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* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'':
** Dexter keeps blood sample slides of all his victims in his apartment, hidden in a box in his air conditioner. In the books, he keeps them on his [[HiddenInPlainSight bookshelf]]. The idea is that, as a serial killer, he can't stop himself from taking a trophy, and the tiny, easy-to-hide, easy-to-get-rid-of slides are a pretty good idea. [[spoiler:Even in their "convenient to hide" form, the trophy box bites him in the ass when Doakes finds it...]] In season 7, [[spoiler:when his sister Debra finds out about him,]] he decides to get rid of them.

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* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'':
''Series/{{Dexter}}''
** [[Characters/DexterDexterMorgan Dexter Morgan]] keeps blood sample slides of all his victims in his apartment, hidden in a box in his air conditioner. In the books, he keeps them on his [[HiddenInPlainSight bookshelf]]. The idea is that, as a serial killer, he can't stop himself from taking a trophy, and the tiny, easy-to-hide, easy-to-get-rid-of slides are a pretty good idea. [[spoiler:Even in their "convenient to hide" form, the trophy box bites him in the ass when Doakes finds it...]] In season 7, [[spoiler:when his sister Debra finds out about him,]] he decides to get rid of them.
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HumanHeadOnTheWall is a SubTrope. Crosses over occasionally with SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset, GenuineHumanHide, ShrunkenHead, HumanHeadOnTheWall and HavingAHeart. Compare BattleTrophy, CollectorOfTheStrange, StalkerShrine, KitschCollection, DecapitationPresentation, FingerInTheMail, AScarToRemember, and PastVictimShowcase. There's a good chance that a SerialKiller may keep such souvenirs. TragicKeepsake is one of the few methods that this trope can be used by a good (but still creepy) character, carrying a body part of a loved one in their memory. May overlap with HairMemento.

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HumanHeadOnTheWall is a SubTrope. Crosses over occasionally with SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset, GenuineHumanHide, ShrunkenHead, HumanHeadOnTheWall and HavingAHeart. Compare BattleTrophy, CollectorOfTheStrange, StalkerShrine, KitschCollection, DecapitationPresentation, FingerInTheMail, AScarToRemember, and PastVictimShowcase. There's a good chance that a SerialKiller may keep such souvenirs. TragicKeepsake is one of the few methods that this trope can be used by a good (but still creepy) character, carrying a body part of a loved one in their memory. If something is taken, not to memorialise the death, but as evidence, that's either BringingBackProof (if taken by the killer, eg because it's a [[ProfessionalKiller paid hit]]) or WeNeedToGetProof (if taken by someone else). May overlap with HairMemento.

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* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'': Lockdown's habit of taking body parts from his victims is a combination of this and robot OrganTheft. If he sees something he likes, he either adds it to his wall of trophies or [[TheAssimilator integrates it into himself.]]

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* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
**
''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'': Lockdown's habit of taking body parts from his victims is a combination of this and robot OrganTheft. If he sees something he likes, he either adds it to his wall of trophies or [[TheAssimilator integrates it into himself.]]

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* In ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}: Gotham After Midnight'', the villain Midnight [[AndShowItToYou rips out the hearts]] of her victims and keeps them in jars.



* The aptly-named Face from ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' skins the faces off of his slain victims and mounts them on plaques.



* The aptly-named Face from ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' skins the faces off of his slain victims and mounts them on plaques.
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* "Literature/TheHound1924": The protagonists are fervent graverobbers, corpse-snatchers, and collectors of all kinds of macabre objects. They've got a small museum's worth of stuff gotten from digging up coffins and breaking into tombs internationally, among which various human body parts both preserved and some ways into decomposition.
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* ''Film/AmericanPsycho'': after Patrick meets the model who wants to have a real conversation with him, the last we se of the pair is them getting into a taxi, in the next scene, Patrick is at work, playing with a lock of blond hair, leaving what happened to the viewer's imagination. In other scenes, we see a severed head in his fridge.


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* ''Film/PlanetTerror'': The MadScientist Abby has a jar full of human testicles he collects.


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* ''Series/{{Mindhunter}}'':
** Jerry Brudos had a collection of photographs of his victims, as well as some preserved body parts he kept, which he then [[BlatantLies vehemetely denies]] taking, even though he is visible in a reflection in one of the photos, and no one else had access to his personal lair.
** When investigating the BTK murders, Tench makes a note that small items have gone missing at different crime scenes, and the one surviving witness remembers the killer wearing a watch, that he then positively ID's as the watch belonging to an earlier victim. We later see BTK surround himself with his trophies during his elaborate sexual rituals, and less obviously, one of the victims' radio is shown in his kitchen.


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* ''Series/TheWire'':
** When Chris and Snoop are killing Marlo's enemies, Snoop tries to take a baseball hat from one, and the badge of a security guard, which Chris makes her throw away to not leave a trail of evidence.
** When [=McNulty=] creates the fake serial killer in season 5, they manage to put a bow o the case after a mentally ill man who collects calling cards kills another homeless man in a similar way to the staged crime scenes, and they use the similar MO and calling card collection as evidence that he is responsible for all of them.
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[[caption-width-right:350:We don't think he got that from a gift shop.]]
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%% https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1404492079030138900






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[[caption-width-right:350:AlasPoorYorick. [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame He was good sport]].]]
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[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/PredatorConcreteJungle https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/predator_holding_skull.png]]

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%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1360780585084591400

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%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17030107290.16592200
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[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/PredatorConcreteJungle https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_219162_3765.jpg]]]]

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* In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'', when Captain Jack Sparrow asks his father "How's mom?", Captain Teague presents him with a shrunken head. "She looks... great!"

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* In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'', when ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'':
** When
Captain Jack Sparrow asks his father "How's mom?", Captain Teague presents him with a shrunken head. "She looks... great!"



* The ''Franchise/{{Predator}}'' collects skulls from its prey, including intelligent ones. We get to see a very impressive display at the end of ''Film/{{Predator 2}}'', including the elongated skull of a [[Franchise/{{Alien}} Xenomorph]], laying down the foundation for the ''Franchise/AlienVsPredator'' franchise, and the surviving Predators give Harrigan a flintlock pistol [[GracefulLoser to congratulate him for killing one of their number]].

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* The ''Franchise/{{Predator}}'' collects skulls from its prey, including intelligent ones. We get to see a very impressive display at the end of ''Film/{{Predator 2}}'', ''Film/Predator2'', including the elongated skull of a [[Franchise/{{Alien}} Xenomorph]], laying down the foundation for the ''Franchise/AlienVsPredator'' franchise, and the surviving Predators give Harrigan a flintlock pistol [[GracefulLoser to congratulate him for killing one of their number]].
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* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': In "[[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E5AVileHungerForYourHammeringHeart A Vile Hunger for Your Hammering Heart]]", Claudia is a SerialKiller who has murdered at least 56 people and collects their body parts as trophies. She stores them in various hiding places in her bedroom.
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* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', Spongebob and Patrick accidentally unfreeze Manray, who was Mermaidman and Barnicleboy's worst enemy, kept in frozen tartar sauce as a souvenir.

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* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', Spongebob ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick accidentally unfreeze Manray, who was Mermaidman and Barnicleboy's worst enemy, kept in frozen tartar sauce as a souvenir.



** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E10LairOfGrievous "Lair of Grievous"]] Kit Fisto and Nahdar Vebb discover that Grievous collects the padawan braids from young padawan learners he's killed.
** An episode had a clone who collected droid fingers from battles. In-universe, it was considered contraband and downright creepy.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', a robot named Atlas kidnapped Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg and challenged Cyborg to a match and said that he would keep the other Titans as trophies if Cyborg lost. Thankfully, Cyborg won.
* A similar situation occurred in an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|1985}}''. Mumm-Ra captured the heroes alive and kept them tied up with MummyWrap in his burial chamber to "display" them like trophies, even going so far as to include the Sword of Omens as a wall decoration. Fortunately for them, [[BewareTheSillyOnes he didn't count on Snarf.]]

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** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E10LairOfGrievous "Lair "[[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E10LairOfGrievous Lair of Grievous"]] Grievous]]", Kit Fisto and Nahdar Vebb discover that Grievous collects the padawan braids from young padawan learners he's killed.
** An Another episode had has a clone Clone Trooper who collected collects droid fingers from battles. In-universe, it was it's considered contraband and downright creepy.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'', a robot named Atlas kidnapped kidnaps Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg and challenged challenges Cyborg to a match and said match, saying that he would will keep the other Titans as trophies if Cyborg lost. loses. Thankfully, Cyborg won.
wins.
* A similar situation occurred in In an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|1985}}''. ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985'', Mumm-Ra captured captures the heroes alive and kept keeps them tied up with MummyWrap in his burial chamber to "display" them like trophies, even going so far as to include the Sword of Omens as a wall decoration. Fortunately for them, [[BewareTheSillyOnes he didn't count on Snarf.]] Snarf]].
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No longer a trope


* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' has a few serial trophy takers as well, including one in an episode called "Trophies". Serial child molester Biggs from the episode "Quarry" actually manages to take his creepy up a notch. He took a baseball cap from his victims, and the storage locker where he kept them also had a bottle of lotion and box of tissues in it, [[ADateWithRosiePalms making it clear what he did there]].

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* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' has a few serial trophy takers as well, including one in an episode called "Trophies". Serial child molester Biggs from the episode "Quarry" actually manages to take his creepy up a notch. He took a baseball cap from his victims, and the storage locker where he kept them also had a bottle of lotion and box of tissues in it, [[ADateWithRosiePalms making it clear what he did there]].there.
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* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' has a few serial trophy takers as well, including one in an episode called "Trophies".

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* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' has a few serial trophy takers as well, including one in an episode called "Trophies". Serial child molester Biggs from the episode "Quarry" actually manages to take his creepy up a notch. He took a baseball cap from his victims, and the storage locker where he kept them also had a bottle of lotion and box of tissues in it, [[ADateWithRosiePalms making it clear what he did there]].

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* In the Meet the Medic video for ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', [[MadDoctor the Medic]] is revealed to be keeping the living head of a Blu Spy in his refrigerator. He also has several still-beating hearts in there.

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* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'':
**
In "Meet the Meet the Medic video for ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', Medic", [[MadDoctor the Medic]] is revealed to be keeping the living head of a Blu Spy in his refrigerator. He also has several still-beating hearts in there.there.
** In "Meet the Soldier", Soldier is shown to keep the severed heads of BLU team members, propped up on fence posts so he can deliver a [[CloudCuckoolander deeply unhinged]] DrillSergeantNasty rant about Sun Tzu beating up animals to them. In "Meet the Director" his collection is mostly disposed of offscreen, and by the endgame storyline comics he's moved on to surprising his new, equally insane girlfriend Zhanna with a necklace of severed human ears, which [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike she thinks is the most romantic thing ever]].
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* ''[[Film/BonesAndAll2022 Bones and All]]'': Sully the [[ImAHumanitarian eater]] takes hair from the people he eats and weaves it into a braid that is several yards long. He shows it off with pride to Maren, a fellow eater, and notes how strong it is.
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* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'', Jared Everall, collector of super-memorabilia, keeps a pitcher containing ''seven vengeful demons'' on his [[StupidEvil coffee table.]]
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* In ''Manga/DarkGathering'', the adrenaline junkie Eiko once had her soul forced into a doll and almost incinerated. Even while she was recovering from the trauma of the experience, she grabbed the dolls before leaving the area, planning to use them as a bargaining chip against ghosts. Her boyfriend is appropriately freaked out by this, and the pride with which she tells him her plan.
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HumanHeadOnTheWall is a SubTrope. Crosses over occasionally with SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset, GenuineHumanHide, ShrunkenHead, HumanHeadOnTheWall and HavingAHeart. Compare BattleTrophy, CollectorOfTheStrange, StalkerShrine, KitschCollection, DecapitationPresentation, FingerInTheMail, AScarToRemember, and PastVictimShowcase. There's a good chance that a SerialKiller may keep such souvenirs. TragicKeepsake is one of the few methods that this trope can be used by a good (but still creepy) character, carrying a body part of a loved one in their memory.

to:

HumanHeadOnTheWall is a SubTrope. Crosses over occasionally with SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset, GenuineHumanHide, ShrunkenHead, HumanHeadOnTheWall and HavingAHeart. Compare BattleTrophy, CollectorOfTheStrange, StalkerShrine, KitschCollection, DecapitationPresentation, FingerInTheMail, AScarToRemember, and PastVictimShowcase. There's a good chance that a SerialKiller may keep such souvenirs. TragicKeepsake is one of the few methods that this trope can be used by a good (but still creepy) character, carrying a body part of a loved one in their memory.
memory. May overlap with HairMemento.
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!!As this can sometimes be a {{Death Trope|s}}, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked spoilers abound]]. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Beware]].
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[[caption-width-right:350:AlasPoorYorick. [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame He was good sport.]]]]

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[[caption-width-right:350:AlasPoorYorick. [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame He was good sport.]]]]
sport]].]]

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* Hank in ''Series/BreakingBad'' manages to kill the drug lord [[ArcVillain Tuco]] in a firefight, and is rewarded by his fellow DEA agents with the dental grill taken from his corpse as a trophy. However, Hank begins to suffer PTSD from the experience and tosses it into a river.

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* ''Series/BreakingBad'':
**
Hank in ''Series/BreakingBad'' manages to kill the drug lord [[ArcVillain Tuco]] in a firefight, and is rewarded by his fellow DEA agents with the dental grill taken from his corpse as a trophy. However, Hank begins to suffer PTSD from the experience and tosses it into a river.river.
** During a train heist, Todd is told by Jesse and Walt they've made precautions to make sure there are absolutely no witnesses. Todd takes this statement to an extreme, [[WouldHurtAChild shooting and killing an innocent child on sight]] that had the misfortune to be passing by. [[LackOfEmpathy He has no idea why what he did was wrong]], and to top it off, he takes the tarantula in a jar that the kid was carrying as a keepsake, just to drive it home to the audience [[AxCrazy what an utterly detached psycho he is]].
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* Downplayed in ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed''. Abby has felt some of Devon's hair from when her mother cut it at her salon. Priya and Miriam assume Abby kept it and ask her if they could have some.
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* ''Film/NiteTalesTheMovie'': In "Karma", Jim Bob has photos of body parts stuck up on the wall, which really should have clued the robbers in that something was not right at the farm where they had stopped to steal a vehicle.
* HorrorHost: Flavor Flav plays this role.
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Note that this is different from using body parts for [[HumanResources religious; medical; magical; or other purposes]], although that's no less creepy.

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Note that this is different from using body parts for [[HumanResources religious; medical; magical; religious, medical, magical, or other purposes]], although that's no less creepy.
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* Captain Love in ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro'' keeps his enemies' body parts in jars of alcohol and [[IAmAHumanitarian drinks from them]], supposedly to gain insight on their strategies. This becomes much creepier when he invites Alejandro to drink from the jar containing ''his own brother's head''.
* In ''Film/TheNightOfAThousandCats'', [[SerialKiller Hugo]] keeps his victims' pickled heads inside glass jars in his basement.

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* ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro'': Captain Love in ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro'' keeps his enemies' body parts [[JarOfTheBizarre in jars of alcohol alcohol]] and [[IAmAHumanitarian drinks from them]], supposedly to gain insight on their strategies. This becomes much creepier when he invites Alejandro to drink from the jar containing ''his own brother's head''.
* In ''Film/TheNightOfAThousandCats'', [[SerialKiller Hugo]] ''Film/TheNightOfAThousandCats'': The SerialKiller Hugo [[JarOfTheBizarre keeps his victims' pickled heads inside glass jars jars]] in his basement.



* In ''Film/SaveTheGreenPlanet'', Byeong-gu's creepy basement is filled with preserved human limbs in jars, which were collected from his previous victims who he interrogated and killed to find out if they were aliens.

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* In ''Film/SaveTheGreenPlanet'', ''Film/SaveTheGreenPlanet'': Byeong-gu's creepy basement is filled with [[JarOfTheBizarre preserved human limbs in jars, jars]], which were collected from his previous victims who he interrogated and killed to find out if they were aliens.



* In one short story, an assassin kills a man who turns out to be a serial killer (which is a part of a larger plot between gods -- Loki has survived to modern times and uses serial killers to gather human nails that he needs to build his ship) -- the assassin enters the man's house and starts retching when he finds a whole wall of jars full of eyeballs staring at him.

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* In one short story, an assassin kills a man who turns out to be a serial killer (which is a part of a larger plot between gods -- Loki has survived to modern times and uses serial killers to gather human nails that he needs to build his ship) -- the assassin enters the man's house and starts retching when he finds a whole wall of [[JarOfTheBizarre jars full of eyeballs eyeballs]] staring at him.

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