| 1 | %% Trope was declared Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease via crowner by the Real Life Maintenance thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php?crowner_id=ybe62x86 |
| 2 | %%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13350380440A15238800 |
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| 8 | %% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks! |
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| 14 | [[quoteright:350:[[Film/{{Brazil}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brazil_torture.png]]]] |
| 15 | [[caption-width-right:350:In addition to the physical torture, [[UncannyValley the doll mask adds to the psychological torture]].]] |
| 16 | |
| 17 | ->''"Beautiful, isn't it? It took me half a lifetime to invent it. I'm sure you've discovered my deep and abiding interest in pain. Presently I'm writing the definitive work on the subject, so I want you to be totally honest with me on how the machine makes you feel."'' |
| 18 | -->-- '''Count Rugen''', ''Film/ThePrincessBride'' |
| 19 | |
| 20 | A guy who makes a "science" or "art" out of [[ColdBloodedTorture tearing body parts loose and inflicting serious pain]]. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | The Torture Technician [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin does just what his name implies.]] Residing in his own TortureCellar, he takes the heroes and turns them into screaming, skinned shambles. He makes for prime NightmareFuel, as he's often sadistic to the point of overblowing it. Note that many Torture Technicians apparently believe we're still in the Middle Ages as far as [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique interrogation techniques]] go. That is, if they're not down with [[ElectricTorture electricity]]. Though a fair number favor "upgrading" their arsenal with the use of a RoboticTortureDevice. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | An alternative version of the Torture Technician is when he is not a sadist but completely unemotional about his job, in a PunchClockVillain-like way. He shows neither empathy nor remorse nor pleasure in torturing his victims; it's just a job at which he's really good. It usually makes him even scarier, since sadism is a simple thing but it is much harder to make any sense of someone who lacks any kind of emotional response to suffering. Such Torture Technicians are usually described and/or depicted as [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse having plain and unremarkable features]]. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | The Torture Technician typically isn't very physically strong, however. There's no real reason for him to be; all his enemies are restrained. When they do get free, however, the Torture Technician is usually taken out fairly easily, or better yet, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard fed to his own machines]]. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | [[ThoseWackyNazis If he's a fat, giggling, whip-toting, possibly gay Nazi]], he's probably one of these. Compare the ExaltedTorturer which is basically the "heroic" version of this. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | ---- |
| 31 | !!Examples: |
| 32 | |
| 33 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 34 | |
| 35 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 36 | * ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'': |
| 37 | ** Mr. Tick does some pretty nasty things with scissors. |
| 38 | ** Vino the assassin is another great example; he boasts about knowing many different torture techniques as a result of his profession, but his favorite seems to be [[MutilationInterrogation hanging people from moving trains and letting the rails slowly grind parts off their body]]. |
| 39 | ** Considering what happened to [[CementShoes Dallas]], no matter how deserved, proves that Luck is just as capable. |
| 40 | ** Fermet got away with it toward Czeslaw for roughly 200 years. |
| 41 | * ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': |
| 42 | ** That creepy guy from the Golden Age arc locking up Guts and Casca in the dungeon cell with [[spoiler:Griffith]], the guy they had come to rescue, and it turns out that he was responsible for [[spoiler:Griffith]]'s horrific year-long torture. Among other things, he slashed the tendons in [[spoiler:Griffith's]] wrists and ankles, and even giddily shows them that he [[TongueTrauma cut his tongue]] out and ''made it into a necklace''. In response, Guts smashes through the door with his {{BFS}}, runs him through, and [[KarmicDeath cuts his own tongue out]] before [[DisneyVillainDeath sending him on a long fall to his death]]. |
| 43 | ** Mozgus's followers in the Conviction Arc torture people as punishment for defying the Church. The story actually shows them in a sympathetic light: they all suffer from deformities that made them outcasts, but Mozgus took them in and gave them purpose. One of their number even admits he doesn't particularly ''like'' torturing, but he would do anything to repay Mozgus's kindness toward him. [[spoiler:All of them are turned into Apostle Spawn by the Egg of the Perfect World, and are slaughtered by Guts as he rescues Casca from Mozgus.]] |
| 44 | * ''Manga/DeadmanWonderland'': The sadist doctor, Rei Takashima. Removing a body part or an organ from a living person ('''''without anaesthesia''''') is her '''''favourite''''' part of the job. So much she's hugely disappointed when (due to rigging the Punishment game slot machine) she can only cut Minatsuki's hair because it's not "exciting". |
| 45 | * [[spoiler:What Erika and Walker used to be]] in ''Literature/{{Durarara}}''. |
| 46 | * Daichi of the Element Four from ''Manga/EdensZero'' is an exaggerated case as he is apparently addicted to torture to the point of having a therapy group to help with it. Its effectiveness is questionable as they are rather flexible on what counts as torture, and Daichi himself has trouble controlling his urges, especially when dealing with pretty women. |
| 47 | * In ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', the small town of Hinamizawa has some dark secrets in its history, including a shrine storeroom loaded with medieval torture devices that were once used to discourage townspeople from moving away from the village. [[spoiler:Sonozaki Shion]] puts the Sonozaki family's old-fashioned underground torture cellar to good use during her FreakOut. |
| 48 | * Feitan from ''Manga/HunterXHunter''. He's also one of the strongest fighters in his crew, possessing powers and skills not related to his torture methods. |
| 49 | * Subyss from ''Manga/{{Innocent}}'' manga by Creator/ShinichiSakamoto is quite a flamboyant one. He views his "profession" as an "art form" and drinks when unable to torture and is particularly gruesome in his methods (which include melted sulfur). |
| 50 | * Ibiki Morino in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', although his preferred method is psychological torture. |
| 51 | * In ''Literature/Overlord2012'', the {{Cthulhumanoid}} known as Neuronist Painkill serves as torture officer for the Great Tomb of Nazarick. |
| 52 | * [[spoiler: Masako Natsume's penguin Esmeralda]] in ''Anime/{{Penguindrum}}''. |
| 53 | * Parodied in ''Manga/TisTimeForTorturePrincess'', where Tortura and the other Harm-Marshals of the Hellhorde are able to interrogate the Princess with [[FoodInterrogation delicious food]], video games, and [[MundaneLuxury other simple pleasures]]. |
| 54 | * Yamori from ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' is this when he isn't out being TheBrute. It isn't clear what he was like prior to being imprisoned by [[CreatureHunterOrganization CCG]], but during his captivity, he became the victim of a sadistic Investigator and [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil tortured]] until he went insane. When he finally escaped, he had taken on his tormentor's personality and became a [[Franchise/FridayThe13th hockey-mask wearing]] sadist nicknamed "Jason" for his brutality. He keeps a [[TortureCellar "hobby room"]] and hunts for other Ghouls to make his playthings. |
| 55 | * Martin, one of the Aldaac terrorists in ''Manga/TrainPlusTrain''. We get a detailed look at his tools, and he gets to work on protagonist Reiichi, tearing one of his fingernails out before making him give in. Oh, and he's like fourteen years old. |
| 56 | * ''Manga/YuGiOh'': |
| 57 | ** In the manga (only), Seto Kaiba's butler Damien is a professional torturer... and an amusement park ride designer. [[AmusementParkOfDoom These two facts are not unrelated.]] |
| 58 | ** Dark Malik is one too. He's actually a CombatSadomasochist, and in the manga, he is ''getting off'' to this. |
| 59 | [[/folder]] |
| 60 | |
| 61 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 62 | * ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}} [[Recap/AsterixTheGaul the Gaul]]'' features a rather cheerful Roman torturer. |
| 63 | * Psyklops, a psychic vampire working for the Dark Destroyer in ''ComicBook/AtariForce'', feeds off pain. |
| 64 | * In ''ComicBook/BackToBrooklyn'', [[TheDragon Churchill]] is [[BigBad Paul Saetta]]'s "pet psychopath". |
| 65 | * ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' villain Black Mask was re-imagined as such in the early 2000s; he cites reading up on the Spanish Inquisition as an inspiration for him. His most notorious acts in this vein include torturing ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}'s brother-in-law to death and driving her sister permanently insane by force-feeding her his eyeballs, and torturing and ([[DeathIsCheap for a while]]) killing Stephanie Brown during the ''[[ComicBook/BatmanWarGames War Games]]'' crossover event. |
| 66 | * ''ComicBook/TheDarkness'' has an appearance by a nerdy-looking fellow, Mr. Vespasian, described as the ultimate torturer. He took out an odd, hooked, and twisted blade and did [[GoryDiscretionShot something]] to ''his own arm'' with it -- something that made hardened criminals gag and look away in horror. "Ow," the torturer said cheerfully. "That hurt." Then he leaned close to the man he was supposed to interrogate and added, "Now imagine what I'm going to do to ''you''." The victim immediately spilled everything he knew... (And then Vespasian's employer gave him permission to work the guy over anyway.) |
| 67 | * In ''ComicBook/{{Empire}}'', the EvilOverlord Golgoth has a typical inner circle of lieutenants. One of them is the "Minister of Punishment", [[MeaningfulName Tumbril]], whose characterization can be summed up in one line: |
| 68 | -->'''Tumbril:''' I mean, you give me an enemy of the state, I'm good for an afternoon. I'd do this for free. |
| 69 | * The [[MeaningfulName Paine brothers]] -- [=DeSade=], Crispo and Torquemada -- from ''ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel''. They were hired by Cobra and were assigned by TheBaroness to torture Snake-Eyes while he was imprisoned in the Cobra Consulate. |
| 70 | * Radio/TheGreenHornet falls into the clutches of one in Dynamite's ''ComicBook/TheGreenHornet: Year One'', and very nearly doesn't make it out alive (or intact). |
| 71 | %%* Darth Havok from ''ComicBook/{{Legacy}}'' |
| 72 | * ''ComicBook/LobsterRandom'' is a rare example of one being [[VillainProtagonist the protagonist]]. |
| 73 | * ''ComicBook/TheMiceTemplar'' has Boris the Royal Torturer, who specializes in...well, torture. He also has no problem handing his "subjects" over to be sacrificed for Druids. |
| 74 | * ''ComicBook/NewGods'': |
| 75 | ** Darkseid's lackey [=DeSaad=]. The name says it all. Considering that the Fourth Worlders are apparently embodied Platonic Ideals, this makes him the God of Torture. Yikes. |
| 76 | ** Darkseid's other lackey Granny Goodness is also a master torturer. Unlike [=DeSaad=], she doesn't do it for interrogation, she practices it on orphans ForTheEvulz. |
| 77 | ** Darkseid himself will indulge if he doesn't have any minions around to do the torturing for him. While his Omega Beams can certainly act as an AgonyBeam at their lowest power, sometimes he'll get creative and use the Omega Sanction- a GroundhogDayLoop where the victim endures progressively worse lives ending in one painful, ignoble death after another. [[AndIMustScream They stay in that loop as long as Darkseid wants them to]], and Darkseid is not one to show his victims anything resembling mercy. |
| 78 | * PlayedForLaughs in the ''ComicBook/{{Oink}}'' strip "Torture Twins''. |
| 79 | * In the Belgian comics ''Passe-moi l'ciel'', Hell is full of this, with demons council always searching for new techniques. However, when Pinosecu's (mix of Pinochet and Ceausescu) torture officer is brought to Hell, he ends up torturing the demons to show them how to do it better. |
| 80 | * ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'': Not a villain, but Frank Castle sometimes qualifies, especially in [[ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX the MAX series]]. Make Frank really angry, and you'll wish he was just practicing the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique. |
| 81 | * ''ComicBook/Robin1993'': Johnny Warlock is a mob enforcer whose job includes torturing people, not necessarily to get answers but to send a message. This is by far his favorite part of the job and he once tortured a woman for a day while waiting for her boyfriend to maybe show up even though she had nothing to do with the stolen object his boss wanted. |
| 82 | * Mr. Brass from ''ComicBook/{{Scalped}}'' is a particularly sadistic torturer. |
| 83 | * Creator/DCComics has got Kid Karnevil, who first appeared in ''ComicBook/{{Shadowpact}}'' and later in ''ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica''. He's [[TheSociopath a teenage sociopath]] dressed like a boy scout, and later revealed to be a Neo-Nazi, who apparently died and went to Hell but was kicked out because [[EvenEvilHasStandards he was scaring the other demons too much]]. |
| 84 | * Davis from the ''ComicBook/SinCity'' story "The Big Fat Kill" is described as an "artist" when it comes to torture, able to put someone through sheer agony without leaving a single mark on the victim, and it's implied that he's even nastier when the "tools" come out. We don't get to see what he does with the tools, because Dwight, along with all the girls of Old Town, pitch in to save Gail in a BigDamnHeroes moment. In the movie, Davis's role is handed off to Manute. |
| 85 | * In the opening scenes of ''ComicBook/{{Sojourn}}'', BigBad Mordath is seen casually torturing a man so brutally that even his [[AllTrollsAreDifferent Troll]] {{Mooks}} are squicked by it. |
| 86 | * Subverted with Herr Doktor Kilikil in the ''ComicBook/SpirouAndFantasio'' adventure "QRN On Bretzelburg": his methods involve scraping chalk on a blackboard, or cooking a lavish and fragrant meal in front of a hungry prisoner. He's so good at it that he eventually becomes a restaurant cook. |
| 87 | * In ''ComicBook/{{Tomahawk}}'' #112, Tomahawk becomes obsessed with hunting down the Hessian officer Van Grote: a [[BaldOfEvil bald-headed]] [[ANaziByAnyOtherName proto-Nazi]] who specializes in extracting information from prisoners. |
| 88 | * ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': |
| 89 | ** The Decepticon Justice Division in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' all fit this to some degree. Most of them ''transform'' into torture devices. Torture devices capable of inflicting unspeakable pain on ''giant robots''. Except for Vos and Tarn. The former likes to make his victims [[http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/9/97/Mtmte_vos_wear_my_face.jpg wear his]] [[MurderousMask face]]. The latter [[spoiler: simply modulates his voice to extinguish sparks.]] |
| 90 | ** Overlord's minion Stalker tortures Twin Twist, Springer, Impactor, and many more in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersLastStandOfTheWreckers''. |
| 91 | ** In ''Dark Cybertron'', Whirl catches an Ammonite before it can get away and while we don't see his methods they prove pretty quick and effective -- it seems he skips straight to the hurting part until he gets the answers he wants. |
| 92 | --->'''Whirl:''' He said he'd tell us everything if I promised to stop hurting him. |
| 93 | * ComicBook/{{X 23}} has been on ''both'' sides of this trope. |
| 94 | ** As her primary purpose function has been indicated to focus on covert operations and assassination, she has revealed or hinted at her experience of using torture to extract information, such as by describing her protocols for extraction of information ''in French class'' while going to school with her cousin in ''Target: X'', or being outright depicted using torture during her stint on ''ComicBook/XForce'' or in her solo series. Her willingness to use these techniques often puts her at odds with her teammates. |
| 95 | ** Her AxCrazy handler Kimura has been frequently shown torturing Laura, her friends, or her loved ones (such as punishing Laura ''with a chainsaw'' for escaping), and this is clearly shown to be ''part of the job''. Xander Rice did it as part of the process of preparing her as a weapon (special mention goes to conditioning her for the trigger scent, which involved waterboarding and ''electric shock''), and while his treatment of Laura is clearly established to be RevengeByProxy, the adult Rice is introduced in ''[[ComicBook/X23InnocenceLost Innocence Lost]]'' while performing experimentation on mutants which ends with the death of one of the subjects. Malcolm Colcord also utilized torture on Laura and various random citizens of Madripoor during his attempts to resume Weapon X experimentation. |
| 96 | [[/folder]] |
| 97 | |
| 98 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 99 | * ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' played this for BlackComedy in a few strips portraying torturers as BobFromAccounting-type office drones. |
| 100 | -->"You know, Russell, you're a great torturer. I mean, you can make a man scream for mercy in nothing flat... but boy, you sure can't make a good cup of coffee." |
| 101 | [[/folder]] |
| 102 | |
| 103 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 104 | * Tortura from the infamous ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' fanfic ''Fanfic/AgonyInPink'' is a monster created from books, reports, and essays about torture, and is ''very good at it.'' |
| 105 | * Parodied in this ''Manga/DeathNote'' [[http://imgur.com/7D2muK4 fanart]], where Matt has all these scary-looking surgical instruments at his disposal with which to torture Light into admitting he's Kira...and chooses instead to [[EnemyEatsYourLunch eat Light's]] [[TrademarkFavoriteFood potato chips]] in front of him. Cue Light begging for mercy and promising to tell Matt anything he wants to hear. |
| 106 | * ''Fanfic/DumbledoresArmyAndTheYearOfDarkness'': |
| 107 | ** The Carrows regularly try new torture methods on rebellious students. |
| 108 | ** Never mind Professor Hans [[MeaningfulName Belsen]], brought in (if briefly) to demonstrate his research on unruly students. Given that he is plainly based on real Nazi scientists.... * shudder* |
| 109 | * Volsky in the ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' fic ''Fanfic/{{Forward}}''. Considering who he works for... |
| 110 | * ''Fanfic/{{Frostbite}}'': Dalsh Ruul, [[DiscussedTrope by his own admission]]. |
| 111 | -->“[[ShoutOut I think this is very pretty.]] ... [[Series/{{Firefly}} The design. It’s functional.]] Finely crafted to exacting specifications. Klingon ''’oy’naQ'' are so ''crude''. We acquired the design from them, of course, back in the reign of their Emperor Sompek, but we refined it far in advance of their pathetic efforts. It won’t kill you, but the amount of pain or pleasure you feel is entirely up to me. I find it is particularly effective to give ''akhvet''—I believe the human term is ‘humanoids’, such a self-centered word—a powerful arousal, and then immediately before they peak, [[MoodWhiplash trigger their pain center]] as I did to you just now.” |
| 112 | * In ''Fanfic/GuardiansWizardsAndKungFuFighters'', it's suggested that Shiryu, the General of the Squid Khan, serves this role for the Oni. When his mask is on Viper and he's trying to corrupt her, he tells her the most painful ways to break people's bones, and how to flay people without killing them in the process. |
| 113 | * Not directly displayed, but in ''[[Fanfic/WorldsApartBuffy Finding Joy in Your Long-Distance Relationship]]'', it's hard to argue that this applies to Angel when Willow wonders how he got so good at making art with knives after seeing Angel's jack o'lantern. Oz explicitly observes that they're probably better off ''not'' knowing the answer to that question considering Angel's backstory as Angelus. |
| 114 | * ''Fanfic/HarmonyTheory'': Charisma and she enjoys it. |
| 115 | * ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'' has ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}'s Chief Torturer [[ComicBook/NewGods Desaad]], who tortures information regarding the Anti-Life Equation out of [[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Pariah]]. |
| 116 | -->That had led Desaad down the right track. For tortures of the mind can be even worse than tortures of the body, and Apokolips has mind-probers aplenty. |
| 117 | * ''Fanfic/{{Hivefled}}'''s [[MonsterClown Grand Highblood]] and [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Condesce]] are this in their spare time. They enjoy it very much. |
| 118 | * ''Fanfic/TheImmortalGame'': [[EvilMatriarch Terra]] appears to be this in her free time, when she's not busy creating {{Mooks}} [[spoiler: unfortunately for Celestia]]. |
| 119 | * Lakaya in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' fic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2696712/1/Important-Information "Important Information".]] Besides the usual stuff she inflicts on Han Solo-beatings, whipping, broken bones, burning-she employs drugs that amplify the pain he's going through and keep him from passing out. In the sequel fic, it's also revealed she let some kind of creepy crawlies called blood parasites burrow their way into his skin. And when he still refuses to tell her what she wants to know, she repeatedly rapes him as well. |
| 120 | * Dr. Harker from WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles fanfic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4025658/1/Marrow Marrow]]''. |
| 121 | * The leader of the thugs who kidnap Mike Stoker in the ''Series/{{Emergency}}'' fic ''Fanfic/TheNumbersGame'' (bottom links [[http://www.network54.com/Forum/199227/message/1297994922/Mike+in+peril here]]) is one. He flat-out says he wants to keep Mike alive and lucid until they're good and ready to kill him. And when he is finally rescued, his crewmates are horrified at the extent of the burns, cuts, beatings, etc designed deliberately to inflict as much pain as possible without killing him. |
| 122 | * Captain Jarvis from ''Fanfic/TheReturn'' is a scarily efficient emotionless Torture Technician and is one of the good guys. Irony being what it is Jarvis becomes a lot less scary and emotionless after being turned into a demon. |
| 123 | * ''Fanfic/ValesUnderground'': Judging by both her cart of tools for the purpose and her prevalent sadism, Dave isn't the first victim of Cinder's torture. |
| 124 | [[/folder]] |
| 125 | |
| 126 | [[folder:Film -- Animated]] |
| 127 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDameDisney'': When Judge Claude Frollo has of his minions is torturing his previous captain, he advises the torturer to whip the victim slower because doing it too fast will make "the old sting dull him to the new." |
| 128 | * ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc1'': |
| 129 | ** "Say hello to THE SCREAM EXTRACTOR!" Randall Boggs. |
| 130 | ** In a more literal sense of the title, his assistant Fungus operates the machine. He genuinely feels bad for [[spoiler:Mike]] as it gears up. |
| 131 | [[/folder]] |
| 132 | |
| 133 | [[folder:Film -- Live-Action]] |
| 134 | * Jonathan, the AxCrazy [[CainAndAbel older brother]] in ''Film/ArsenicAndOldLace''. |
| 135 | * In ''Film/AsianSchoolGirls'', Curtis--one of the high-ups in the crime syndicate--has May StrappedToAnOperatingTable and prepares to perform a female circumcision on her without anesthetic: claiming torture is a hobby of his. |
| 136 | * ''Film/{{Barbarella}}'' has the MadScientist Duran Duran ([[Music/DuranDuran yes, this is where the band got its name]]) who attempts to kill Barbarella with his Excessive Machine which provides increasing amounts of pleasure until you [[OutWithABang die of it]]. Barbarella [[TooKinkyToTorture shorts it out]], and apparently has quite a bit of fun in the process. |
| 137 | * ''Film/{{Brazil}}'' has Jack Lint, the white-collar government torturer pictured in the doll's head above, who brings his daughters to work and has a nice secretary to type out his subjects' screams. The role was Robert [=DeNiro=]'s first selection, but Gilliam had already promised the part to Michael Palin. |
| 138 | * Mercurio Cavaldi of Parma, Master of the Torturing Arts, in ''Film/TheBrothersGrimm''. [[HeelFaceTurn Not so evil at heart]]. Also by Creator/TerryGilliam. |
| 139 | * ''Film/ClosetLand'': The Interrogator shows keen skill in torture, both physical and psychological (especially the latter, which he makes even more use of), utilizing them against the Author throughout the film. However, he admits she's much stronger than most subjects and attributes this to [[spoiler:her surviving sexual abuse as a child]]. |
| 140 | * ''Film/CryOfTheBanshee'' has Burke and Bully Boy, the two torturers Lord William puts to work to find Oona through any means necessary. |
| 141 | -->'''Bully Boy:''' ''[to Maggie]'' We can make you die a minute every day for a year. |
| 142 | * The Scientist [=SkekTek=] of the Skeksis in ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'' seems to delight in his cruel experiments on animals and podlings, and was thrilled to have Kira wind up in his clutches. |
| 143 | * Francis/Ajax from ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'' knows quite a bit about torture, since he awakens people's dormant mutant abilities through it (he's a firm believer in DieOrFly). He's also [[TheSociopath completely incapable of pity]]. |
| 144 | * In ''Film/TheDictator'', Aladeen's kidnapper tries to be this, gleefully showing off each of his tools to Aladeen before starting, but Aladeen, being a Torture Technician himself, has seen them all before and mocks them for being outdated or "too safe", ruining the fun for his captor. |
| 145 | * The villain of ''Film/TheEvilThatMenDo'' is Dr. Clement Molloch, a doctor who advises Latin American dictatorships on how to torture people. The movie opens with Molloch demonstrating to a group of army officers the use of ElectricTorture on a dissident journalist. He says he's advised twenty different ones in his career. |
| 146 | -->'''Dr. Molloch:''' Gentleman, torture as a political instrument is no longer the crude and brutal extraction of information from one's enemies. It has become a subtle and sophisticated specialty. |
| 147 | * ''Film/FantasyIsland2020'' has Dr. Torture, a construct based on Melanie's perception of her hated childhood psychiatrist: given form as a DeadlyDoctor by the island and turned loose to torture Sloane as part of Melanie's revenge fantasy. |
| 148 | * The antagonists of ''Film/GuineaPigDevilsExperiment'' are a group of men torturing a woman to test the human body's pain limits. |
| 149 | * The movie ''Film/{{Hostel}}'' and its sequel are ''all'' about this. |
| 150 | * ''Film/InMyCountry'': One of the perpetrators seeking amnesty is a police officer who used ElectricTorture on a prisoner severe enough that this left him impotent. He protests that it wasn't his intent, as he's not an electrician. The guy's probably the least sympathetic among perpetrators aside from De Jager and possibly the killer of Herbert Soblanda, only calling his victim "[[ItIsDehumanizing the subject]]" and using the old JustFollowingOrders defense. |
| 151 | * A few villains from the ''Film/JamesBond'' franchise qualify: |
| 152 | ** Largo from ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'' claimed he could do horrible things with just a lit cigar and a bucket of ice cubes. We have no reason to disbelieve him. |
| 153 | ** In ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'', Dr. Kaufmann and his protege Mr. Stamper have a whole torture system involving ''chakras'', the point being to torture the person to death as slowly as possible. Dr. Kaufmann describes it as his hobby and has a record of keeping someone alive during it for 52 hours. |
| 154 | ** Le Chiffre from ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' almost subverts the trope by insisting that torture is quite simple: [[GroinAttack go for the nuts]]. |
| 155 | ** Franz Oberhauser from ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' tortures Bond by [[StrappedToAnOperatingTable strapping him to a high-tech version of a dentist chair]] and drilling holes into various parts of his brain while explaining what effect this is having on him throughout. He's [[FauxAffablyEvil disturbingly calm throughout this]], especially when he threatens to take away Bond's ability to recognize faces. |
| 156 | * In ''Film/{{Kafka}}'', as in ''Film/{{Brazil}}'', Ian Holm plays a frail functionary in a dystopian bureaucracy. He's ultimately [[spoiler: [[HoistByHisOwnPetard hoisted by his own petard]] when one of his subjects breaks loose of his restraints]]. |
| 157 | * In ''Film/LethalWeapon'', Endo fits this and is described by Joshua as "having forgotten more about dispensing pain than you and I will ever know." |
| 158 | * In ''Film/TheManFromUNCLE2015'', [[spoiler:Uncle Rudy]] turns out to be an erstwhile Nazi and a prolific torturer. His specialty is ElectricTorture using an apparatus of his own design. |
| 159 | * Agent Smith in ''Film/TheMatrix'' seemed to enjoy torturing Morpheus a little too much. |
| 160 | * ''Film/OnceUponATimeInMexico'' has Dr. Guevara, one of Barillo's most dangerous people, who was responsible for pumping Jorge Ramirez's partner Archuleta full of drugs for several days so that he and Barillo could torture him to death over two weeks. When the cartel gets their hands on Agent Sands, [[spoiler:[[EyeScream the Doctor drills his eyes out using a quite nasty little device]]]]. |
| 161 | * Captain Vidal from ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' finds torturing people disturbingly pleasant. He consciously subverts the stereotype of a sophisticated torture artist by using the simple contents of an ordinary toolbox to a monstrous effect. |
| 162 | * Mendoza in ''Film/ThePitAndThePendulum1991'', who is so gifted at torture and extracting confessions from heretics, that Torquemada rescued him from death by crucifixion to serve as his personal torturer. He also flagellates Torquemada whenever the Inquisitor is troubled by wicked thoughts. |
| 163 | * In ''Film/ThePrincessBride'', Count Rugen is a very good researcher: |
| 164 | -->'''Count Rugen:''' What did this do to you? Tell me. And remember, this is for posterity, so be honest. How do you feel?\ |
| 165 | '''[[spoiler:Westley]]:''' ''(helplessly sobbing)''\ |
| 166 | '''Count Rugen:''' Interesting. ''[Meticulously records a note.]'' |
| 167 | * ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' has Major Arnold Toht, who we see offering Marion a chance to play with a red hot poker: |
| 168 | -->'''Marion:''' Wait, wait. I can be reasonable.\ |
| 169 | '''Toht:''' That time has passed.\ |
| 170 | '''Marion:''' You don't need that. I'll tell you everything.\ |
| 171 | '''Toht:''' Yes, I know you will. [Brings poker within inches of Marion's eye] |
| 172 | ** Later, [[spoiler:in a subversion,]] he whips out a bizarre contraption of metal bits and chains which looks like it would be quite nasty... [[spoiler:and then reveals it to be a collapsible coathanger.]] |
| 173 | * EV-9D9, Jabba the Hutt's torturer droid in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. Somewhat subverted in that she only tortured droids. |
| 174 | * In ''Film/ScreamAndScreamAgain'', Konratz has the reputation of being able to extract information from anyone. The extent of his activities horrifies even his superiors. |
| 175 | * Preston Scott is this toward the Independents captured by the Community in ''Film/SixTheMarkUnleashed'', played with delicious malice by Brad Heller. |
| 176 | * ''Film/{{Sniper}}'': "El Cirujano" ([[RedBaron The Surgeon]]), a secondary target on Beckett and Miller's mission, is an ex-CIA spook who tortures prisoners for the Panamian insurgents. After Beckett is captured later in the film, the Surgeon applies his skills on his new captive. |
| 177 | * In ''Film/{{Swashbuckler}}'', Durant's [[TheVoiceless silent lute player]] is supposed to be an expert in the art of torture. Durant uses his reputation (and a small demonstration) as a warning to Major Folly about what will happen to him if he screws up again. Fortunately, [[TakeOurWordForIt the lute player's talents are never demonstrated on screen]]. |
| 178 | * In ''Film/TenDeadMen'', [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep the Projects Manager]] handles information extraction for Hart. When Keller objects to him taking his time over torturing Ryan rather than [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim just killing him]], he responds that you cannot hurry great art. |
| 179 | * In ''Film/ThreeTheHardWay'' three gorgeous women on motorcycles show up to have a little ''fun'' with a [[{{mooks}} mook]] that the heroes have captured. They have to leave him able to talk before they can have ''all'' their fun. One of the good guys notices the last one is carrying a closed shoulder bag. |
| 180 | -->'''Keyes''': Can I ask you what's in the bag?\ |
| 181 | '''Woman''': Don't ask. |
| 182 | * ''Film/TowerOfLondon'': Mord, TheDragon to Duke Richard, is the executioner at the Tower of London and also Richard's personal torturer, although he fails to break John Wyatt. |
| 183 | * In ''Film/TowerOfLondon1962'', Richard employs a personal torturer named Galvan who tortures Mistress Shore to death while attempting to get her to swear that the princes are illegitimate. |
| 184 | * In ''Film/TrueLies'', Harry Tasker is not happy to meet the Torture Technician Samir. Samir only gets to do a truth serum before Harry picks his handcuffs, uses him as a human shield, and finishes him with a NeckSnap. |
| 185 | * In ''Film/VigilanteDiaries'', Raven is Andreas' personal torturer. She travels with her own case of torture implements and is the one who uses a blowtorch to [[MarkOfShame burn a 'V' into the Vigilante's chest]]. |
| 186 | * Dr. Simnell, Moriarty's pet murderer in ''Film/TheWomanInGreen''. He insists that his implements are 'instruments' not 'tools', and takes a sadistic glee in murdering and dismembering young women. |
| 187 | * ''Film/{{xXx}}'': Danny Trejo's character, who just so happens to be a professional torturer working for a Colombian cartel. However, his captives think he is an actor at first until Cage notices that the "fake blood" on the machete he's wielding smells real. |
| 188 | [[/folder]] |
| 189 | |
| 190 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 191 | * ''Literature/TheActsOfCaine'': Arkadeil's matter-of-fact, scholarly manner of ToThePain arguably makes him far creepier than many who take sadistic joy in it. |
| 192 | * ''Literature/AftermathLifeDebt'': Sinjir was trained in how to inflict pain on fellow humans, having been specifically taught of all the points on the body that will maximize this. When torturing an alien, he has to improvise. This is something he hates doing though. |
| 193 | * Taylor of ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', unfortunately for all involved, doubles as a ManipulativeBastard and DarkActionGirl. It's heavily implied that tormenting people is the only way Taylor can deal with her own [[JerkassWoobie horrific life]]. |
| 194 | * Floyd Ferris of ''Literature/AtlasShrugged'' is definitely the PunchClockVillain version rather than the kind who enjoys it; he's more interested in psychology and controlling people than in actually enjoying someone's suffering. |
| 195 | * In the ''Literature/BelisariusSeries'', the Malwa Empire employs a sect of torturers called the mahamimamsa. They're little better than violent, sadistic brutes and are a favourite target of the heroes and their allies. |
| 196 | * ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'': |
| 197 | ** The [[WeirdTradeUnion Torturer's Guild]] is an organization of these. Like some of the other examples, they are explicitly supposed to be unemotional and just doing a job, explicitly prohibiting those of a PsychoForHire mentality. Moreover, they don't torture to extract information, only to carry out judicial penalties. It's their job to perform ''exactly'' the tortures decreed, and no more (or less). |
| 198 | ** There is a poignant scene in which [[spoiler:the now-Autarch Severian tells one of his former masters that he is dissolving the guild]], not out of ethical qualms, but because it is intolerable that good men should devote their lives to inflicting pain. The master responds that "It MUST be done by good men"; should it be left to those who take pleasure in it? |
| 199 | ** In the jokes section of ''The Castle of the Otter'', there is one about apprentices clumsily inflicting tortures because they are scared by the master yelling at them until he demands "What are you trying to do? KILL the man?" |
| 200 | * ''Literature/CatChaser'': Andres' job was to lead the torture of any enemies of Trujillo's regime. He spent most of his time there leading the mutilation and torture of anyone in his custody before throwing them to the sharks. |
| 201 | * The entire cult of the evil god Liart from ''Literature/TheDeedOfPaksenarrion''. There's a particularly graphic torture session in the third novel of the series, ''Oath of Gold''. |
| 202 | * ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'': Part of Azriel's job as spymaster is also extracting information from people. Azriel isn't overly fond of this part of the job but accepts it as a grim necessity. |
| 203 | * In the second ''Literature/{{Dexter}}'' novel, ''Dearly Devoted Dexter'', we meet "Dr. Danco", who specializes in gradual amputations of limbs, facial features, genitalia, and so on. He keeps his "patients" conscious during the whole thing. |
| 204 | * ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': |
| 205 | ** Various former Kings and Patricians of Ankh-Morpork count, though their tendency is only mentioned in anecdotes within the text. There's a (nameless) Torture Technician with the Cable Street Particulars in ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}'', however, and Captain Findthee Swing probably qualifies too. |
| 206 | ** The Quisition (In- and Ex-) in ''Literature/SmallGods'' are also [[PunchClockVillain perfectly ordinary people doing their jobs]], raising families and buying thoughtful gifts when one of their colleagues retires. |
| 207 | %%* Senor Steel in the ''Literature/DocSavage'' novel ''The Freckled Shark''.%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample |
| 208 | * In ''Literature/DragonBlood'', the torturer is a loyal subject of the king and just does his job. He does it well and is proud of his ability to, as he claims, get correct information out of his victims, rather than just some nonsense that the victim says to make the torture stop, as he claims is the case with magical torture. He wants his grandson to follow in his footsteps and points out to his victim that he'd like to stop the torture, really, he just needs the information. [[spoiler:One is almost sorry for him when his victim stabs him. Almost.]] |
| 209 | * ''Literature/DragonCauldron'' features a cheerful and hairy man who believes one should always do one's job well. He's hurt by being called a torturer and prefers the term "facilitator". |
| 210 | * ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': The [[TheFairFolk Fae]] Winter Queen Mab doesn't seem to make a regular practice of it, but when a ranking member of her Court betrays her, she spends ''years'' first keeping him at the edge of sanity, then seeing how far over the edge she can drive him. As Dresden later remarks, if any member of the Winter Court broke Mab's given word, they'd be "thrilled to die" once she was through with them. |
| 211 | -->''"The [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} White Christ]] never suffered so long or so terribly as did this traitor. Three days on a tree. Hardly enough for a prelude. When it came to visiting agony, the Romans were hobbyists."'' |
| 212 | * Doctor Jest, the chief torturer of the Melnibonean empire from ''Literature/TheElricSaga''. It's not clear how much of a sadist he may or may not strictly be, but he clearly does consider himself something of an artist who takes both pleasure and pride in his work...and somewhat chillingly there's no sign that any other Melniboneans ever disagree with him on this point. (Even Elric, who attends one of his 'sessions' with a couple of human spies, isn't particularly disturbed.) Torture Technician is almost the [[PlanetOfHats Hat]] of the Melniboneans in general; their preferred method for making music is to rhythmically torture a group of surgically modified slaves, for crying out loud. |
| 213 | * The "Turkey Makers" in the employ of TheMafia in ''Literature/TheExecutioner'' series. Mack Bolan has to give a MercyKill on several occasions after finding their handiwork. He doesn't do the same for the Turkey Makers. |
| 214 | -->'''Bolan:''' Think of Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and the madmen who played medical games there with human meat. Then think of that sort of mentality transplanted to this time and place, give it the absolute power that is enjoyed by a mob boss, and turn it loose on a cute kid who got too cute with that same boss. |
| 215 | * Inquisitor Glokta from ''Literature/TheFirstLaw'' is not only one of these, but ''a main character as well''... Not just a main character, either, but a ''protagonist'' and (dare we say it) a decent guy compared to many of the characters. When you've got one of your foremost "heroes" routinely chopping off fingers and sending innocent people to prison camps, well, you know [[CrapsackWorld what state the world is in]]. |
| 216 | * ''Literature/GentlemanBastard'': Sage Kindness in ''The Lies of Locke Lamora''. His employer, Capa Barsavi, is said to be a very capable torturer, but when Barsavi runs out of ideas, Kindness takes over. And does so with the "mellow disinterest of a man polishing boots". |
| 217 | * ''Literature/GhostInTheNoondaySun:'' When the pirates think Oliver is withholding information from them, [[UnwillingSuspension they hang him upside from a vine]] and have Haji (who seems to be an experienced interrogator) beat his bare feet with a stick until "I thought one more lam of the stick would shatter my feet like glass." |
| 218 | * One of the three "Unforgivable Curses" in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' is the Cruciatus Curse, which [[AgonyBeam inflicts excruciating pain on the victim]] and is primarily used as a way to effectively torture people. Naturally, every wizard who masters and frequently uses this curse qualifies for this trope. Specific examples include: |
| 219 | ** Voldemort himself is capable of performing a Cruciatus Curse that is effective enough to even break through memory-altering charms, something that cannot be achieved with Veritaserum (a truth elixir) or the Imperius curse (causing total obedience to the caster). |
| 220 | ** Bellatrix Lestrange, having spent 15 years in Azkaban for torturing people into insanity and being described by Dumbledore as liking "to play with her food before she eats it." In [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows book 7]], while it's off-screen, she ''does'' torture [[spoiler:Hermione]], and, it's implied, not just with the Cruciatus curse. |
| 221 | ** Amycus and Alecto Carrow ''really'' love torturing people. During Voldemort's regime, they were assigned to be teachers at Hogwarts, where they resorted to using the Cruciatus Curse as a punishment for misbehaving students. This also includes first-year students, who are only 11 years old. The Carrows also teach other students to be Torture Technicians, by forcing them to use the Cruciatus Curse on misbehaving students. |
| 222 | ** Dolores Umbridge forces students in detention to write lines...with a cursed quill that cuts the written lines into the skin of the student, to the point where it starts to bleed heavily. The scars left by this are even visible years later, as experienced by Harry Potter himself. This is a particularly nasty form of torture, as the victim is forced to inflict pain upon himself. |
| 223 | * ''Literature/TheHellequinChronicles'' has Nathaniel 'Nate' Garrett a.k.a. Merlin's Assassin a.k.a. Hellequin, the protagonist. Since he's over 1600 years old, he's pretty damn good at it, [[DeliberateValuesDissonance having learned in an era where torture was considered fairly normal.]] A natural gift for cold-blooded ruthlessness and calculated brutality which saw him picked for assassin training as a child also helps. As Hellequin, he became a TerrorHero so widely feared that over 200 years after he retired the name (and when he decides to resurrect it), Nate revealing who he is tends to get either disbelief or [[BringMyBrownPants a very literal]] OhCrap. This actually comes back to bite him, when [[spoiler: Deimos uses the Hellequin name to claim responsibility for a global wave of magical terror attacks that have killed 250,000 people in a week because, as is noted, more than a few would believe that this is something Hellequin is capable of]]. However, while he can get savage when people he cares for are threatened, he isn't a sadist, only usually using resorts to torture when he needs information quickly, and explicitly states that his skills and ability to go cold like that are ''not'' things to aspire to. |
| 224 | %%* Wanderer from ''Literature/TheHost2008'' believes Doc to be this at first.%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample |
| 225 | * In ''Literature/IfThisGoesOn'', our hero is captured by the evil government. He notices that the several Torture Technician [[PunchClockVillain workers for the government]] show no pleasure in their job, they are strictly business. It is implied that anyone who likes to inflict pain is not permitted in that job, as they are supposed to get information, not necessarily hurt people (although that is always an option if they think it will help). |
| 226 | * There's a gruesome variation in Creator/FranzKafka's story "Literature/InThePenalColony": there's a torture machine that slowly carves a single sentence into a person indicating the crime they committed and then lets them die for twelve hours, but it's being removed. The Officer, who works the machine and believes in it, asks to be the last person to use it and wants it to carve into him "Be Just". However, the machine malfunctions and ends up just brutally stabbing him to death. |
| 227 | * Dr. Alice Hong, the Lady of Pain in ''Literature/IslandInTheSeaOfTime'', mixes psychopathy with surgical skill. |
| 228 | * A minor unnamed character in the pre-revision ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' novel ''Shattered Chains'' tortures Rakel in many horrific ways -- but he's not sadistic at all. To him, it's just a job. This, Rakel thinks, is worse than if he enjoyed it. To say nothing that they don't even want any information--a political enemy of hers just wants her to suffer before her execution. |
| 229 | * [[AntiVillain Dieter Franck]] in ''Literature/{{Jackdaws}}'' is an unusual example in that he absolutely hates torturing people, to the point where he gets debilitating migraines after each successful interrogation session. That's ''why'' he's so good at it; while most of his peers [[{{Sadist}} draw the process out from sheer sadism]], Dieter zeroes in on the quickest and most efficient way of breaking his victim, just so he can get it over with. |
| 230 | * ''Literature/JamesBond'': |
| 231 | ** TheDragon Willy Krebbs in ''Literature/{{Moonraker}}'' got his nickname "The Persuader" for always getting the answers from prisoners through torture. |
| 232 | ** Rosa Klebb in ''Literature/FromRussiaWithLove'' is a virtuoso Torture Technician, letting the pain of her torturers (she never actually does the work) build and build and build; then she talks, softly and gently, being mother to her victims. "Tell mama and it will all be over." A chilling passage in the book indeed. |
| 233 | ** The title antagonist of ''Literature/ColonelSun'' is a torturer in the Chinese army, who believes that a torturer and his victim can attain a special connection through pain. |
| 234 | * Andrei Koscuisko of Susan R. Matthews's ''Literature/{{Jurisdiction}}'' series, beginning with ''An Exchange of Hostages'' is this trope as part of his job as Ship's Surgeon. |
| 235 | * The ''Literature/NewSeriesAdventures'' novel ''In the Blood'' has an interesting twist on the "clinical and emotionless" version, with a [[TheMenInBlack Man in Black]] alien who is [[TheSpock actually emotionless]], comes from an agrarian world of peace and harmony, and is also an utterly conscienceless torturer and killer. Apparently, when you're part of a tranquil and passive HiveMind you don't ''need'' a conscience to maintain it, and when he arrived on Earth he saw [[HumansAreBastards what humans do to each other and other animals]] and just accepted that if this was how our society worked... |
| 236 | * [[spoiler:O'Brien]] from ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' is shown to be one of these after [[spoiler:revealing himself as a FakeDefector. Not only is he a loyal member of the Inner Party, but a high-ranking employee at the Ministry of Love, tasked with supervising the "re-educuation" of dissidents to accept the power of Big Brother]]. |
| 237 | * Johnny Dread from ''Literature/{{Otherland}}'' is one of these; it's part of his SerialKiller schtick. He likes psychological torture every bit as much. |
| 238 | * In ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', the Persian reveals that Erik (the titular Phantom) worked as one of these for the Shah-in-Shah in Mazenderan. Helps to explain a lot of things. |
| 239 | %%* Susan Mortlake from ''Literature/ThePowerOfFive''.%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample |
| 240 | * The captured insurgent in ''Literature/PrisonersOfPower'' is kind enough to explain to his overzealous interrogators what a real Torture Technician should be like. No, he isn't TooKinkyToTorture, he's just making a point that [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech they suck]]): |
| 241 | -->''You must learn to do your job coolly, officially -- for the money. It makes an enormous impression on the victims of your inquisition. What an appalling state of affairs when you find yourself being tortured not by an enemy but by a bureaucrat. Take a look at my [missing] left arm. His Imperial Majesty's specialists sawed it off in three stages; and each order was accompanied by a lengthy official correspondence. Those butchers were just doing a disagreeable, boring, unrewarding job. While they were sawing off my arm, they cursed their wretchedly low pay. And I was terrified. I had to strain my willpower to keep from talking. And now... I can see how you hate me. You -- me, and I -- you. Fine! But you have been hating me less than twenty years, and I -- you, for more than thirty. You, young man, were still toddling under the table and tormenting the cat.'' |
| 242 | * ''Literature/TheReynardCycle'': One of the crew members of the Quicksilver is Ghul, who is introduced as being so good at ColdBloodedTorture that his victims don't have a mark on them afterwards. ''Even though they're dead.'' |
| 243 | * Barin Welachin from Jennifer Fallon's ''Literature/SecondSons'' trilogy served the Lion of Senet (the world's foremost ruler and religious nut) in this capacity. The protagonist, Dirk, has at one point to talk with him and, as part of the facade he has to put up, feigns interest in the man's work. Barin is delighted to be able to share the joys of his craft with someone truly able to understand and appreciate it (Dirk was trained as a healer and had an unwarranted reputation as TheButcher of Elcast). The right-hand woman of the corrupt and murderous (and dominant) segment of the church, Ella Goen, is also one of these. |
| 244 | * The Gestapo torturers in ''Literature/TheSecretOfSantaVittoria'' take pride in their work, even taking time to explain that pulling out nails is overrated; {{electric torture}} is ''much'' more effective. |
| 245 | * ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has a number of examples: |
| 246 | ** The Tickler in the band of Gregor Clegane tortures peasants to find hidden booty and track the movements of enemy bands. He asks the exact same list of questions of each person he tortures over and over again until they die horribly. Arya muses that not only is he asking the people questions they couldn't possibly have the answers to, he isn't even giving them time to answer before he keeps torturing them, suggesting he's ultimately just a sadist. |
| 247 | ** Qyburn is a former maester who was thrown out of the organization for conducting [[EvilutionaryBiologist amoral experiments]] on living creatures, including vivisections. Cersei puts his knowledge to use as a torturer, among other things. |
| 248 | ** House Bolton gained notoriety over the years for flaying their prisoners. Their arms depict a flayed man, and they wear pink cloaks with red spots, indicating their old habit of wearing the skins of their adversaries. |
| 249 | *** Alongside the official Family motto of "''Our Blades are Sharp''" we have the unofficial "''A Flayed Man Holds No Secrets''" and derivatives said by more than one person affiliated with the House. Some traditions are very much alive and well, it seems. Unlike the Tickler and Qyburn, Ramsay doesn't further any goals by torturing people; he does everything he does for his own sadistic pleasure. |
| 250 | *** Ramsay Bolton, in particular, has [[MindRape mind-breaking skills]] on par with [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour O'Brien]]. He may be the most notable example in the series for the way he is able to take a captive and reprogram them into a loyal servant of his through [[TheDreaded absolute fear of what he'll do to them next]]. |
| 251 | * ''Literature/TheSpeedOfSound'': ''The Sound of Echoes'' has Mr. Elliott, an assassin who kills his victims as slowly and painfully as possible, then uploads the videos to a dark website to advertise his business. |
| 252 | * The Mord-Sith in ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' double as bodyguards. Uniquely, they are on the side of the "hero" (he effectively inherited them), after the first book. In fact, the first thing he did on taking power was order them to disband, but they decided to serve him anyway, on the reasoning that a man who would set them free was worth serving. Every Mord-Sith was themselves broken through torture as a girl (of which only the gentlest were taken) and made to torture their own fathers to death as well for their initiation. |
| 253 | %%* The Philosopher in ''Literature/{{Transition}}''.%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample |
| 254 | * Milovan Djilas' historical novel ''Literature/UnderTheColors'' has a prolonged torture sequence where the Turkish interrogator carefully explains to his assistant the name of each technique, where it came from, and what it USED to be called. |
| 255 | * ''Literature/VenusInFurs'' has a character that borders on this, though with lots of fetishistic overtones and more psychology-heavy. The author of this novel, Leopold Sacher-Masoch, is the inspiration for the word "masochism". |
| 256 | * ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'': Baron Ryoval in ''Mirror Dance'' has a staff of torture technicians. |
| 257 | * In Dennis Jones' ''Literature/WarsawConcerto'', several KGB officers observe as a Torture Technician interrogates and administers electro-torture to a female defector. A doctor monitors her vital signs as she is tortured [[spoiler: to her death]]. |
| 258 | * ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': Semirhage tortures people entirely by stimulating the pain (and sometimes pleasure) centers of their brains with magic. Formerly the greatest healer during the Age of Legends, she would extract a price in pain in exchange for saving people. When people finally caught on to what she was doing, she was given a choice: take a magical vow to never do it again or be severed from magic forever. She TookAThirdOption and joined the Dark Side. People were known to kill themselves at the mere mention she would be questioning them. |
| 259 | * ''Literature/XWingSeries'': ManipulativeBastard Ysanne Isard dabbles in this, using injections and machines that directly stimulate pain, heat, and cold receptors rather than dismembering people. One of the first things she does is use a drug that the protagonist thinks of as one that would have him reciting things his ''mother'' had forgotten while he was in her womb, but the real goal in mind is to set up her authority and prepare them to become {{Manchurian Agent}}s. She also brought in a Trandoshan to do the grunt work of getting the protagonist in position, hooking him up, manipulating the switches, and so on, because she knew his father had been killed by a Trandoshan. |
| 260 | [[/folder]] |
| 261 | |
| 262 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 263 | * Averted in ''Series/TwentyFour'' where the torture technician seems to just treat it like a job, and in many cases appears to be less willing than Jack to torture suspects. |
| 264 | -->"[[DoubleEntendre This is Johnson. You know what Johnson does.]]" |
| 265 | * ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': |
| 266 | ** Daniel Whitehall, former [[ThoseWackyNazis SS officer]] and one of the heads of Comicbook/{{HYDRA}}. In the episode [[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS2E4FaceMyEnemy "Face My Enemy"]], he boasts of torturing a woman "on and off" for a '' week'' and remarks that he finds the body's tendency to make people black out due to too much pain "frustrating". |
| 267 | ** Disturbingly, in the virtual alternate reality of [[LotusEaterMachine the Framework]], Fitz is one himself. In his position as NumberTwo and chief MadScientist of HYDRA, he personally carries out the torture and experimentation of Inhumans in order to study their powers. His cool, disconnected attitude about it is the most frightening aspect of it all. |
| 268 | * Dr. Zhang "Suit And Glasses" Lee on ''Series/{{Alias}}'' (or as he was known on Website/TelevisionWithoutPity, the Sadistic Dentist of Asian Persuasion). |
| 269 | * ''Series/{{Andor}}'': Doctor Gorst has been developing particularly cruel methods of torturing Imperial prisoners to get them to talk. His current favorite is making prisoners listen to the dying screams of children murdered in an Imperial purge. He's disturbingly personable, giving his victim a friendly wave when introduced and cheerfully recounting the story of how those screams were discovered, recorded, and mixed to maximize trauma. |
| 270 | * ''Series/AlteredCarbon''. The Wei Clinic in "Force of Evil". It looks like--and is run like--any expensive health clinic for TheBeautifulElite, but the employees provide a virtual torture chamber where the prisoner can be tortured to death, only to be revived again for another session. |
| 271 | * ''Series/BabylonFive'': |
| 272 | ** "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E21ComesTheInquisitor Comes the Inquisitor]]" features [[UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper Sebastian]] for the Vorlons, who was based more on religious cult brainwashing techniques, but wasn't above physical violence either. |
| 273 | ** [[TheCaligula Cartagia]] describing his efforts to [[LovesTheSoundOfScreaming make G'Kar scream for his amusement]] in "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS04E03TheSummoning The Summoning]]": "Did you know we assigned one of our best pain technicians -- 'pain technicians', they used to be called 'torturers', ever since they got [[WeirdTradeUnion organized]] it's '[[InsistentTerminology pain technicians]]'...." |
| 274 | ** The Clark Administration interrogator, a truly chilling PunchClockVillain, assigned to break Sheridan TwoPlusTortureMakesFive style in "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS04E18IntersectionsInRealTime Intersections in Real Time]]". Creator/JMichaelStraczynski based that on actual prison camp/totalitarian regime methods. Blatantly influenced by ''1984'': Sheridan is being held captive in a place without windows that makes it impossible to tell what time of day it is by a government that includes a "Ministry of Peace", an ominous "[[Room101 Room 17]]" is repeatedly mentioned, he is coerced to sign a confession of his crimes against the government and embrace the regime and his interrogator informs him that [[spoiler:if he submits, he will be released to live in peace until he's forgotten, then quietly killed]]. |
| 275 | * ''Series/Batman1966'' TV Series: Parodied (maybe) when Mr. Freeze lowers Miss Iceland's body temperature convinced [[InsaneTrollLogic that she will fall in love with him when she also hits fifty degrees below zero]]. When that fails, he converts her to a HumanPopsicle. |
| 276 | * ''Series/TheBlacklist'': |
| 277 | ** Reddington employs a torturer named Brimley, who is a very unusual example. First off, he's a little old man who is constantly hooked up to an oxygen tank. Secondly, his offscreen torture sessions apparently involve a wide variety of NoodleImplements -- in one episode, he exits a room where he's been working on someone with a live ''llama'' in tow, and in another makes use of ''board games''. |
| 278 | *** It turns out to be a family business, as Brimley's wheelchair-bound wife and heavyset son also pop up in a couple of episodes to help out/fill in for him, using the same techniques. |
| 279 | ** A much more serious example is Dr. Laken Perillos, a Blacklister of the week in Season 8 who works for ArcVillain Nicholas Townsend. She uses a combination of medieval torture devices and modern toxins to inflict the maximum amount of pain on her victims in order to break them and make them talk. |
| 280 | * ''Series/BlakesSeven'': In "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS3E8RumoursOfDeath Rumours of Death]]", Avon has himself CapturedOnPurpose and tortured for days without cracking, all so he can capture a top Federation [[DeadlyEuphemism para-investigator]] named Shrinker, whom Avon knows will be called in to deal with particularly stubborn subjects. Ironically, Shrinker's talents are much in demand that he was able to survive the rebellion, and the crushing of that rebellion, by making himself [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized useful to both sides]]. |
| 281 | * ''Series/BrainDead2016'': Agent J. K. Cornish is a mild example. He's cheerful (which at first makes it all the creepier) reluctant to use [[InsistentTerminology "enhanced interrogation techniques"]] and happily lets Laurel go when the authorization doesn't go through. He also admits he's been through all of them in his training, which probably helps his reluctance. Still, he believes they're necessary at times. |
| 282 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': |
| 283 | ** Faith was quite fond of torture - at one point, Angel complimented her on how well she knew how to do it. One wonders how a teenager knew so much about the five basic torture groups. |
| 284 | ** Angelus himself, the soulless version of Angel, an aficionado of physical and psychological torture (as he put it "The last time I tortured someone, they didn't even ''have'' chainsaws."). Angelus could inflict pain on people, either mental or physical, like no other being in the Buffyverse. There were vastly more powerful, there were even some (if not many) more sadistic, but there were none as skilled. |
| 285 | ** There was also Marcus, the Roman-born paedophile vampire [[PsychoForHire hired by Spike]] in an early episode of Series/{{Angel}} to get the Ring of Amara's whereabouts out of Angel. |
| 286 | ** Despite hiring out in the previous case, and generally preferring a toe to toe fight, Spike is a more than competent practitioner of this himself, as demonstrated in Season 5 of ''Angel'' when he got "screams, various bodily fluids, and a name" from [[spoiler: Knox.]] |
| 287 | ** Willow as a vampire. Just...Willow as a vampire. She had Angel (described above) trussed up and slowly burnt alive as a form of sex play. |
| 288 | * ''Series/Cursed2020'': Brother Salt of the Red Paladins specializes in torture and isn't impeded by being blind at all. |
| 289 | * George King, "The Skinner" from ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' used to be a torturer in Nicaragua with the nickname "The Blade" as he specialized in [[FlayedAlive skinning people alive]]. In present day, he's a serial killer who still tortures his victims for information, though Dexter points out that he really just does it [[ForTheEvulz because he enjoys it.]] |
| 290 | * Janina Kleiberson from ''Series/Dracula2013'', in a rare case of this trope being played out by a woman. |
| 291 | * ''Series/{{Farscape}}'': Selto Durka, who not only manages to fit this role like a glove but knows it well enough to eventually [[spoiler:break free of a hundred years' worth of brainwashing. ]] |
| 292 | * ''Series/FearTheWalkingDead'': Daniel Salazar was this, in his past life during the El Salvadoran Civil War. |
| 293 | * The TV version of ''Series/LaFemmeNikita'' features a male and female duo of disturbingly adept "white room" operatives. Often brought in at the behest of Madeline (who was an effective torturer herself), these cold-eyed techies got answers for Section One... and occasionally tortured errant members of that group as well. |
| 294 | * ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': Adelai Niska has one, although he's keen on getting hands-on himself. Niska wasn't particularly attached to any one torturer. In his first appearance in "The Train Job" he used Crow, who was also TheDragon before the guy got kicked through Serenity's engine. In "War Stories," he had to hire another torturer and Dragon. |
| 295 | * ''Series/AFrenchVillage'': Müller specializes in torture, it seems, and displays his skill frequently. |
| 296 | * ''Series/GameOfThrones'': |
| 297 | ** Gregor employs one nicknamed the Tickler at Harrenhal in an attempt to root out the Brotherhood Without Banners. With the help of Weasel, who implements his instructions, the Tickler asks a series of standard questions while torturing someone to death...with rats. |
| 298 | ** The Bolton family's traditional hat is flaying, probably the cruelest torture ever thought up by man. Their cruelty also manifests itself in more subtle forms, such as psychological torture of people. Their family motto may be "Our blades are sharp," but their guiding principle is summed up often in the series as "a naked man has few secrets, a flayed man has none." In particular, [[BastardBastard Ramsay Snow]] is a master of this Bolton tradition. Ramsay has also shown absolute mastery of mental and emotional torture, which is shown fully in "The Climb" and gets worse from there. |
| 299 | ** Polliver alludes to being one in "Two Swords". |
| 300 | * ''Series/{{Ghoul}}'': Nida and the rest of her unit are part of a black ops torture outfit used to interrogate political dissidents. |
| 301 | * On ''Series/GoodEats'', there is the Dungeonmaster, who lives in Alton's basement. He shows off more advanced cooking implements and is not above tormenting bunnies and such. Alton doesn't particularly like him. |
| 302 | * ''Series/{{Gotham}}'': |
| 303 | ** Bob in "Welcome Back, Jim Gordon". Falcone's chief interrogator, he is sent to extract 'an apology' from Fish Mooney and maintains a polite banter with her while he is torturing her. However, [[spoiler:he is pounded unconscious by Butch before he can get too far into the process]]. |
| 304 | ** In Season 4, Penguin and later Sofia Falcone employ one known as "the Dentist" for his preference for torturing people [[TheToothHurts through their mouths]]. |
| 305 | * ''Series/KinnPorsche'': Vegas specialises in torture for the Theerapanyakul mafia family. He has his own torture kit briefcase for whenever he needs to torture information out of someone. |
| 306 | * In ''Series/{{Lost}}'', Sayid acted as an interrogator for the Iraqi army. He puts his torture skills to use on Sawyer in the first season, though he quits pretty fast and has generally sworn off such things. In a later season, Oldham acts as the DHARMA Initiative's torture expert. He's a folksy psychopath who lives on his own in the jungle and uses drugs that appear to be LSD as part of his technique. |
| 307 | * ''Series/MadamSecretary'': In a {{flashback}} to Liz's time in Iraq, she at one point hands a captured insurgent over to an Army interrogator after spending a couple hours trying to get him to talk as the {{Good Cop|BadCop}}. The shot cuts away and all you hear is the suspect screaming. In the present, Liz explains to her daughter what "stepping it up" meant, including stress positions and waterboarding (straight out of the mid-2000s "enhanced interrogation techniques" handbook). |
| 308 | * In ''Series/Merlin2008'', Alator of the Catha is a skilled torturer, although he takes no pleasure in it. He uses a form of magical mind torture which is extremely painful and efficient but apparently leaves no lasting physical or mental damage. |
| 309 | * ''{{Series/Messiah}}'': Avenir was once a professional interrogator/torturer, from what we've seen. |
| 310 | * In ''Series/NewTricks'', Danny riffs on this while his partner is PerpSweating two mob flunkies, simply by hovering in the background in [[EvilWearsBlack all-black clothes]] and [[ConspicuousGloves gloves]], speaking {{soft|SpokenSadist}}ly, and fiddling with a bag of household {{Noodle Implement}}s. Somehow, his colleagues avoid laughing at the act long enough for the flunkies to talk. |
| 311 | -->'''Danny:''' ''[Picking up a pair of secateurs]'' ...They call me "The Gardener". |
| 312 | * ''Series/{{NUMB3RS}}'': Mason Lancer of "Trust Metric" is this to a T. His "weapon" of choice is drug cocktails, and he's quite proud of how well he knows his way around them. He also keeps the cool, detached interest, never breaking a sweat, saying everything like it's an idle curiosity. It's not until the FBI boards the boat that he starts to look at all worried, and even then he remains calm and methodical as he prepares to kill Colby. (Luckily, he doesn't quite succeed.) |
| 313 | * ''Series/Preacher2016'': Viktor Kruglov employs one who has a room packed full of instruments and is completely matter-of-fact about his work. |
| 314 | * ''Series/{{Rome}}''. A specialist detachment of the Roman army is assigned to Lucius Vorenus to torture Gaulish prisoners for information after the Thirteen Legion's standard is stolen. Later Titus Pullo has to torture someone and is momentarily stymied because he's never had to do that before -- it's just not his job. He quickly works out how it's done on the advice of [[EnfantTerrible Octavian]]. |
| 315 | * ''Franchise/StarTrek'': |
| 316 | ** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Gul Madred fills this role for the Cardassians in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E10ChainOfCommand Chain of Command]]", even in a time when (as Picard protests) any usefulness torture once had as an interrogation technique has been made obsolete by the drugs they have available. He just likes breaking people's spirits. |
| 317 | ** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': This was occasionally one of Garak's "jobs" in his past as a spy for the Obsidian Order. In "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS03E21TheDieIsCast The Die Is Cast]]", a chance to return from exile made him willing to torture Odo, although the scene makes it clear Garak is hurting as much as his subject and deeply regrets his actions. Odo reveals his longing to return to his own people, paralleling Garak's own motivation. In the MirrorUniverse, Garak is a brutal and notably unsubtle SmugSnake of the TortureFirstAskQuestionsLater variety. |
| 318 | *** Interestingly enough, and feeding the theme of the repentant torturer, is that one of the interrogations that Garak was proudest of involved no physical violence whatsoever: he simply stared at a prisoner until he confessed. |
| 319 | ** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS4E21LivingWitness Living Witness]]", the EMH is portrayed this way in a propaganda holoprogram made about Voyager. The real Doctor (or rather, the retrieved backup copy of him) is not amused. |
| 320 | * ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': |
| 321 | ** Gordon Walker. A good portion of his debut episode (Season 2's "Bloodlust") sees him hunting a vampire named Lenore, and when he finally captures her, he ties her up and poisons her with dead man's blood. When Sam and Dean walk in on him doing so, he tells them he was planning to cut off a few of her fingers and asks if they want to help. Needless to say, both of them are quite disturbed, to say the least. |
| 322 | ** Creepily enough, [[spoiler:Dean Winchester]], after spending forty years in Hell. The Angels even ask for his expertise to torture information out of the captured demon Alistair. Later in season 15, escaped demon Belphegor reminisces fondly about their time together in Hell, telling [[spoiler:Dean]]how much he "loves his work" and calling him an artist. |
| 323 | ** His "[[EvilMentor mentor]]" there, Alastair, also obviously qualifies. Alastair is in fact considered Hell's greatest torturer. One demon called him "Picasso with a razor". |
| 324 | ** If [[spoiler:Sam's flashbacks and hallucinations]] are anything to go by, Lucifer has a gift for this himself--not that that should [[{{Satan}} be any surprise]]. |
| 325 | ** Crowley has a few on staff, such as Viggo, the demon assigned to torture [[TheCutie Samandriel]], and is more than skilled at it himself. He even has his own butcher's aprons. |
| 326 | ** Very surprisingly, [[spoiler:Castiel]], who is blatantly hinted to be ''better'' in this art than even Crowley. Shocks both Dean and Bobby. BewareTheNiceOnes indeed. Tellingly, his EvilTwin from the Apocalypse World universe is a full-time torturer for heaven. |
| 327 | ** Meg studied under Alastair. It should be no surprise that she's an old hand at both torturing and being tortured. "The best torturers never get their hands dirty", after all. A demon [[spoiler:wearing Christian Campbell]] is assigned to torture Meg in "Caged Heat" (S06, E10). [[spoiler:She spends the whole time criticizing his technique and making snarky comments]]. |
| 328 | * ''Series/{{Utopia}}'': |
| 329 | ** Lee is one of two bad guys who dresses like a [[GreaserDelinquents Teddy Boy]] and specialises in EyeScream and [[ColdBloodedTorture calmly tortures]] [[RepetitiveName Wilson Wilson]] with chilies, sand, and bleach in his eyes before removing one with a spoon. [[spoiler: A [[HandicappedBadass blinded Wilson]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard kills him with his own gun shortly afterwards]].]] |
| 330 | ** In the second series, this trope is pushed even further through Mr Omida, who refers to torture as "communication" and calmly introduces himself to his victims sometimes days before torturing them. [[spoiler: Like Lee, Omida is also killed off in his first episode, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard stabbed with one of his beloved surgical tools]].]] "Always with my first torture, I like to start with something brutal and traditional." |
| 331 | * In the ''Series/{{V 1983}}'' series, Diana is basically a Mengele-{{Expy}} with her medical "experiments". She's also the head interrogator of the Visitors and responsible for brainwashing people to serve them against their will. She insists on carrying out the MindRape herself specifically because she ''[[EvilFeelsGood enjoys it]]''. |
| 332 | * ''Series/TheWheelOfTime2021'': The Whitecloak Questioners like Eamon Valda are skilled torturers, and he demonstrates this with poor Perrin. |
| 333 | [[/folder]] |
| 334 | |
| 335 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 336 | * ''Music/WuTangClan'': Although he doesn't talk about them in the actual song, ''Methods'' refers to various methods of torture that the eponymous Method Man and Raekwon discuss leading up to it, such as pulling someone's tongue out with a rusty screwdriver, anally raping someone with a heated hanger, or sewing someone's anus shut before proceeding to force-feed them to no end. |
| 337 | [[/folder]] |
| 338 | |
| 339 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 340 | * ''TabletopGame/HunterTheVigil'' has the [[ChurchMilitant Malleus Maleficarum]], a refined branch of the Inquisition that ''really'' does not have much mercy to spare for supernatural creatures. ''Your character'' can be one of these with the Torture Suite Merit, which adds a bonus to interrogation attempts. |
| 341 | * ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' gives us a dimensionful of these in the form of Phyrexia, which also double as ClockworkHorror and CosmicHorrorStory. |
| 342 | * Eonian Justifiers from ''TabletopGame/MutantChronicles''. To quote: |
| 343 | -->"No Cult cell wishes to be visited by a Justifier, for that visit will most certainly conclude with the excruciating vivisection of an errant member." |
| 344 | * Creator/GamesWorkshop games: |
| 345 | ** ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': |
| 346 | *** Dark Eldar Homonculi are Torture masters whose skills are so good as to make them highly dangerous warriors. Seeing as the Dark Eldar have to torture mortals to survive their entire race may well touch on this. |
| 347 | *** The Dark Angels and their successors have Interrogator-Chaplains, who serve as a sort of internal security as well as torturing any captured heretics into repenting their sins. |
| 348 | *** The Inquisition have Torture Technicians raised ''from birth'' in the "art" of torture - woe betide any unrepentant heretics. The Inquisition even has a several-stage routine for torturing people; the second step is [[ToThePain telling the victim what the rest of the steps are]], the first is telling them [[TheDreaded who is asking]]. |
| 349 | *** [[PoliceBrutality Adeptus Arbites]] interrogators and [[ChurchMilitant Ecclesiarchy]] torturers are also worth a mention. The first go about things in an utterly pragmatic way, generally moving from PerpSweating to JackBauerInterrogationTechnique to TruthSerums. The latter generally aren't there to extract information, but to [[ColdBloodedTorture purify the soul through mortification of the flesh]]. The [[ThePoliticalOfficer Commissariat]] and some of the chapters of SpaceMarines also employ various specialists. |
| 350 | *** The Literature/NightLords legion of Chaos Space Marines wear this proudly as their [[PlanetOfHats Hat]] along with being TheDreaded even before they turned traitor. They basically plan their military campaigns as planet-wide group torture sessions. |
| 351 | ** ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000KillTeam'' 2018 Medic specialists with the 'Interrogator' Level 3 Skill are able to use their abilities to gain Intelligence during a campaign. |
| 352 | [[/folder]] |
| 353 | |
| 354 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 355 | * When you enter the interior of the thieves' guild in ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'', one of the first people you'll see is the house torturer and his squeamish child apprentice, the torturer trying desperately to impose some manner of love for the art in his successor, who ends up running off sobbing whenever he gets to the good parts. |
| 356 | * ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' has aptly named "Torture Attacks" when she has sufficient magic in her magic meter that she can use to dish out more pain (and higher combos) against her angel enemies. Spiked iron maidens, pulled through a chain winch, crushed by two giant hands, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. |
| 357 | * In ''[[VideoGame/AssaultOnDarkAthena The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena]]'', an unseen member of the Athena crew occasionally referred to as "The Dentist" is strongly implied to be this. Being sent to him/her is considered an extreme punishment, on par with having your body [[FateWorseThanDeath harvested into a mindless cyborg]]. One seasoned merc is willing to face the OneManArmy that is Riddick when Revas threatens him with a "trip to the Dentist". Earlier in the game, another merc can be overheard joking about it, and his partner immediately shuts him up with a sincere "''Don't even fucking joke about that''". |
| 358 | * ''VideoGame/ColdWinter'' ''begins'' with your arrest in a Red Chinese prison, with a torture expert gleefully burning you with cigarettes and personally [[{{fingore}} snapping your fingers]], one by one. You managed to escape thanks to an ally, and one of your objectives is to eliminate said torturer. |
| 359 | * In ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'', the Inquisitors of the Templar Order are essentially this, in charge of "cleansing" new initiates of their sins by beating and whipping the living daylights out of them. [[spoiler:They don't particularly give a damn about the guilt or innocence of the initiate, and will gladly pile false sins upon an innocent if they feel he would make an asset to the Order, as happened with Kormac, your Templar follower who was put through this]]. |
| 360 | * ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'': |
| 361 | ** In the opening act, the player character ends up passing through a torture chamber staffed with torturers who are part of the Imperial Legion. |
| 362 | ** The Thalmor are the GODS of this trope, as demonstrated quite vividly during the [[spoiler: Diplomatic Immunity]] quest. Their First Emissary and ambassador to Skyrim, Elenwen, is particularly skilled in the art of torture, such that other emissaries and associates will often have her evaluate their technique. And one of her most prominent victims? [[spoiler:Ulfric Stormcloak]]. |
| 363 | * In ''[[VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic Heroes IV]]'', the Necromancer [[StevenUlyssesPerhero Castrata]] is described as having a collection of rare and ancient torture devices, along with written confessions of those she tortures. |
| 364 | * In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', you run into droids with this specific purpose. Furthermore, in the sequel [[spoiler: Atton Rand]] reveals that he used to be one for the Sith, torturing and killing Jedi. |
| 365 | -->"There's ways of gassing them, drugging them, making them lose control, torturing them. I was really good at it. What's worse, is that killing them isn't the best thing. Making them fall...[[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil making them see our side of it,]] that was the best." |
| 366 | * In ''VideoGame/LiberalCrimeSquad'' There is a Psychology skill. A higher Psychology skill means that the character was better at "enlightening" kidnapped conservatives. That means you can train and employ torture technicians. |
| 367 | * From the ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'' series, [[VideoGame/Yakuza0 Daisaku Kuze]] is the interrogations specialist of the Dojima Family, with Nishiki stating that the Dojima are experts at delivering fates worth than death... He has a very good eye for detail in this, knowing enough when to give victims some breathing room as well as when it simply won't work. |
| 368 | * ''VideoGame/MaceTheDarkAge'': The Executioner serves as a PsychoForHire torturer and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin executioner]] for the Seven. He has an inescapable island prison (called [[PunnyName El Katraz]]) full of ways to kill people in horrible manners, and his fight is in a room filled with various torture instruments. [[spoiler:If he gets the [[ArtifactOfDoom Mace]], he uses it to usher in a literal hell on Earth. In the bad (for him anyway) ending, he's [[KarmicDeath thrown in his own prison]], with Asmodeus deciding to teach him what torture ''really'' is]]. |
| 369 | * Revolver Ocelot (or just Ocelot when he said this) from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''. "You know, it's not all that bad...it's the ultimate form of expression." This was in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', after [[spoiler:seeing Naked Snake with one of his eyes bleeding from having a muzzle flash destroy it.]] |
| 370 | ** He was inspired by Volgin, who, hilariously, is an absolutely horrible torturer. He's a sadist, and either kills the subjects or ends up giving them more information than he gets. |
| 371 | * ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' has the demons of Bootes, who have captured several humans and are subjecting them to nightmarish tortures. The reasoning? They're trying to find out just how much of the material body is necessary for a human to survive. That the answer is "all of it" doesn't satisfy them. |
| 372 | -->"When we cut into the human's skull, a gray material leaked out of their skull, and they stopped moving. Our conclusion is that humans need something called a 'brain.' But in hindsight, we've created a person who can never get angry. We've done a good thing! What a good thing we demons did!" |
| 373 | * Deconstructed with the interrogator for the Damned 33rd in ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine''. [[spoiler: Far from being a sadistic maniac, he was tortured himself... and cracked, just like his victims. "We will be like brothers," he writes, "Having stared down death, and flinched."]] |
| 374 | * The Voices of Nerat in ''VideoGame/{{Tyranny}}'' generally just gets the information he needs by [[YourSoulIsMine devouring souls]]. But he got his start as a torture technician, and he still keeps it up [[ForTheEvulz for kicks]]. |
| 375 | * ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' has [[SinisterMinister Reverend Nathaniel Pastodi]]. According to people in the city of Novigrad, before he joined [[CorruptChurch the Church of the Eternal Fire]], he was a torturer who specialised in [[WouldHitAGirl torturing women]] and still in his spare time goes to brothels and pays exorbitant amounts to torture prostitutes to get his rocks off. [[spoiler: In the course of trying to track down a religious extremist SerialKiller who mutilated a friend of his, Geralt walks in on him torturing another girl and can decide to kill Nathaniel, even if Geralt finds proof that Nathaniel is not the killer he's looking for, stating it's justice for all the women he's abused]]. |
| 376 | * ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'' has The Knife, a minor antagonist Nazi doctor at a prison camp who sadistically tortures prisoners and incinerates their corpses. |
| 377 | * [[http://www.wowhead.com/?npc=3983#comments This guy]] in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. Fittingly, he works for the local branch of the [[strike: Spanish]] Scarlet Inquisition (and, in-game at least, [[LargeHam has the same voice coach]] as his [[Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus better-known comrades]]. Best-known nowadays for [[ScrappyLevel being slaughtered remorselessly]] because a high-level holiday event took place in his instance. |
| 378 | * Dr. Vahlen of ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' is a rare heroic case. Part of her job is to interrogate captured aliens. While her motivations are noble - the defense of Earth - she does seem to take a certain pleasure in her work. For that matter, none of her subjects have ever survived interrogation. |
| 379 | [[/folder]] |
| 380 | |
| 381 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 382 | * Captain Snow, when he isn't actively working to bring the end of the ''Webcomic/{{Archipelago}}'', unwinds by, well. Torturing people. He actually used to have a medical license but lost it for some vaguely sinister reasons. |
| 383 | -->'''Snow''': I'm a doctor. It's my job to heal the sick and tend to the wounded. Torture is what I do for FUN. |
| 384 | * [[TheDragon Wanda]] from ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'' is known as one of these... Well, it's her hobby at least. |
| 385 | * Bangladesh Dupree of ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20040123 much to Othar's dismay]]. Not that Baron Wulfenbach is above a little torture himself. |
| 386 | * Dellyn Goblinslayer in ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'' is a sadistic [[FantasticRacism fantastic racist]] who captures monsters, then vivisects them in order to learn their weaknesses. His favourite possession is the 'Finger of Hell', a knife that he designed himself in order to inflict as much pain as possible on goblins, who he reserves a special hatred for. |
| 387 | ** One of his underlings attempts to invoke BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil on a captive owlbear. [[GoneHorriblyRight It]] [[TheDogBitesBack works...]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard too]] [[KarmicDeath well]]. |
| 388 | * ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFoxhound'': Revolver Ocelot, natch. It's to the point he thoroughly [[EvenEvilHasStandards creeps out his allies]], even ''Mantis'', by how he gets off to torture. His reaction to being given a state-of-the-art torture chamber was ''to start singing'', and he's even known to torture prisoners who surrender by arguing [[KickTheDog he needs to make sure they are telling the truth by torturing them to the point they lack the will to lie]]. |
| 389 | -->'''Ocelot''': "Torture" is such an ''inelegant'' word. I'm an artist. Their testicles are my canvas. |
| 390 | -->'''Mantis:''' [[HorrifyingTheHorror Please stop touching me.]] |
| 391 | * In ''Webcomic/MinionComics'', one of the minions specializes in torture - offering such options as the "Spiky Thing" or "The Shocker" - [[http://www.meetmyminion.com/?p=1042 "They'll all have to go in the stink, but that's what makes it torture]]." |
| 392 | * In ''{{Webcomic/Sarilho}}'', both Eurico and Estanislau fit this trope, with the first performing mental torture while the second performs the physical part of it. |
| 393 | * [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20080120.html Colonel Dehaans]] from ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' was one of these, happily explaining his enjoyment to his [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20080125.html upcoming victims]]. |
| 394 | [[/folder]] |
| 395 | |
| 396 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 397 | * While A_J herself does enjoy carrying out most of the torture in ''Roleplay/{{AJCO}}'' this role often falls to whoever her second in command is at the time - usually it's Pythos, though during her absence the role was taken over by Breyos (which she wasn't too happy to find out when she got back). |
| 398 | * Web-writer Cor's unstoppable tickle "monsters". |
| 399 | * Dusk Peterson's series ''TheEternalDungeon'', where prisoners are respected, the truth valued, and confession is considered necessary for the health of the criminal's soul. In the first book, the main character is sent to the Eternal Dungeon after being accused of murder. The series continues with him after he has himself become a Seeker (Torture Technician). |
| 400 | * [[spoiler:Terrence]] in ''WebVideo/KateModern'', especially in "Answers". It's hardly his official position, but at least he has fun. |
| 401 | * Dr. Emily Gray in ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' is able to do what even Carolina cannot: get information from a captured space pirate. We don't actually see what she does to the poor son of a bitch, but the sounds of power tools, the man's screams, and Dr. Gray enthusiastically singing opera can be heard. She has to "put him back together" before Carolina is able to speak with him again. |
| 402 | * ''Literature/TheRoadToHell'' has Psymarr, a sadistic [[RatMen murid]] working for an orc tyrant solely so he can mutilate an endless amount of victims in a variety of different ways. |
| 403 | * In ''Literature/TalesOfMU'' Steff is preparing to be one of these. |
| 404 | [[/folder]] |
| 405 | |
| 406 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 407 | * HunterOfMonsters Valerie Gray briefly turns into this in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'', torturing Danny for ghost information, mostly of the ElectricTorture variety. Danny's hurt, but he refuses to tell, focusing on the true matter at hand (His OppositeSexClone). |
| 408 | * ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' has [[WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow Eddy's brother being this, playing "Uncle"]] '''''CONSTANTLY''''' with [[BigBrotherBully his little brother]]. Not only had this form Eddy into a prankster but allowed the use of [[{{Fartillery}} The El Mongo Stink Bomb]]. |
| 409 | * Dr. Moon from ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' ([[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally meant to be]] [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Professor Hugo Strange]]) wasn't allowed to get too graphic, as per the censors (not that that's necessarily a bad thing), but seemed to be Cadmus' go-to guy for extracting information with a combination of ElectricTorture and implanting images directly into the victim's mind. Incredibly, The Question manages to take the scene and play it for ''laughs''. |
| 410 | -->'''Interrogator''': Tell me what you know! |
| 411 | -->'''The Question''': The plastic caps... on the ends of shoelaces... are called aglets. Their true purpose is... sinister. |
| 412 | * Doctor Anna Ripley from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina'' is one for the Briarwoods. "Depths of Deceit" opens with a flashback of a teenaged Percy, battered, half-naked, and tied to a chair, while Ripley presses him for information. When he can't answer, Ripley uses a hook to tear massive gashes into his torso, smiling as he screams in agony. She then calls in Percy's younger sister Cassandra, implying he was being ForcedToWatch her be tortured as well. Scenes from Percy and Cassandra's escape weeks later show them battered and bruised, covered in blood, and missing all of their fingernails. |
| 413 | * ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'': 3G uses lets one loose on Lance in "Fortress of Deception". |
| 414 | * Supposedly Cyclonus of ''Franchise/TransformersGeneration1'' is one of these, as Galvatron mentions how much he loves watching Cyclonus carry out an interrogation. The only time we see him do this he's merely whipping someone [[spoiler: and since he's actually Starscream in Cyclonus' body working with the interrogatee to give Galvatron false information, he's deliberately missing.]] |
| 415 | * ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'': |
| 416 | ** TheStarscream himself. "Bring the prod." |
| 417 | ** Shockwave is a much clearer example. In his debut episode, he had his laboratory filled with various torture devices, with his victims being StrappedToAnOperatingTable as he extracts information from them. He also invented cortical psychic patch, which allows the user to [[JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind directly view the memories of an interrogatee]] to gain information from their minds. Due to that, he has a very known reputation among Decepticons as a successful interrogator, to the point that any time there's somebody who needs interrogation, they very often ask him for assistance. |
| 418 | [[/folder]] |
| 419 |
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