History Main / TakeAMomentToCatchYourDeath

* FridayThe13th: The surviving teens dump [[spoiler:Jason's body]] off the pier, only for [[spoiler:him to break through it and drag them down.]]

* Near the end of {{Cloverfield}}, when the surviving characters have finally gotten onto the escape helicopters, they finally have a moment to relax and for the first time in the movie actually get a good idea of what the monster looks like. After cheering when the military appears to land a powerful blow against the monster, it promptly lunges out of the smoke and punches the helicopter, sealing the fate of those survivors.

Related to [[HopeSpot Hope Spot]], and has been known to involve NotQuiteSavedEnough and DiabolusExMachina. This is the kind that '''[[DeathTropes definitely ends in death]].''' Spoilers ahoy...

* ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Fellowship of the Ring]]''. Gandalf is snatched off of the bridge after uttering an audible sigh of relief. Subversion: HeGotBetter. May not be actually a subversion, because he ''doesn't'' survive. [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic He dies, and then is resurrected.]]
** Except he doesn't die from the fall. Instead he dies after a massive battle with Durin's Bane that results in the death of the Balrog as well. HeGotBetter, Durin's Bane did not.

* In ''FinalDestination 2'', Evan narrowly escapes an explosion in his apartment. In an effort to make the escape ladder drop, he trips but lands on his feet. Proclaiming his luck, he then slips on [[HoistByHisOwnPetard a pile of spaghetti he threw out the window earlier]], just as the ladder decides to fall. Amazingly it stops short right above his eye, giving him a moment to sigh in relief... [[EyeScream but then]]. [[hottip:*:\\
** ''[[OnceAnEpisode How did you know]]'' this trope would be invoked in a ''Final Destination'' film? You've [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife been here too long]].]]

* [[{{Understatement}} More than one]] SurvivalHorror film ends with the last survivor finding other humans...who shoot him, because they think he's a zombie / what-have-you. Of course, this is also a HopeSpot, so it only counts if they just escaped the [[MultiMookMelee final mook]]. Otherwise it's your garden-variety DiabolusExMachina.
** ''NightOfTheLivingDead'' has this, ITTRC.
** [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie Or the last character suddenly becomes a zombie.]]

* The film ''{{Serenity}}'' did this to [[spoiler: Wash]].

* Happens to Alan Tudyk (again!) as the Doc in ''[=~3:10 to Yuma~=]''. After escaping the miners and riding off with Ben Wade the music is soaring triumphantly. The Doc shouts to the others: "Did you see me hit that guy with the shovel [during the melee]?" and is promply shot and killed by their pursuers.

* In George R.R. Martin's "The Hedge Knight", after the CombatByChampion is over and concluded, one of champions dies abruptly.

* ''{{NCIS}}'' - [[spoiler: when Kate died]]

* Both invoked and averted by [[GenreSavvy Elan]] in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0663.html this]] OrderOfTheStick strip.

* ''Film/MasterAndCommander''. The crew board the ''Acheron'' after a sea battle, and find the deck covered with bodies. The [[GrizzledVeteran elder seaman]] (sailing master?) comments, "looks like the job is done, lads." [[BoomHeadshot Boom!]] It's an ambush.

* The end of ''AllQuietOnTheWesternFront'', immediately after [[HopeSpot the Armistice]]. The [[KillEmAll last surviving]] character sticks his head up to look at a BluebirdOfHappiness and is shot. The official report? [[ShootTheShaggyDog "All Quiet On The]] [[TitleDrop Western Front."]]

To clarify, this does NOT refer to just any sudden, shocking death like Sam Jackson's in [[DeepBlueSea Deep Blue Sea.]] The death in question must pretty immediately follow an escape from imminent peril, interrupting the peaceful tranquility of apparent success. However, the cause of death need not be the exact thing that was [[IncrediblyLamePun perilizing]] the heroes in the first place. They could be blindsided by a completely new threat or an older one they'd forgotten about. Or a wound could suddenly catch up to them -- aversions of HardHead often produce this.

* Sascha from 2012 manages to stop the plane right before it falls off the cliff. He then breathes a sigh of relief.... and the plane tilts forward... and blows up after it hits the ground.

* Sascha from [[2012 2012]] manages to stop the plane right before it falls off the cliff. He then breathes a sigh of relief.... and the plane tilts forward... and blows up after it hits the ground.

* Sascha from 2012 manages to stop the plane right before it falls off the cliff. He then breathes a sigh of relief.... and the plane tilts forward... and blows up after it hits the ground.

* In ''PokemonSpecial'', the Kanto Dex Holders [[AndZoidberg (and Silver)]] are celebrating after finally coming out on top of all the crap that happened to them throughout the FRLG arc. [[spoiler: Then they get TakenByGranite by a villain who has [[MadeOfIron no excuse for surviving]] the aforementioned crap.]]

* A straight example in the remake of ''The Longest Yard: Caretaker'' enters Crewe's cell to leave him a package. Ominous [[ScareChord music swells]], and Caretaker reaches for the lightbulb cord. We see that the bulb is suspiciously dark, as though someone has filled it with flammables - Caretaker clicks the light and nothing happens. It doesn't even turn on. The music stops. [[SorryILeftTheBGMOn He whistles and]] [[spoiler:turns on the radio, setting off an explosion that kills him tragically.]]

Also called WhewThatWasBOOM... as in... [[JohnMaddenFootball "Boom! Athletes Foot!"]] ...Only more fatal. See also VisibleSigh.

Related to [[HopeSpot Hope Spot]], and has been known to hang around with NotQuiteSavedEnough and DiabolusExMachina. This is the kind that '''[[DeathTropes definitely ends in death]].''' Spoilers ahoy...

Also called WhewThatWasBOOM... as in... [[JohnMaddenFootball "Boom! Athletes Foot!"]] ...Only more fatal.

* In [[{{Bayonetta}} Bayonetta]], after fighting one of the bosses, there is a cutscene in which one of the angelic enemies braces itself, expecting to be hit by a runaway streetcar. The car stops just before hitting the angel, and you can see the angel [[{{VisibleSigh}} sigh in relief]]-- and then the streetcar tips over and crushes it.

* This was a running joke with Mister Easter, a street-level hero from the ''GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'' who had the power to come back from the dead after three days (he's Mister ''Easter'', [[DontExplainTheJoke get it?]]). One of Mister Easter's Disadvantages was ''Fated to Die at Least Once Per Story'' and boy did he live up to that. During his crimefighting career he was hit by the bus several times, choked on a fish bone, was hit on the head by a falling fire-escape ladder, accidentally electrocuted himself, and once was stabbed to death by a bad guy who wasn't quite dead. And the GM always managed to make his death a perfect TakeAMomentToCatchYourDeath moments.

* In [[{{Bayonetta}} Bayonetta]], after fighting one of the bosses, there is a cutscene in which one of the angelic enemies braces itself, expecting to be hit by a runaway streetcar. The car stops just before hitting the angel, and you can see the angel sigh in relief-- [[spoiler: and then the streetcar tips over and crushes it.]]

* In [[{{Bayonetta}} Bayonetta]], after fighting one of the bosses, there is a cutscene in which one of the angelic enemies braces itself, expecting to be hit by a runaway train car. The car stops just before hitting the angel, and you can see the angel sigh in relief-- and then the train car tips over and crushes it.

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[[folder:Web Original]]
* This was a running joke with Mister Easter, a street-level hero from the ''GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'' who had the power to come back from the dead after three days (he's Mister ''Easter'', [[DontExplainTheJoke get it?]]). One of Mister Easter's Disadvantages was ''Fated to Die at Least Once Per Story'' and boy did he live up to that. During his crimefighting career he was hit by the bus several times, choked on a fish bone, was hit on the head by a falling fire-escape ladder, accidentally electrocuted himself, and once was stabbed to death by a bad guy who wasn't quite dead. And the GM always managed to make his death a perfect TakeAMomentToCatchYourDeath moments.