History Main / PendulumOfDeath

* The Sen's Fortress in the first ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'' has these. The Dungeon also full of traps like pressure plates that shoots arrow, falling boulders, and others.

* One episode of Disney Television's ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'' titled "A Lad In His Lamp" had the villain's henchman Mole attain possession of a magic lamp, complete with obedient genie. When the Rangers attempt to confiscate the lamp, Fat Cat roars at Mole to "wish for something, you ninny!" The next instant shows the captured Rangers affixed beneath an oscillating blade, watching its slow descent. In a PetTheDog moment, Fat Cat declares, "Why, Mole, you surprise me."
* On ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' episode "Dr. Sinister", Fred and Barney are caught in a situation like this one. Fred asks Barney what James Bondrock would do in such a situation. Barney remembers him using the pendulum to [[spoiler:cut his hand bonds]] -- which he does and it works!
* In the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'' episode "The Ties That Bind," when Granny Goodness captures Oberon, she places him in a deathtrap with three three large blades swinging back and forth above him and slowly descending.

* ''WesternAnimation/RubySpearsSuperMan'': ThemeSerialKiller Bonechill kidnaps the Daily Planet staff and leaves them in Poe-themed death traps to distract Superman. Perry White almost gets sliced open by a swinging pendulum.
* In ''Series/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow'' episode "The Adventures of Sherlock Mario", the gang (Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool) are captured by "Professor Koopiarty", Bowser's Sherlock Holmes-themed alter ego for the episode. They get tied up and subject to this, Koopiarty taunting them with "In a few moments, you'll be sliced salami!" as he starts the blade.
* ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies'': In Episode 23, "Do You Believe in Magic?", the Villain, an evil StageMagician, uses one of these as a DeathTrap to dispose of the spies. The spies escape by using one of their gadgets to rotate the table they have been chained to 90 degrees, so they can get the swinging blade to cut through their shackles.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': The Night Watch's Scythe is functionally a giant bladed pendulum with a chain that grazes the Wall in case intruders attempt to climb it, cutting or crushing everything in its path. It is used on hapless Wildlings during the battle of Castle Black at the end of Season 4.

* ''Manga/YuGiOh'': The first Machine monster of "Bandit" Keith Howard that we get to see is Pendulum Machine, called Furikoyaiba no Gōmonkikai in Japan, which translates to "Pendulum Blade Torture Machine". As you can guess, it's a pendulum blade monster with arms to grab the enemy before cutting them with its pendulum.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

-->''Awake again - paralyzed\\

The Blade - descending lost in time\\

* On ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' episode "Dr. Sinister", Fred and Barney are caught in a situation like this one. Fred asks Barney what James Bondrock would do in such a situation. Barney remembers him using the pendulum to [[spoiler:cut his hand bonds]] - which he does and it works!

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' has an enemy fought in the Shinra Mansion that has the top half of a man, the bottom half of a bladed pendulum and attacks by swinging at your party from a chain. If you're lucky enough, you can knock it off the chain making it helpless for a few turns.

* The DynamicDifficulty dungeon Torghast, Tower of the Damned from the ''Shadowlands'' ExpansionPack of ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' has several room entrances where a pendulum will swing and inflict damage on the player if the player doesn't move fast enough.

* ''Anime/{{Wolverine}}'': Pendulums of Death are among the various traps found on Hell Road. Logan and Yukio almost fall victim to them when navigating the road, and getting stuck in wet cement.

* Used twice in ''Manga/{{Yaiba}}'' as part of a DeathCourse, first in Ryuujin's labyrinth test, then on the bridge leading to the Oda Nobunaga's tournament grounds on Yoroi Island. In the latter's case, it's part of a test to gauge the strength of the partecipants. [[spoiler: In the former's case, they force the heroes to go forward to hide the fact that the exit of the Labyrinth is the entrance itself.]]

* This is the threat of the Scissor Twins urging you to go forward in ''VideoGame/ClockTower3''. They're holding Alyssa's friend Dennis in this situation. [[spoiler: At one point, the pendulum stops swinging and drops straight on him.]][[spoiler:Good thing it's just a dummy.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies'': In episode 23, "Do You Believe in Magic?", the Villain, an evil StageMagician, uses one of these as a DeathTrap to dispose of the spies. The spies escape by using one of their gadgets to rotate the table they have been chained to 90 degrees, so they can get the swinging blade to cut through their shackles.

A classic DeathTrap, tracing its origins to Creator/EdgarAllanPoe's ''Literature/ThePitAndThePendulum''. The hero is strapped to a table beneath a blade mounted on a pendulum. When activated, the pendulum descends slightly with each swing, gradually getting closer to the hero.

* Creator/RogerCorman's 1961 version of ''Film/ThePitAndThePendulum'' has little to do with its namesake outside of utilizing the trope toward its finale. The film centers around a sixteenth century Englishman visiting his brother-in-law's castle to investigate the death of his sister.

* Referenced in "The Poet and the Pendulum" by Music/{{Nightwish}}:

[[caption-width-right:349:"Down — steadily down it crept. [...] To the right — to the left — far and wide — with the shriek of a damned spirit!"]]

A classic DeathTrap, tracing its origins to Creator/EdgarAllanPoe's "Literature/ThePitAndThePendulum". The hero is strapped to a table beneath a blade mounted on a pendulum. When activated, the pendulum descends slightly with each swing, gradually getting closer to the hero.

** The 2009 version directed by David [=DeCoteau=] also bears little resemblance to the original story but utilizes the large swinging pendulum in the penultimate scene. The film follows a group of university students who visit a hypnotherapy institute lorded over by a sinister hypnotist who wants to use the students to experiment with the possibility of breaking the pain threshold.

* One episode of Disney Television's ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'' titled "A Lad In His Lamp" had TheVillain's henchman Mole attain possession of a magic lamp, complete with obedient genie. When the Rangers attempt to confiscate the lamp, Fat Cat roars at Mole to "wish for something, you ninny!" The next instant shows the captured Rangers affixed beneath an oscillating blade, watching its slow descent. In a PetTheDog moment, Fat Cat declares, "Why, Mole, you surprise me."