History Main / MatchlightDangerRevelation

* A variation occurs in the ''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...

-->'''Tom:''' "And the killer will give mercy to... whoever..." piece of shit. ''<lights lighter>'' "Whoever [[ExplainExplainOhCrap smells the...]]"\\
''[[KilledMidSentence <house explodes>]]''

** ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'': The soldiers are exploring the catacombs of the keep, and Wazzer hears noises in the dark. Someone lights a match. They are surrounded by zombies. Subverted, though: [[spoiler:the zombies aren't after them, and they'd probably be safer down in the catacombs than in actual combat.]]

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': The illustration for the "Corpse Candle" spell in the ''Spell Compendium'' is exactly this trope. The wizard using it finds himself entirely surrounded by spectral undead, along with the caption:

* Used in ''{{VideoGame/Normality}}'': after getting knocked down a dark hole, Kent finds himself in a room full of crates marked "Crackers", [[GenreBlind which he believes to be]] a stash of the subversive band "Crackers & Asthma". One lit match later and he realizes they actually contained ''firecrackers'' before the whole place blows up in a massive fireball.

** Wile E. Coyote in particular has a bad habit of finding shacks full of explosives.

* Parodied in ''Film/ScaryMovie 4'': When Cindy moves the lighter near the ghost's face, we pan down to see the lighter is burning the ghost's hand.

* ''[[Film/PoliceAcademy Police Academy: Mission to Moscow]]''. The first thing Harris sees when lighting a match is a "no fire" sign. The next thing we see is an explosion.

See also LightswitchSurprise.

* In ''Literature/TwentyYearsAfter'', the heroes' servants discover the ship they're on is packed with explosives, about to go off, this way. They are appropriately terrified.

* 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:Web Comics]]

* ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'' has an example that would [[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/oil-spill/ do Wile E. Coyote himself proud]].

* Used in the ''Franchise/WallaceAndGromit'' short ''WesternAnimation/AGrandDayOut'', with [[spoiler:the robot inside the rocket's fuel tank]].

* [[DoubleSubversion Double subverted]] in ''Film/TheConjuring''. It's only a few seconds ''after'' Carolyn lights the match that she, and we, hear [[ParanoiaFuel "hey, wanna play hide and clap?"]] ''<clap clap>''

* The ''Website/SCPFoundation'' has [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-507 SCP-507]], a man who is randomly teleported to different dimensions. In one case he found himself in total darkness with the feeling that someone else was very close by... His request for a flashlight granted, he ended up back there and found himself eye-to-eye with a HumanoidAbomination when he turned on the light, and this time it asked "Back so soon?"

* In sequel to ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'', ''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.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': In "Trial", the lights are knocked out just as the assembed criminals are about to kill Batman. When Two-Face gets out his lighter, they see that Batman has escaped.

* ''ComicBook/DeCapeEtDeCrocs'': The heroes sneak into a pirate ship, then panic at Eusebe lighting a candle. Fortunately, they were in the galley. Later inverted when Kader and Eusebe look for the galley and end up in the magazine, the resulting explosion taking out a fish so huge it could wear a ship as a hat.

* Done by Plucky at the end of the ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' renditon of "[[TheyMightBeGiants Particle Man]]".

* ''ComicBook/DeCapeEtDeCrocs'': The heroes sneak into a pirate ship, then panic at Eusebe lighting a candle. Fortunately, they were in the galley. Later inverted when Kader and Eusebe look for the galley and end up in the magazine, the resuling explosion taking out a fish so huge it could wear a ship as a hat.

* ''{{Literature/Discworld}}'':

* A rare live-action example occurs in the final episode of the first season of ''Series/FoylesWar''. During a German air raid on a British airfield, Foyle and his fighter-pilot son run to the nearest dugout that looks like shelter. In the darkness, Foyle's son flicks on his lighter, revealing that they are surrounded by barrels, having sought shelter in the airfield's fuel dump. Naturally, Foyle recommends that his son put the lighter out.

* A rare live-action example occurs in the final episode of the first season of ''Series/FoylesWar''. During a German air raid on a British airfield, Foyle and his fighter-pilot son run to the nearest dugout that looks like shelter. In the darkness, Foyle's son flicks on his lighter, revealling that they are surrounded by barrels, having sought shelter in the airfield's fuel dump. Naturally, Foyle recommends that his son put the lighter out.

* Used in the ''Franchise/WallaceAndGromit'' short ''WesternAnimation/AGrandDayOut''.

* ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'': The soldiers are exploring the catacombs of the keep, and Wazzer hears noises in the dark. Someone lights a match. They are surrounded by zombies. Subverted, though: [[spoiler:the zombies aren't after them, and they'd probably be safer down in the catacombs than in actual combat.]]

-->'''Homer:''' (''sees skeleton'') Aah! (''drops match, light goes out'') That was a close one... (''lights another match, sees skeleton again'') Aah! (''drops match again'') That was a closer one! (''lights yet another match'') Aah! (''drops match yet again'') Oh, thank God I'm out of matches! Oh, no, here's another one...

* A variation occurs in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. In the episode "The Waterbending Scroll", Aang is seperated from Sokka by a huge cloud of smoke originating from smoke bombs used in a battle between pirates and firebenders. Aang, getting tired of the smoke, blows it away, hoping it allows Sokka to find him... only to find himself in the middle of a battle with no less than 7 weapons pointed at him. He promptly brings the smoke back.

'''Jonny:''' Wait a minute, I got a match. (''lights it'') It says E...X...P...L...O...Ex...Explosives!\\

'''Batman:''' ''(voice from the darkness)'' [[MookHorrorShow Who says I'm leaving?]]

'''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.\\

'''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…\\

* Used in ''{{VideoGame/Normality}}'': after getting knocked down a dark hole, Kent finds himself in a room full of crates marked "Crackers", [[GenreBlind which he believes to be]] a stash of the subversive band "Crackers & Asthma". One lit match later and he realizes his mistake before the whole place blows up in a massive fireball.