History Main / TorchesAndPitchforks

* In the Lon Chaney silent film version of ''ThePhantomOfTheOpera,'' the Phantom is rather brutally killed at the end by one of these.

* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', apparently this is still common behavior in Rottenburg, Germany (nearby Stuttgart). For generations, they've been chasing out witches, mad scientists, and the resident family of mad doctors, the Humboldts. Unfortunately for them, the most recent in the Humboldt lineage, TheMedic, is a mad scientist and doctor with a knowledge of black magic...and he has a nasty horde of robots on the tail of himself and his team.

* Laird gathers the pig peasants and convinces them the heroine, Daria, is to blame for their problems because "She's different" in ''Film/ThePrincessAndThePea.'' The very gullible crowd actually believes him and try to kill her.

* In ''TeamFortress2'', apparently this is still common behavior in Rottenburg, Germany (nearby Stuttgart). For generations, they've been chasing out witches, mad scientists, and the resident family of mad doctors, the Humboldts. Unfortunately for them, the most recent in the Humboldt lineage, TheMedic, is a mad scientist and doctor with a knowledge of black magic...and he has a nasty horde of robots on the tail of himself and his team.

* In Judy's revenge-fantasy ImagineSpot from ''Film/NineToFive'', some of the mob of office workers that pursue Hart through the corridors with bloodhounds are carrying torches.

The standard equipment for any angry mob on a WitchHunt. The mob may be going after a [[BurnTheWitch witch]], an [[EvilSorcerer evil wizard]], a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]], a MadScientist, a [[HeteronormativeCrusader "perverted" person]], or any other unpopular local figure. If they're coming after the good guys for one reason or another (like if our heroes are hiding a ReluctantMonster), their best defense is ShamingTheMob.

* ''{{Tombstone}}''. Not pitchforks, but pickaxes. A lynch mob, including miners with pickaxes, appears after Curly Bill kills the town marshal. Wyatt disperses the mob by saying there will be a trial.

* In the movie ''TheElephantMan'', there was a brief moment aboard a ship that the eponymous character was on... even though some bad little boys started the trouble.
* Rob Schneider's ''TheAnimal'' features a torches, pitchforks and shotgun-wielding mob, organized by [[HeyItsThatGuy Dr. Cox]] from ''{{Scrubs}}'', starting at 1:40 [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxhOzdXACNQ&feature=related here]]. Featuring Norm [=MacDonald=] as a guy asking stuff like "when do we get to light our torches" and other pesky questions:

-->'''Dr. Cox from ''{{Scrubs}}''''': Alright, you! Back of the Mob!
* The Mexican film ''{{Canoa}}'' shows a very disturbing and accurate portrayal of a lynching, based on a real event.
* Subverted in ''TheGreatRace''. When the Professor Fate's car arrives in Siberia, there are crowds of people holding torches lining the streets, all ominously silent. They don't respond when Fate speaks, but when Maggie [=DuBois=] greets them in Russian they throng the car, enthusiastically cheering.

* In the Disney film ''{{Pocahontas}}'' near the end (during the song 'Savages! Savages!') the invaders pick up torches and pitchforks and decide to attack the natives.

* ''TheCatPiano''
* EdwardScissorhands has a mob of suburbanites lighting their flashlights and roaming the neighborhood with sports equipment and gardening tools.
* The mob chanting "Imhotep" in ''[[TheMummyTrilogy The Mummy]]'' is carrying torches. On the DVDCommentary, director Stephen Sommers acknowledges the appeal of this trope, saying "villagers with torches, it's hard to beat."

* Rob Schneider's ''TheAnimal'' features a torches, pitchforks and shotgun-wielding mob, organized by [[HeyItsThatGuy Dr. Cox]] from ''Scrubs'', starting at 1:40 [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxhOzdXACNQ&feature=related here]]. Featuring Norm [=MacDonald=] as a guy asking stuff like "when do we get to light our torches" and other pesky questions:

** By Shrek Forever After, it is aparrently a regular occurence for citizens to ask for signatures on their pitchforks.

* Rob Schneider's ''TheAnimal'' features a torches, pitchforks and shotgun-wielding mob, organized by [[HeyItsThatGuy Dr. Cox from ''Scrubs'']], starting at 1:40 [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxhOzdXACNQ&feature=related here]]. Featuring Norm [=MacDonald=] as a guy asking stuff like "when do we get to light our torches" and other pesky questions:

** The comedy ''Transylvania 6-5000'' has a particularly clever parody. A [[spoiler:burn victim]] is mistaken for Frankenstein, and is about to be [[spoiler:burned at the stake]]! [[SarcasmMode Like THAT would help]].

** The comedy ''Transylvania 6-5000'' has a particularly clever parody. A [[spoiler:a burn victim]] is mistaken for Frankenstein, and is about to be [[spoiler:burned at the stake]]! [[SarcasmMode Like THAT would help]].

* ''{{The X-Files}}''. In "Syzygy" Scully sees what appears to be a torch-bearing mob in the distance, though when they get close it's revealed their torches are of the battery-powered kind and their 'pitchfork' is a single shotgun.

* ''WebComic/{{Precocious}}'': [[http://www.precociouscomic.com/archive/comic/2010/10/08 Homeowners' association at it again]]

* Parodied in ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' several times; in one, the mob is storming the castle, and one man looks down at his torch, which has gone out, to regret buying it from a discount "TorchesAndPitchforks Store".

* The [[Film/{{Frankenstein 1931}} 1931 film version]] of ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' features some of the most famous TorchesAndPitchforks angry mobs. They are an UnbuiltTrope example since no one has a pitchfork and Dr. Frankenstein is himself is one of the leaders.

* In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', Leon finds himself facing TorchesAndPitchforks as wielded by "Los Ganados", the infected townsfolk.

* Sam Starfall of ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'' considers it a badge of pride to be chased by a mob such as this. Sadly, the sci-fi setting makes actual TorchesAndPitchforks hard to come by, so he mostly has to make due with an ordinary 'Angry Mob'.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'' episode "Mother Nature", every time the local weather reporter makes an incorrect forecast, they get run out of town by an angry mob, who come complete with TorchesAndPitchforks.

** In the episode "The Secret Origins of Denzel Crocker", townspeople out to celebrate young Crocker's birthday [[LaserGuidedAmnesia get their memories of all the great things he had done for them erased]]. When they wonder why they're there, they see Crocker on stage and reason that they can't be celebrating anything, so they ''must'' be an angry mob out to get him, and out come the TorchesAndPitchforks, which they all happened to have tucked away somewhere.

* Used a couple times on ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants''. On the episode "Sing a Song of Patrick", an angry mob went after Spongey and Patrick, and passed a torches stand [yes, they burn, and yes, they're still underwater], a pitchforks stand, and a... cotton candy stand. After all, as the man said, "You can't go riot without cotton candy!" On another episode, Spongebob and Sandy were at the movies, and Spongebob's wig blocked the screen. Spongebob made the mistake of saying there was no need to start a riot, and so they did...

** 2E ''Acute Paranoia'' supplement adventure "Outland-ISH". After the inhabitants of ISH sector get tired of the nosy Troubleshooters investigating they, they will come after the Troubleshooters with pitchforks.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' XP supplement ''The Traitor Manual''. Part of the ceremonial garb worn by Frankenstein Destroyers when they hunt and destroy a luckless bot.

A common parody is to raise the question of where people are getting this equipment and short notice (often revealing it as something ridiculous), or for angry mobs to be judged by the quality of such equipment.