History Main / TrapDoor

* Used by [[Creator/CharlesDickens Dickens]] in ''OliverTwist''. Mr and Mrs Bumble go to meet Monks in a derelict warehouse overhanging a river. After their conversation Monks reveals that they'd been sitting on a trapdoor over the millrace. "I could have let you down quietly enough when you were seated over it, if that had been my game." He didn't, but he'd clearly planned for the possibility.

* ''TombRaider'' is full of these, whether sprung by Lara's doing or her stumbling into them. The ladder usually has instant death traps such as spikes.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{DuckTales}}'': In the first episode Scrooge uses one to cheer himself up:

'''Scrooge''': [[LittleNo No!]] [pushes buttom]\\

** Hordak had one to drop his [[SurroundedByIdiots hordsmen]] into. On the rare occasion one of them would avoid it another trap would get them, some of them where far less pleasant. They couldn't see it, since the whole throne room was paved in squares.

* Common in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''; the ''first thing'' Shego does "in person" (after having appeared only in security footage) is walk into Drakken's lair, drop through a trapdoor into a waiting chair, and ask Drakken, "Ever considered a ''normal'' door?"
** In another episode of ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' features a gag where the bad guy used said devices on mooks that [[YouHaveFailedMe failed him]]. As the mooks begin to wise up and not sit in the rigged chair, he opens another door that the mooks were standing on. One instance even has said bad guy directing his mooks to the point before pressing the button.

* ''GIJoe'':

* There are two of them in ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', both used to comedic effect. One apparently leads to a crocodile pit. The other leads to a random hole on the side of the palace.
** [[LampshadeHanging Why do we even HAVE that lever?]]
** [[DeusExMachina What're the odds that trapdoor would lead me out here?]]

* ''MinionsAtWork'': [[http://www.minionsatwork.com/2007/04/minions-55-one-up.html One way for your annual review to end]]
* ''TheLastDaysOfFOXHOUND'' mocks the trapdoors found in the armory section of VideoGame/MetalGearSolid [[http://gigaville.com/comic.php?id=403 by having Sniper Wolf fall into one]] - and barely hanging on, and the {{Mooks}} remarked that the only way they knew where the trapdoors were was because... "There used to be a lot more of us". It also mocks the other, stupidly impractical designs of the base.
* ''SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'': Why are there [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=71#comic trap doors under our desks?]]
* Used and parodied very often in EvilInc, a corporation of old-style super villains. [[http://www.evil-comic.com/archive/20050602.html Here]] [[http://www.evil-comic.com/archive/20050609.html are]] [[http://www.evil-comic.com/archive/20050610.html a]] [[http://www.evil-comic.com/archive/20050614.html examples few]] [[http://www.evil-comic.com/archive/20050615.html examples]] from just the first 3 weeks of this comic.
* In ''RustyAndCo'',

* Special mention goes to ''TheTrapDoor'', which is basically this in reverse. Instead of the heroes falling in, the bad things come out.
* Used plenty of times in ''ScoobyDoo.'' [[TheChick Daphne]] had a talent for finding them and getting stuck at the bottom...

* ''JonnyQuest'' episode "Dragons of Ashida". The title character has a servant pull a rope, which drops the floor out from under the Quest party.
* ''TheHerculoids''.

* Naturally, [[BadBoss Lucius]] uses one of these on ''{{Jimmy Two-Shoes}}''. He uses it to get rid of [[YesMan Samy's]] stuff, but it only takes one glare for Samy to drop himself down.
* [[SheRa Hordak]] had one to drop his [[SurroundedByIdiots hordsmen]] into. On the rare occasion one of them would avoid it another trap would get them, some of them where far less pleasant.

* An old ''{{Popeye}}'' cartoon "The Dance Contest" has judge Wimpy dropping couples through trap doors if they're not good enough - or if they don't have any mustard handy.

* [[ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}} Dogbert]] has used a desk-activated TrapDoor to dispose of at least one disgruntled employee.

* In ''Film/TheManCalledFlintstone'', the Green Goose uses one on Barney Rubble.

* In one segment of Disney's ''Film/MarsAndBeyond'', the Martian leader pulls a rope and a trap door opens under the kidnapped heroine.

* Ringo Starr falls through at least two trapdoors in ''Help!'' One of them is in a pub and uses a beer glass (glued to its coaster) as a switch; fortunately for those trying to rescue Ringo, its seams are just visible. Another one is inside the area covered by an electrified cage somewhere in the Bahamas...

* In ''WesternAnimation/SinbadOfTheSevenSeas'', the titular Sinbad is dropped into a pit with snakes in it by Jaffar, the wizard of all that is evil. You know him, don't you?

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''Film/SinbadOfTheSevenSeas'', the titular Sinbad is dropped into a pit with snakes in it by Jaffar, the wizard of all that is evil. You know him, don't you?

* ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine''. After they pass through the Sea of Science a creature drops into the sub. Ringo pushes a button and a door opens under the creature, dropping it out into the Sea of Monsters.
* In ''WesternAnimation/MickeyDonaldGoofyTheThreeMusketeers'', Pete drops a few of his [[MinionWithAnFInEvil minions]] down "The Pit", followed by the required scream fading out... only to subvert it when the short one stands up on the floor to reveal that it's roughly two feet deep. They are later seen playing poker inside and hop out when Pete needs them again.
* ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal'' segment "Captain Sternn". After the title character pays Hannover Fiste the 35,000 zulaks, he pulls a lever that drops Fiste out of the space station and out of orbit, causing him to burn up on re-entry.

* Played with in ''[[Film/AustinPowers Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery]]'': During his introduction, Doctor Evil [[YouHaveFailedMe sends numerous minions into fiery pits]] with the push of a button, but when he reoccupies the [[SupervillainLair Evil Lair]] thirty years later, the mechanisms are a bit rusty and the goon he incinerates is NotQuiteDead.
** Although, same said henchman survived a fall off a cliff with two broken legs and a bear mauling him at the end credits, so you can't blame it on the mechanisms themselves.

* Trapdoors appear in several BusterKeaton films, including "TheHauntedHouse," "TheScarecrow," ''SherlockJr''
* Played with in ''[[AustinPowers Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery]]'': During his introduction, Doctor Evil [[YouHaveFailedMe sends numerous minions into fiery pits]] with the push of a button, but when he reoccupies the [[SupervillainLair Evil Lair]] thirty years later, the mechanisms are a bit rusty and the goon he incinerates is NotQuiteDead.

* Used straight in the Film/JamesBond movie ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' where the villain had it set up in his elevator to drop into a SharkPool. Bond defeated it by straddling the walls. In an earlier film, ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'', Bond suspects the same trick, only to be felled by gas instead. Subverted in ''Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice'', when Japanese Secret Service chief -- and Bond ally -- Tiger Tanaka uses a TrapDoor with slide to bring Bond to their first face to face meeting.
* ''StarWars VI: Return of the Jedi'': Jabba the Hutt uses one to have Luke Skywalker drop in on his pet rancor.
* Kim Jong-Il had one in ''TeamAmericaWorldPolice''. It's not outside the realms of possibility that this is TruthInTelevision. UsefulNotes/NorthKorea is that kind of country.
* In ''SinbadOfTheSevenSeas'', the titular Sinbad is dropped into a pit with snakes in it by Jaffar, the wizard of all that is evil. You know him, don't you?
* In one segment of Disney's ''Mars and Beyond'', the Martian leader pulls a rope and a trap door opens under the kidnapped heroine.

* ''[[Film/{{DEBS}} D.E.B.S.]]'' Lucy installs one inside a bank vault to bring Amy to her.
* In ''The Man Called Flintstone'', the Green Goose uses one on Barney Rubble.

* In ''MickeyDonaldGoofyTheThreeMusketeers'', Pete drops a few of his [[MinionWithAnFInEvil minions]] down "The Pit", followed by the required scream fading out... only to subvert it when the short one stands up on the floor to reveal that it's roughly two feet deep. They are later seen playing poker inside and hop out when Pete needs them again.

* Creator/LFrankBaum used this trope a few times in his [[Literature/LandOfOz Oz books]]. For instance, ''Tik-Tok in Oz'' features a trapdoor used by the BigBad over a hole so deep it ''goes to the other side of the world''. ''Rinkitink in Oz'' contains a subversion, where the villain opens a trap door under one of the heroes, but, unknown to the villain, the hero has an artifact that protects him from harm, so he floats over the gap instead of falling through.

* Used as the gimmick for the game show ''Russian Roulette'', where contestants are eliminated by dropping through the door they're required to stand on (although, as the show's name suggests, whether or not a contestant is eliminated is a random process). To make the gimmick's usage even more {{Anvilicious}}, there's a lever to activate the TrapDoor in front of each player, essentially forcing them to eliminate themselves in this manner.
** And here I thought what made it {{Anvilicious}} was the fact that the platform was designed to look like the chamber of a revolver, with the six contestants as the "bullets".
* On NBC's short-lived game show, ''WhosStillStanding'', one contestant (the "Hero") stands on a trap door on the center of the stage and faces off against a circle of 10 competitors also standing on trap doors (the "Strangers") in a series of trivia duels. Eliminated contestants drop 10 feet into a padded room below the stage. If the Hero decides to walk away at one point and keep their winnings, they have the option of either walking out of the studio or by dropping through the floor. And at the end of each episode, Ben Bailey (of ''CashCab'' fame), also drops through the Hero's trap door.
* The SyFy game show ''TotalBlackout'' uses trap doors in a slightly different way. After each round, the remaining contestants stand in front of trap doors and, on Jaleel White's command, are told to jump onto them. The contestant with the least amount of points in the round drops out of the game, while the other contestants' doors stay shut.
* One ''SaturdayNightLive'' parody commercial was for a trap-door company. It began with scenes of malfunctioning trap-doors, complete with the voiceover, "Don't you hate it when this happens to you?"
* Played straight in the second season ''TheManFromUNCLE'' episode "The Bat Cave Affair".
* The Grand Master in ''MIHigh'' has one in his office for disposing of annoying underlings. It's not clear exactly what happens to those who fall through it, but the offscreen voice of one victim was heard complaining that it was uncomfortably warm in the cellar.
* The "Sock It To Me" bits on ''RowanAndMartinsLaughIn'' frequently showed a character (usually Judy Carne) falling through a trap door.
* Spoofed in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDedpreZH-0 this]] segment from ''ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' where the architect working for the EvilGenius has built the trap door compliant to safety requirements. That is, with a red light, an announcement warning to clear the area, and yellow signs. The guy in the chair escapes.

*** According to Don Rosa, Scrooge's trapdoor drops people in a tank filled with ''skunk oil''.

* ''Franchise/Tintin'':

* One of the few comedic points of ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' is a Gamilas general annoying Deslar with inappropriate laugh only to get a trap door open under his feet.

* In ''{{Tintin}} in America'', gangster Bobby Smiles presses a button with his foot to make Tintin fall through the floor and into a room with some KnockoutGas.

* ''YellowSubmarine''. After they pass through the Sea of Science a creature drops into the sub. Ringo pushes a button and a door opens under the creature, dropping it out into the Sea of Monsters.

->'''Mr. Burns''': Is that so? Well, I have a feeling you'll be... ''dropping'' the charges!

** In the ''New Adventures of {{Batman}}'', Batman and Robin are in a house owned by the Joker that has many trapdoors. They enter one room so equipped and Batman realizes that, although unaware of the exact danger, they have to exit the room now. As they race for a door, Joker starts opening trapdoors throughout the floor, but the Dynamic Duo manages to dodge them all. Unfortunately, the Joker is ready for that too, and suddenly the entire floor surface reveals itself to be a massive trapdoor itself and the Duo are captured.

[[quoteright:350:[[{{Blackhawk}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackhawk191-2-7_2175.jpg]]]]
->''In a {{RPG}} and just arrived at a castle''
->'''Hayley''':(Reads the giant sign above the door) "Roodpart? What does that mean?"
->'''Jeff''':"It is probably some mystical ancient..."
->'''Hayley''':"OhCrap! It's TrapDoor [[SdrawkcabName spelled backwards]]!
->''Hayley and Jeff immediately fall through a trap door''
-->- ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad''

* On NBC's short-lived game show, ''WhosStillStanding'', one contestant (the "Hero") stands on a trap door on the center of the stage and faces off against a circle of 10 competitors also standing on trap doors (the "Strangers") in a series of trivia duels. Eliminated contestants drop 10 feet through a TrapDoor. If the Hero decides to walk away at one point and keep their winnings, they have the option of either walking out of the studio or by dropping through the floor. And at the end of each episode, Ben Bailey (of ''CashCab'' fame), also drops through the Hero's trap door.

* GSN's RussianRoulette. Guess what happens when someone pulls the lever and the Drop Zone light lands on yours?