History Main / BoobyTrap

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrolls'':

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* Hunter heroes in ''VideoGame/ShadowEra'' can cast some trap cards, such as "Spike Trap" that either harm or kill any monster summoned after it is cast.
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* ''ComicBook/{{Commando}}''. One story features an American soldier who specialises in disarming the booby traps left behind by the retreating Germans. He starts discovering taunting messages inside the traps, left for him personally by the German soldier who planted them. Eventually he comes across the 'corpse' of a German soldier that suddenly leaps up and attacks him. As the American had defused all his bombs, the German had decided to [[PlayingPossum use himself as the ultimate booby trap]].

* ''[[Franchise/MonsterVerse Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted]]'': [[Characters/MonsterVerseHumans Raymond Martin]] uses a giant electric booby trap to capture the Spineprowler that previously picked a fight with Kong.

* ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' has a rat soaked in kerosene, set into a hole in wall of the bad guy's HQ and then set on fire.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':

* Rubber traps of ''Videogame/CluCluLand'' are a non lethal version, but do tend to pop up without warning and are a great hinderance when everything is a TimedMission. The good news is that they can hinder your enemies, but only after you accidentally activate them.
* It's possible In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' to use the Explosive Gel as a booby trap with the right upgrades, it's especially effective when planted at the top of a ladder which results in a flying mook and an instant KO.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' has this in varying flavors. Games like ''Renegade'' feature land mines, which tend to be placed to deter infantry. ''Generals,'' on the other hand, has the ability to lay entire minefields to destroy enemy units, as well as a GLA item called the Demo Trap--little more than a barrel of unknown dangerous stuff hidden from view that exploded either by proximity or on command. ''Red Alert'' featured more proactive traps, including a nasty Soviet trick called the Terror Drone Surprise, which causes vehicles to eject a nasty hidden AttackDrone when destroyed.

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', many dungeons have booby traps in them. It is [[ArtificialStupidity pathetically easy to kill the people who set them up with them.]]
** Well, it ''would'' be, if the booby traps weren't so slow moving and badly designed...
** One dungeon in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' has what can only be [[http://steamcommunity.com/id/StarSword_C/screenshot/452848054054451402 the most obvious booby trap ever]][[note]]Bit of FridgeBrilliance: this trap was set up by a literally *blind* race of snow elves[[/note]]. By contrast, there are some booby traps in Dwemer ruins that can be really deadly. One type can only be described as a helicopter rotor in a trench; it can take out a [[GiantMook steam centurion]] in two hits.
** Though once you recognise the pattern Dwemer traps can be surprisingly easy to realize are there: they tend to be colour-coded[[note]]Which makes sense when one realizes that the main target for the traps would have been the aforementioned blind elves[[/note]]. Some of the traps appear to be less trap and more dangerous machinery, as well.
** Nordic tombs are also littered with various traps for mincing the unwary explorer, from a hail of poisonous darts to swinging spike walls. There's a reason why the game offers you a perk that lets you stand on pressure plates without triggering them. And even then, it's probably a good idea to look down once in a while, because that perk has no effect on tripwires.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' features a [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_3_traps wide variety]] of booby traps. Don't be surprised when you:
** Get hit by a swinging cow, log or I-beam chained to a ceiling.
** [[ExplosiveInstrumentation Try to use a computer, only to have it explode in your face]].
** Get your leg crippled by a {{bear trap}}.
** Exploding mail boxes
** Encounter one of several types of [[LandMineGoesClick plain ol' fashioned mines]] (which come in frag, plasma and EMP flavours) which you can disarm and replant yourself.
** Get shot by a {{pressure plate}}- or tripwire- activated shotgun sitting on a nearby bench.
** Get [[FallingChandelierOfDoom grenades hanging from a ceiling]] dropped on your head.
** [[EveryCarIsAPinto Exploding nuclear-powered cars]]
** Get pelted with baseballs by a pitching machine
** Ignite a gasleak with gunfire or explosives
** and all sorts of other booby fun!
*** You even get a perk which makes you invulnerable to tripwires, mines etc by allowing you to walk over them without triggering them (hard luck if an enemy or ally gets too close though).
*** Don't forget the exploding baby carriages.
** The ''Point Lookout'' sidequest "The Velvet Curtain" leads you to a Chinese spy bunker, where upon activating the extraction terminal in the basement, [[GasChamber the door locks and radiation starts venting into the room]]. If you don't have a high enough repair skill, you're doomed. This was meant to be a double-cross for the Chinese agent who died at the Turtledove Detention Camp. While not lethal ([[CriticalExistenceFailure unless you're low on health]]), the Calvert Mansion has a [[FloorboardFailure collapsing floor trap]] that drops you into its basement.
** [[SmashingHallwayTrapsOfDoom Trash compactors]] in the Waste Disposal area of ''Mothership Zeta''.
*** These are ''not at all'' like the slow sideways crushing trash compactors in ''Franchise/StarWars'', but lightning-fast power hammers smashing down from the ceiling. Fortunately for the player, they're more of a "hazard" than a "trap": they're timed rather than triggered by proximity.
* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' has all of the above. Also concealed mines which don't glow. Finding (or being victim to) them in an area full of corpses, without finding evidence that someone CrazyPrepared set them up, is usually evidence in itself that Caesar's Legion is responsible for said corpses.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' continues the tradition. In some cases, the Raiders go so far as to set up elaborate death mazes full of booby traps.
** ''Nuka-World'' has the Gauntlet, which is one of these death mazes. There's also a booby-trapped haunted house attraction on the outskirts of the park.

* Pyramids in ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' have TNT traps hidden from view. When you enter a pyramid and destroy the blue wool block, you can see 4 chests below and a pressure plate. Stepping on the plate triggers the TNT and will most likely kill you, but it will definitely destroy the chests and their contents.

* ''VideoGame/Portal2'': [[spoiler:The FinalBoss of the game demonstrates how even a complete idiot can be smart -- and subvert BossArenaIdiocy along the way -- by taking into account the possibility that you might win and placing a trap- specifically, a bunch of bombs- on the Stalemate Resolution Button]].
-->[[spoiler:'''Wheatley:''' (triumphantly) PART FIVE: BOOBY-TRAP THE STALEMATE BUTTON!]]
* The ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia'' series has ''lots'' of traps. SpikesOfDoom? Yup. Snapping metal jaws? Yup. Wall-mounted scythes or buzzsaws? Yup. SmashingHallwayTrapsOfDoom? Yup. Bladed pendulums? Yup. Spinning poles covered in spikes? Yup. The list goes on and on. Frequently combined with DeathCourse for extra fun.
* ''VideoGame/ProjectReality'' has accurate depictions of Improvised Explosive Devices ([=IED=]'s) which are often used this way, ranging in size and sophistication from a hand grenade in a tin can with a tripwire across a doorway to pipe bombs & artillery shells with a cell phone acting as a remote detonator.

* ''VideoGame/RisingStorm'' gives Japanese forces the option of planting their hand grenades into the ground to act as improvised landmines.

* In ''[[VideoGame/SilentStorm Silent Storm]]'' and it's sequel ''S3: Sentinels'', it's more than likely you will stumble upon a rigged chest or door. Having a skilled engineer around can save a lot of folks failing spot checks- and they're also useful when you lay your own traps for enemies to stumble upon.
* ''VideoGame/SniperElite'', ''VideoGame/SniperEliteV2'', and ''VideoGame/SniperEliteIII'': You have land mines, trip mines, and explosives to place in doorways, along stairs, etc.

* The ''VideoGame/SpaceQuest'' series includes: Collapsing bridges, grates with monsters lurking underneath, laser fences, [[LaserHallway hallways lined with invisible laser traps]], DisintegratorRay-equipped slot machines, sticky trees that get you eaten alive by insects, acid pits, conveyor belts leading to shredding machines, and many more.
* In ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' Terran players can set up hidden land mines.
** And in ''Warcraft III'', any side can buy landmines from the goblins and lay them around the place. They turn invisible, so most units won't see them.

* In ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'', [[CloudCuckoolander Arcueid]] apparently booby traps her underwear drawer, if that's as accurate a detail of Shiki's life as a lot of other things were in Kagetsu Tohya. The trap? A magical talking leopard that pops out and eats you. Yes. Really.

** You can electrocute someone by plugging in a power strip near a water fountain and sabotaging the pipes to create a leak. If you give your victim some chips, they will get thirsty after eating them and drink from the nearest fountain. Flip the light switch while they're drinking and they'll go out in a shocking manner.

* ''Webcomic/GarnetAndGure''[='s=] animated short, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afa3E3JLS74 Bad Enough Dude]] focuses on the evil Dr. Upsetrose needing to call tech support for his "Montenegro spiked ceiling death apparatus".

Obviously, TruthInTelevision. Keep in mind, however, that in most countries booby traps are illegal and if they kill someone you'll likely face jail time. This includes incidences of home invasion by a thief.

* In ''Series/{{CSINY}}'s'' "Death House," the team must unravel various traps set by the long deceased owner of a penthouse who used them to off an enemy of his almost 100 years earlier. A present day person has been killed, and his girlfriend is trapped as well. Sheldon gets caught in the trap that killed the young man; Mac & Stella rescue him before they all find the girl.

* ''Film/MadMax2TheRoadWarrior''. In a ScavangerWorld where petrol is worth killing for, the gas tank on Max's vehicle is set to explode if anyone tries to steal from it. Two men are smart enough to avoid getting blown up; the third isn't.

* One of the [[DeathWorld many]] [[EverythingTryingToKillYou many,]] ''many'' threats in {{Videogame/Metro2033}}. They come in the shotgun-with-tripwire form, the pipe bomb-with-tripwire form, and the falling-log-with-nails-in-it form. Any of these can and will ruin your day if you don't look where you're going.

* ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' has a rat soaked in kerosene, set into a hole in wall of the bad guy's HQ and then set on fire.

* ''{{Film/Conan The Barbarian|1982}}'' sets up a number of these in preparation for the Battle of the Mounds, including one calculated to take advantage of Thorgrim's penchant for smashing enemies' heads in with his [[DropTheHammer big two-handed hammer]], which gets the dumb brute ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice.

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* A staple during pretty much any old-school DungeonCrawling in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons.'' Particularly fiendish {{Game Master}}s love filling their dungeons with these.

*** Don't forget the [[BabyBoomers exploding baby carriages]].

* In ''Film/MadMax2TheRoadWarrior'', Max's gas tank is set to explode if anyone tries to steal from it.

* ''Film/BlownAway'' centers on a MadBomber hounding a BombDisposal officer by rigging booby trapped explosives. The devices are cruelly ingenious in foreseeing how the bomb squad will work. At several points the camera passes through the scene and into the workings of the bomb in what appears to be a continuous take, striking shots which highlight, almost fetishistically, the workings of the device.

** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Dr. Psycho tries to kill ComicBook/SteveTrevor by leaving an explosive pen on his desk. It turns out to be a rather powerful experimental explosive called an Electo-Atomizer and when Steve's secratary arrogantly reacts to Di telling her not to touch it by petulantly grabing to since she feels like Di thinks herself so much better than her it atomizes most of her and the desk.