History Main / UnsafeHaven

* In the Disney version of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', one can [[SeekingSanctuary claim sanctuary in the church]] [[TruthInTelevision and not be harassed by the soldiers]]. [[GoodShepherd The Archdeacon]] successfully forces [[BigBad Frollo]] to withdraw at the film's midpoint. Later on in the film, it's only a paper-thin barrier. Of course, this also turns everyone in town against Frollo.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' adventure I12 ''Egg of the Phoenix''. After the Forces of Evil steal the Egg from Doc's Island, the {{PC}}s manage to retrieve it. The Council of Northending has them take the Egg back to Doc's Island, where it is put in exactly the same place and with the same security as it had before. Not surprisingly, the Forces of Evil manage to steal it again almost immediately.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': Professor laboratories, daycares, and the Pokemon Centers are supposed to serve as safe storage centers where trainers can safely leave their Pokemon that can't keep on hand at the time. And yet they've been the unfortunate targets of countless Team Rocket heists.

* A villainous example in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''. One of the Seven Sages thought it would be a laugh riot to put a Team Plasma hideout ''right across the street from the Castelia City Pokemon Gym'', and was surprised when Trainers led by the Gym Leader started storming the place looking for their friends' "liberated" Pokemon. [[SubvertedTrope Unlike other examples though]], this doesn't derail Team Plasma's plans in the long run. [[{{Foreshadowing}} But it is a taste of what they, or rather [[spoiler:[[BigBad Ghetsis]]]]'s, [[TakeOverTheWorld true plans are should they succeed]] in "freeing" everyone's Pokemon]].

* A villainous example in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''. One of the Seven Sages thought it would be a laugh riot to put a Team Plasma hideout ''right across the street from the Castelia City Pokemon Gym'', and was surprised when Trainers led by the Gym Leader started storming the place looking for their friends' "liberated" Pokemon.

This is a common trope in any PoliceProcedural involving a witness, to the point of enforcing NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished throughout TV-land and implying that [[RuleOfDrama no witness]] in police protective custody is safe.

* ''Film/MaryQueenOfScots'': In both versions of the film, which are based on true events, Mary escapes to England and seeks refuge with her cousin Elizabeth, who turns out to be the big bad.

* In the Disney version of ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', one can [[SeekingSanctuary claim sanctuary in the church]] [[TruthInTelevision and not be harassed by the soldiers]]. [[GoodShepherd The Archdeacon]] successfully forces [[BigBad Frollo]] to withdraw at the film's midpoint. Later on in the film, it's only a paper-thin barrier. Of course, this also turns everyone in town against Frollo.

Unfortunately, this "safe haven" was really an [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin unsafe haven]] -- a supposedly secure place that is either [[SwissCheeseSecurity glaringly penetrable]] or [[HiddenInPlainSight too conspicuous]] to truly be called safe [[note]] more often than not, because the prophecy or whatever that is guiding the heroes is also well-known to the villain, and the safe haven was part of that prophecy. The villain then found a way around whatever defenses were put in place to stop them from getting into this one place. the haven really was safe...until it wasn't[[/note]]

* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' the Speedwagon Foundation averts this. What makes it especially notable is that in the field, Speedwagon Foundation agents tend to be RedShirts. Regardless, whenever the Speedwagon Foundation manages to secure an object from the villains or, in one case, even the actual ''body'' of a villain who can regenerate if not kept under the proper conditions, it is secured permanently, and even when an agent is killed, it will usually be after they have accomplished what they were there to do.

* ''WesternAnimation/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs''. Flint's lab ''looks'' secure, but the big electronic door is actually just a ConcealingCanvas with fake biometrics that Flint ''pretends'' is real. There is also a computer voice that ''seems'' to identify whoever enters, but really just says "Welcome, Flint" no matter who walks in. Midway through the movie the [[CorruptBureaucrat mayor]] gets in uninvited (despite being [[FatBastard morbidly obese]] and confined to a motorized scooter) and Flint asks [[LampshadeHanging how he did it]].

* In ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', Shepherd Book stays in a place called Haven. During the movie, it's attacked by the Alliance and its population killed.
* [[TheFilmOfTheBook Film]] version of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'':
** Invoked in ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' as a shortcut to explain why the One Ring cannot just stay in Rivendell. Throughout the first part of the film the hobbits -- and us -- are led to believe that ''"the Ring will be safe in Rivendell"'' -- until Elrond tells Gandalf otherwise. This is only in the film as a drama-preserving handicap for the sake of maintaining tension. In the books, and for the [[ForegoneConclusion attentive viewer]], Rivendell is obviously not the final destination...
** Played with in ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers The Two Towers]]'' in the case of Helm's Deep; it's hard to ''defeat'' but it's attacked despite being thought of as a safe place. Saruman raised an army bigger than had ever attacked it before and innovatively used an explosive to weaken the wall. On top of that, it's very unsafe from the standpoint that there's only one way in or out of it, which means that once the orcs arrive there's no means for those inside to escape.
* Nanking in ''Film/TheCityOfLifeAndDeath''. The Safety Zone is repeatedly violated by the Japanese soldiers.
* In ''Film/{{Hook}}'', the Lost Boys' hideout is this, which WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic noted, complete with a large arrow.
-->'''Critic:''' So he [Peter] goes back to the hideout... which really isn't a hideout; it's a tree with lights.

* ''Film/MaryQueenOfScots'': In both versions of the film, which are based on true events, Mary escapes to England and seeks refuge with her cousin Elizabeth, who turns out to be the big bad.
* ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'' has the pub The Winchester, which really provides no protection from zombies other than a big door. Surrounded by glass windows. One of which is broken by the good guys trying to get ''in''. Not to mention the zombie INSIDE THE PUB.

* In ''Film/TheTerminator'', Lt. Traxler assures Sarah Connor she'll be safe in the police station since more than 30 officers are on duty inside. Unfortunately, he doesn't know the assailant pursuing Sarah is an armored cyborg from the future that is virtually immune to small arms fire, and it's able to blast its way through the police quite easily.

* In ''Film/BatmanForever'', Dick Grayson accidentally stumbles into the Batcave, resulting in the Batcave's security alarm going off... while simultaneously ''turning on all of the gadgets and vehicles out on display'', and not actually doing anything to remove the intruder.

* In ''[[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia Prince Caspian]]'' this is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] when the main characters (the Pevensie kids and Trumpkin the dwarf) waltz right into their safe haven without being challenged, and Trumpkin comments that their side sure doesn't keep good watch. They do eventually get stopped by a pair of guards but the main characters could have done quite a lot of damage had they been hostile.

* ''Series/{{Lost}}'' has the Temple. It's a mysterious location alluded to throughout the early seasons; Ben Linus tells his daughter to go there because it will act as a safe place, in S4. But when the time comes for [[spoiler:the Smoke Monster]] to get in, he manages this feat in less than an episode.

* ''Series/{{Hogans Heroes}}''. Laughably, Stalag 13 is both easy to break out of and easy to break into and the series deals with Hogan and co. dealing with escapees from other prison camps and various important agents sneaking into the camp without any notice from the Germans.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast''
** We have the aptly-called Sanctuary, where Princess Zelda takes refuge after Link saves her from confinement in Hyrule Castle. It's supposed to be a safe place, even though it's kind of in the open and that enemy knights are kind of ''on patrol'' outside. Why Ganon didn't find it and capture Zelda ''sooner'', like before Link got the Master Sword, is anybody's guess.
** [[spoiler:Hyrule Castle]] itself is also this in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''. After [[spoiler:the truth of Tetra being the successor to the Hyrulian Royal Family's bloodline is revealed]], Zelda is kept in the same chamber that the Master Sword was kept. Of course, considering that Link cleansed the place of Ganon's forces only a few hours or so before, it was no surprise that Ganon found her.

* Any time a game forces you, the hero, to give up a {{Macguffin}} or [[SaveThePrincess Princess]] you've rescued, they're as good as re-kidnapped. Such is the case of the [[AmplifierArtifact Divine Rods]] in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}''. In this case you [[spoiler:gave them to TheDragon while she was in disguise.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Skyrim}}'', you have the [[MurderInc Dark Brotherhood's]] Sanctuary. It seems extremely secure, with the Black Door requiring a password to enter. When you reach it, the leader says "You won't find a safer place in all of Skyrim." That is true until [[spoiler:Astrid betrays you and the Penitus Oculatus kills nearly everyone in the Sanctuary]]

* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes''. The vault of the Modern Arcane Guild of Investigation (MAGI) is so prone to having supposedly safe [[MacGuffin macguffins]] recaptured after being locked in it that it has become a RunningGag among players.
* New players in ''VideoGame/EveOnline'' occasionally start with the impression that high-security space is safe. They learn very fast that it isn't.
* The safe havens in ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' are generally, well, safe, being cones of light that drive off the Taken. Except that the havens are powered, and if the power goes out [[OhCrap while you're standing there...]]
* In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', the owner of Kendo's Guns assures your character that he/she will be safe in his store, given that he's keeping a close eye on things. Unfortunately, the huge glass windows of his shop weren't part of those aforementioned things, and so zombies quickly crash through them while he's not looking (FridgeLogic: wouldn't a gun store have security shutters or bars to keep that sort of thing from happening?) and munch him down like a baked chicken, at which point you can either haul ass from your now-compromised shelter or fight off the horde and claim poor Mr. Kendo's weapon for your own.
** Averted in the VideoGameRemake where you merely pass through because Mr Kendo is [[AdaptationalAngstUpgrade not in the best of moods...]]

* A villainous example in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''. One of the Seven Sages thought it would be a laugh riot to put a Team Plasma hideout ''right across the street from the Castelia City Pokemon Gym'', and was surprised when Trainers led by the Gym Leader started storming the place looking for their friends' "liberated" Pokemon.

* ''Film/TwentyEightWeeksLater'' has the military lock all the civilians in a large-ish room "for their own safety". They leave a door unguarded. A single infected simply uses himself as a club to break open the door, run in, and... {{hilarity ensues}}.

** Played with in ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers The Two Towers]]'' in the case of Helm's Deep; it's hard to ''defeat'' but it's attacked despite being thought of as a safe place. Saruman raised an army bigger than had ever attacked it before and innovatively used an explosive to weaken the wall.

* In ''Film/{{Hook}}'', the Lost Boys' hideout is this, which [[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic]] noted, complete with a large arrow.

* In ''Film/{{Hook}}'', the Lost Boys' hideout is this, which the [[Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses Nostalgia Critic]] noted, complete with a large arrow.

There's supposed to be this place down the street, the other side of the mountains or deep in the forest that's said to be very safe from outsiders. It's either well hidden, well protected, or otherwise impregnable. So you put your trust into this haven, relieved to know that there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that anything bad's gonna happen to you, the important person or thing while you're in there.

* In ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', Shepherd Book stays in a place called Haven. During the movie it's attacked by the Alliance and its population killed.

* ''Film/MaryQueenOfScots'': In both versions of the film, which are based on true events, Mary escapes to England and seeks refuge with her cousin Elizabeth, who turns out to the be the big bad.

* In ''Film/TheTerminator'', Lt. Traxler assures Sarah Connor she'll be safe in the police station since more then 30 officers are on duty inside. Unfortunately, he doesn't know the assailant pursuing Sarah is an armored cyborg from the future that is virtually immune to small arms fire, and it's able to blast its way through the police quite easily.

** Hogwarts is supposed to be the safest place in the world, despite the fact that it's infiltrated every single year by the bad guys. The first book recurses the trope -- [[MacGuffin the Philosopher's Stone]] is protected by a DeathCourse ''within'' Hogwarts, but Voldemort had already made his way into Hogwarts and has no difficulty getting past the obstacles... except the last one. [[spoiler:[[SecretTestOfCharacter You could only get the Stone if you had no intention of using it.]]]] He had to wait for three eleven-year-olds to ''also'' complete the supposedly impossible course, so that Harry could accidentally solve the last puzzle for him.

* Creator/BernardCornwell's ''The Pagan Lord'' sees a Danish warlord with ambitions gather an army and march south out of Mercia to attempt to defeat Wessex, in the aftermath of the death of Alfred the Great and the accession of a decidely unready King Ethelred.[[note]](Modern English used for convenience -- it ''should'' be [=Æ=]lfread and [=Æ=]thælred.)[[/note]] He marches four thousand men south into England and leaves his wife and heirs in his fortress at Chester, guarded by only fifty or so elderly and wounded Danes, reasoning the Sazons will be too distracted by events in their heartlands to think of mounting a hostage-taking raid. Then Uhtred of Babbenburg rides in with thirty men, claiming to be late-arriving Danes wanting to join the fight and grab plunder. They get the plunder -- Cnut's wife and children.

* ''VideoGame/GuildWars''. In the ''Nightfall'' campaign, two of the three Vabbian princes try to retreat to such a sanctuary. The players break in to get them involved in the war again, before the bad guys have a chance to reach it.

* New players in ''VideoGame/EveOnline'' occasionally start with the impression that high security space is safe. They learn very fast that it isn't.

* The Shen Gong Wu "Vault" in ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' really ought be called the Shen Gong Wu Grab n Go. The vault does such a lousy job of keeping the warriors' Wu safe that even [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Jack Spicer]] can swoop on in and leave with a sack full of the powerful weapons with the warriors none the wiser. It gets so bad, that in one episode Dojo actually screams in frustration [[LampshadeHanging about why they don't get a proper lock for the vault]].

* In the Disney version of ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', one can [[SeekingSanctuary claim sanctuary in the church]] [[TruthInTelevision and not be harassed by the soldiers]]. [[GoodShepherd The Archdeacon]] successfully forces [[BigBad Frollo]] to withdraw at the film's midpoint. Later on in the film, it's only a paper-thin barrier. Of course, this also turns everyone in town against Frollo.

So you have this [[EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses princess]]/person/[[MacGuffin item]]/whatever of great importance that you totally need to keep hidden or protected from the bad guys (or maybe even the good guys). Or maybe you need to go into hiding for a while and bide your time before you kick your enemy's big, flabby tushy. No problem!

* In the Disney version of ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', one can [[SeekingSanctuary claim sanctuary in the church]] [[TruthInTelevision and not be harassed by the soldiers]]. [[GoodShepherd The Arch Deacon]] successfully forces [[BigBad Frollo]] to withdraw at the film's midpoint. Later on in the film, it's only a paper-thin barrier. Of course, this also turns everyone in town against Frollo.

Unfortunately, this "safe haven" was really an [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin unsafe haven]] -- a supposedly secure place that is either [[SwissCheeseSecurity glaringly penetrable]] or [[HiddenInPlainSight too conspicuous]] to truly be called safe.