full of barrels of LAMP OIL!!''\\
'''Genie''': Sorry...

* ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'' episode "Vapor Chase". Aladdin, Jasmine and the gang have to stop a fire powered ''[[Disney/{{Fantasia}} Chernabog]]-like monster called "the Sootanai" from burning Agrabah down. As the gang try to hide inside a dark storage area...

'''Aladdin''': (''shoves Genie's elbow up leaving his lit thumb inside his mouth'') Don't do that! One spark, and this place will blow like… like…\\

'''Aladdin''': (''shoves Genie's elbow up so that his lit thumb was inside his mouth'') Don't do that! One spark, and this place will blow like… like…\\

* ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'' episode "Vapor Chase". Aladdin, Jasmine and the gang have to stop a fire powered [[Disney/{Fantasia}} Chernabog]]-like monster called "the Sootanai" from burning Agrabah down. As the gang try to hide inside a dark storage area...

A trope commonly found in animation; two or more characters, usually hiding from something, have found themselves in an entirely pitch-black environment. One of them remarks on or complains about how dark it is. The other strikes a match -- but the sudden burst of light reveals that the characters are, in fact, standing in the middle of an amazingly dangerous environment, be it a room filled with monsters (who have, up until this point, been remarkably quiet) or -- to give the danger an added boost of irony -- a room packed with an unimaginably large store of explosives (especially if the "match" turns out to be a DynamiteCandle). ThisIsGonnaSuck.

* In the 1999 film ''Film/{{The Mummy|Trilogy}}'', as Rick (Creator/BrendanFraser) and Evy (RachelWeisz) escape the rapidly collapsing pyramid, they are forced to leave Rick's traitorous friend Beni behind, and the pyramid seals itself behind them. Beni retreats back into a massive room filled with treasure, with the only light source being his illuminated torch. Thousands of (flesh-consuming) scarabs stream into the room around him, and the light slowly goes out on the torch as they get closer, and... you know the rest.

In RealLife, this is why matches and lighters are strongly advised against as immediate emergency lighting, especially after a disaster such as an earthquake or tornado where there could be burst gas lines (which won't even give you the warning of a labeled dynamite box before they explode and immolate anything in range), scattered flammable chemicals such as gasoline and paint thinner giving off explosive fumes, or low-hanging easily combustible materials.

* ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'': Go West!'' features villains Crook and Bartleby, after a ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes moment in an abandoned mine, lighting a match only to find themselves next to a ''mountain'' of dynamite boxes. However, the match isn't the biggest problem... more pressing is the fact that [[DogsAreDumb Rantanplan]] was chasing them with a lit stick of dynamite, [[GoFetch which he let go at their feet]].

[[folder:RealLife]]

* ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'': Go West!'' features villains Crook and Bartleby, after a ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes moment in an abandoned mine, ligthing a match only to find themselves next to a ''mountain'' of dynamite boxes. However, the match isn't the biggest problem... more pressing is the fact that [[DogsAreDumb Rantanplan]] was chasing them with a lit stick of dynamite, [[GoFetch which he let go at their feet]].

!!Examples

* In ''Film/TheDescent'', one of the girls is using the night vision on the camcorder to see her way through the caves. During a particularly tense scene in which several of the girls are panicking, the camcorder rests on Beth... and the sudden appearance of one of the Crawlers standing '''right behind her'''.
** For bonus points, this is the first clear look at a Crawler. And it's one of the most terrifying moments in the film.

* In the video for "Jurassic Park," after the lights go out on Music/WeirdAlYankovic, he lights a match and discovers he's surrounded by hostile dinosaurs. One of them then snuffs the light.

* In {{WebVideo/Idiotsitter}}, Billie is led into the darkened garage by Joy, who explains the situation of "Fight Day" by matchlight. Then the match goes out and Joy flees, leaving Billie to light a match of her own-revealing Gene right behind her, who lampshades this trope.

* This trope is why battery-operated flashlights are one of THE emergency kit tools you absolutely must have (and having one on you usable at all times is also a good idea, even if it's just a keychain light). Matches, lighters, candles, hurricane lamps and flame-based/fuel-fed lanterns ARE valid sources of light and heat in an emergency, but they are only to be used in an area confirmed to be free of gas leaks, explosive petrochemical or chemical fumes or liquids, explosives, ammunition, or quickly combustible objects. In the immediate aftermath of a major, destructive disaster (especially one such as a hurricane, earthquake, or tornado that destroys buildings and scatters their contents about), battery-powered lighting is the safest immediate lighting, because a flashlight won't ignite leaking gas - whereas a lit match will.

* Subverted in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS3E4DaleksInManhattan "Daleks in Manhattan"]], when the ColdOpen involves a man being lured into the prop room backstage at a Broadway theater by suspicious sounds. He lights a match, which reveals a face leering at him, belonging to a dummy of a pirate. He breathes a sigh of relief, puts out the match, and then is ambushed by a PigMan.

* Used VERY effectively in the indie film ''ThePassage''. The protagonist finds himself in a series of tunnels in the Atlas Mountains, using only candles for light. When they run out, he has to use the flash of his digital camera. It's a tense scene as he waits for the flash to recharge. The first few moments are suspenseful, and then, well, he's not alone.

* In ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'' novel ''Twenty Years After'', their servants discover the ship they're on is packed with explosives, about to go off, this way. They were appropriately terrified.

A trope commonly found in animation; two or more characters, usually hiding from something, have found themselves in an entirely pitch-black environment. One of them remarks on or complains about how dark it is. The other strikes a match -- but the sudden burst of light reveals that the characters are, in fact, standing in the middle of an amazingly dangerous environment, be it a room filled with monsters (who have, up until this point, been remarkably quiet) or -- to give the danger an added boost of irony -- a room packed with an unimaginably large store of explosives (especially if the "match" turns out to be a DynamiteCandle).

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/GrimFandango''. At one point the protagonists end up at the bottom of the sea, and they meet a wandering man with a lantern attached to his head. When the subject of sea monsters is brought up, he turns his head to reveal that they're already surrounded by them. But it's okay, because the light is what keeps them at bay.

* PhilFoglio's ''ComicStrip/WhatsNewWithPhilAndDixie'' [[http://www.airshipentertainment.com/growfcomic.php?date=20070114 comic]] in ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' magazine #50 uses this. Phil and Dixie are exploring the TSR dungeon in the dark and realize there is someone else with them. Phil lights a match, revealing that the other creature is actually a demon. Then the demon blows out the match...

In ''TheThreeMusketeers'' novel Twenty Years After, their servants discover the ship they're on is packed with explosives, about to go off, this way. They were appropriately terrified.