History Main / PhantomZonePicture

* ''{{WITCH}}'' had an episode where the artist was trapped in his own painting by the BigBad. It lead to a TrappedInTVLand style plot. It had a great scene where the heroes, fleeing mooks by rafting down a river, run aground on canvas and have to paint more river. Also had a standoff where Will threatened to drop the MacGuffin into paint thinner.

Got a prisoner neither bars nor chains can hold? Flatten them down to two dimensions, and stick them in a picture. From such a prison [[{{Oubliette}} there can be no escaping]], [[CardboardPrison theoretically]]. As an added bonus, these pictures also make great {{Soul Jar}}s.

* The ChooseYourOwnAdventure book ''The Vampyr Express'' has, as a MacGuffin, a portrait of the titular vampires from when they were still human. It's kept in a special crate and is effective as a weapon against them .

* Same concept, different media: Crowley from ''GoodOmens'' traps a hostile demon in ''the tape from his answering machine''.

* In the ''DoctorWho'' story "The Family of Blood", [[spoiler:the mirror variant was the fate of Sister of Mine]].

* Happens to {{Mario}} and numerous ghosts in ''[[{{ptitlepf9wvkpu}} Luigi's Mansion]]'', although in Mario's case he is in a Soul Jar.

* ''SuperMario64'' uses the fourth type extensively, however, Mario is never trapped. Bowser used the paintings as zones to control the Stars that powered Peach's castle.

* ''[[WarhammerFantasyRoleplay]]'' has a (cursed) painting known as ''The Blessed Ones'', which shows an idyllic landscape with beautiful and lifelike figures apparently enjoying all the comforts of paradise, and each attended by a strange ethereal spirit. It is said to grant eternal life to its owner if they perform a particular ritual. [[GenreBlindness The fact that many of the painting's former owners have disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and that many of the figures share a strong resemblance to said former owners is pure coincidence]], and the [[TooDumbToLive claims that each person depicted shows every sign of enjoyment but a look of terror and pain in their eyes is pure rumour]]. In fact, the daemons of the painting can leave it if blood is spilled on the canvas, and will [[AndIMustScream drag the blood's owner into the painting to join the others]].

* In ''{{ Bionicle}}'', Teridax does this to Miserix by forcing him to shapeshift into a Picasso-type picture, combined with a Mind Rape that convinces Miserix that he's dead and unable to move. He gets better.

Got a prisoner neither bars nor chains can hold? Flatten them down to two dimensions, and stick them in a picture. From such a prison there can be no escaping, theoretically. As an added bonus, these pictures also make great {{Soul Jar}}s.

If the person is forced to immobility, may become a case of AndIMustScream. This sort of trap has a strong possibility of being the work of a MadArtist.

* The ''DoubleDragon'' animated series: If a villain [[YouHaveFailedMe screws up once too many]], the Shadow Master will make him part of his mural, [[AndIMustScream trapped as stone and half merged into the wall]]. Previous victims are still seen there. Two words: NightmareFuel.
** Or {{Narm}}. That show really wasn't that good.

* LooneyToons regularly inverted this trope, with characters jumping in and our of paintings and running around inside them
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** Also used as a trap for Mario in Luigi's Mansion.

[[quoteright:296:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PDVD_396.jpg]]

* Used to comedic effect in Gremlins II. A gremlin, which is manifested as lightning, is trapped on hold in the phone system.

* D&D has the ''Mirror of Life Trapping'', which can imprison multiple victims who look into it.

* The SNES RPG ''Illusion of Gaia'' had the insane artist Ishtar, who trapped people in their own portraits. By the time Will makes it to his studio, he finds that the artist has painted a self-portrait, thus committing himself to the same fate but leaving Will with the instructions and method of how to rescue Kara from a similar fate.

* SuperMario64 uses the fourth type extensively, however, Mario is never trapped. Bowser used the paintings as zones to control the Stars that powered Peach's castle.

* RobotChicken parodies this in a quick sketch in which an explorer takes a polaroid of a native, trapping him in the photo.

* ''TheGoldenKey'' (Melanie Rawn, Kate Elliott and Jennifer Roberson): A painter imprisons his first love(/cousin) in a PortalPicture, where [[YearInsideHourOutside time passes much more slowly]].
* Melanie Rawn uses the mirror variant in her solo Dragon Star books. Unfortunately, there's no way of removing the character from the mirror. Breaking it will only result in them being stuck in [[AndIMustScream every single shard]].

* Happens to {{Mario}} and numerous ghosts in ''[[{{ptitlepf9wvkpu}} Luigi's Mansion]]''.

* Happens to {{Mario}} and numerous ghosts in ''Luigi's Mansion''.
* Mario 64 uses the fourth type extensively, however, Mario is never trapped. Bowser used the paintings as zones to control the Stars that powered Peach's castle.

** The Eighth Doctor novel ''Demontage'' features a device that can trap people in paintings; if they remain there too long, they're trapped permanently.

[[caption-width:296:General Zod... now in RHOMBO-VISION.]]

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PDVD_396.jpg

* Nehelenia in SailorMoon could trap people in mirrors.

* In ''YuGiOh'', people's souls were trapped within playing cards. The card art looked much like paintings of said souls.