Basic Trope: A trap door fails at doing its job, and the victim gets stuck, defies physics, or doesn't quite die.
- Straight: Vick Villain pushes a button, plunging the conveniently located Bob into a trap door. Unfortunately for Vick, the opening was too small, and Bob only gets his leg trapped.
- Vick pushes a button...but the trap door is several feet away.
- Exaggerated: Vick pushes the button and the trap door opens... underneath him.
- Downplayed: Vick pushes a button, plunging Bob into a trap door with the apparent intention of killing him. Bob merely breaks his wrist.
- The trap door is off by a bit, but it's close enough for Bob to lose his balance, albeit briefly.
- Justified:
- Vick hired contractors who were either half-dead, blind, or both.
- Vick cut a few corners too many in regard to maintaining the trap door.
- The trap door works fine...but Bob can levitate.
- "Sir, may I remind you that the carpet cleaners moved your desk?"
- Inverted: Bob pushes the button for the trap door. It fails, and opens up next to Vick, who laughs, thanking the gods his contractors were so useless.
- Subverted: The trap door opens a few feet away from Bob and he doesn't fall in, so Vick pushes him into the trap.
- Double Subverted: ... which then shoots him back out into the room from a different hole after a few seconds.
- Parodied: Vick pushes a button, causing the floor to drop out entirely, except for where Bob is sitting.
- Zig Zagged: Vick activates his trap door. Bob avoids it. And then falls into another trap door...which shoots him back up through the other one. Still dazed, he maneuvers around the two trap doors, and charges Vick. And falls into another trap door.
- Averted: The trap door works perfectly.
- Enforced: "This is the villains' lair. We can't just have the heroes walk through unopposed! Throw in a trap door or two, that'll ratchet up the tension, then we'll drop the tension by making them not work."
- Lampshaded: "Vick's lair... I'm surprised we haven't fell in any trap doors yet... Although they wouldn't really work anyways knowing him."
- Invoked: "Make it so my trap door fails, I want to see the look on my victim's face...before I pull the true trap door."
- Exploited: "Vick's trap doors never work, we'll be fine."
- Defied: ": WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? That trap door is far too small, and to far to the right! DO YOU WANT THE HEROES TO KILL ME!?"
- Discussed: "Why was that even built like that? You think trap door builders would have a back-up in case this happened."
- Conversed: "This comedy show is great! Every time the villain tries to drop the hero in a trap door, it backfires miserably!"
- Deconstructed: Vick pushes the button for the trap door. It opens next to Bob, who is charging towards Vick with his sword. Bob avoids the trap, and stabs Vick through the shoulder.
- Reconstructed: Vick kicks Bob backwards, and Bob falls into the trap door.
I'm sending you back to Trap-Door Fail via my infallible trap door. *Pulls switch* ...Shit, I missed...Could you...Could you just jump in there for me? Thanks.
