History Main / AHouseDivided

* In John Carpenter's 1982 version of ''Film/TheThing1982'', The researchers at Outpost 31 turn on each other when they realized the alien could imitate anyone. Paranoia and intense tension build up, Resulting in one of the most bone chilling endings ever made.

* The latter portion of ''Film/TwentyEightDaysLater''.

* ''TheBeastOfWar'' is a forgotten war movie from 1988, depicting the struggle between a Soviet tank crew and their mujahadeen opponents. Not all the conflict takes place outside the tank. The commander shoots his Afghan translator, convinced he's working with the enemy, and when another soldier threatens to report the killing he's tied to a rock and booby-trapped for the mujahadeen to find.

* The Stephen King story and movie, ''TheMist.'' A military project codenamed 'Operation Arrowhead' has gone awry and a quaint Maine town is shrouded in mist that happens to be filled with flesh eating monsters from another dimension. A lucky few residents are able to barricade themselves in the local supermarket. TheFundamentalist Mrs. Carmody preaches that this is all an act of God for landing people on the moon and homosexuality. Yes, really. Yet as people start getting picked off by the monsters most of the people in the store let their fear get the better of them and start listening to Mrs. Carmody's sermons, save for a level headed group that finds its self outcast and fearing for their lives after Mrs. Carmody has her followers sacrifice one of the townspeople to the monsters. When they decide that they would rather face the monsters then face a religious nut, Mrs. Carmody tries to stop them and utters her final words, 'Kill them all!' before she is finally put in her place with a BoomHeadshot.

* Series/GameOfThrones is this TurnedUpToEleven. The whole realm is at war with one another over the iron throne, while a greater threat of "snow demons" with a hoard of "snow zombies" mobilizes in the north.

-->-- '''AbrahamLincoln''', paraphrasing TheBible.

* ''LightNovel/Baccano'': The alchemists aboard the ''Advenna Avis'' were already divided in conflict before they received their elixir of life. Immortality should've resolved most of their disputes and rendered the rest futile to continue. But the gifting demon left an escape clause in case they tired of eternal life; they could absorb each other to take all their knowledge and experience. They quickly figured how this might be used against each other.

Subtrope of DividedWeFall. May be caused by an ArtifactOfAttraction. Compare GoldFever. When this erupts into a full-scale war, particularly within a country, you have a CivilWar.

* Will Navidson and his significant other Karen move into the [[color:blue:house]] because they are trying to avert this trope, but the [[MindScrew strange happenings]] in ''HouseOfLeaves'' don't allow for that sort of healing.
* In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', wizards have a weird, formalized version of this. Wizards get along about as well as a sackful of soggy cats, something apparently programmed into them at a ''genetic'' level (or at least the level that passes for genetics on the Disc). Unseen University was created to redirect that murderous energy into a strict hierarchy where a cutting note could do nearly as much damage to one's opponent as a hurled fireball, but with a much smaller risk of bystanders being turned into charcoal (or possibly haddocks). They still cheerfully murder one another with creative booby traps, but things have settled somewhat now, since the current head of the University has proven himself more or less unkillable (and he sleeps with [[GunsAkimbo two loaded crossbows]], although he's a kind man, and probably won't shoot you in ''both'' ears).

* Happens regularly in ''BattleTech'', the five great houses generally have infighting among themselves from time to time. The most prominent example is House Marik, which broke up into four factions after the Jihad. The Clans sometimes have this, they are divided into two groups the Crusaders, and the Wardens who have conflicting views on Kerensky's legacy.

->''"A house divided against itself cannot stand."''

* The ''ComicBook/PocketGod'' story arc "A Tale of Two Pygmies" revolves around this. [[TheSmartGuy Klik]] doesn't like how [[TheLeader Ooga]] treats the tribe like a joke and is jealous at him for meeting the gods. When their hut burns down, he accuses Ooga of doing it and exiles him. However, [[TheDitz Nooby]] and [[TheBigGuy Booga]] go with Ooga; splitting the tribe of six into two tribes of three. [[spoiler: Turns out the culprit was a female pygmy named Sun, who manipulated the tribe into fighting amongst each other so she can steal their Gem of Life]].

* This came out particularly strongly in the first arc of ''VisualNovel/UminekoNoNakuKoroNi'' because the characters are stuck in a ClosedCircle where EveryoneIsASuspect.

* In the first ''[[Literature/TheHungerGames Hunger Games]]'' novel, it's mentioned that this usually happens to the [[BloodKnight Career tributes]]. The Careers typically work together in the beginning of the games to set camp, protect each other and kill as many of the non-Career tributes as possible early on. However, since there can only be one survivor in the end, as soon as there are so few non-Careers left that the Careers don't really have a common enemy anymore, distrust and disapproval starts spreading among the group, until they inevitably turn on each other.

-->-- '''AbrahamLincoln''', paraphrasing the above.

Subtrope of DividedWeFall. May be caused by an ArtifactOfAttraction. Compare GoldFever.

* Pretty much the entire episode of ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E10Midnight Midnight]]'' from ''Series/DoctorWho'' is an extended Scorpion Box. it's easily one of the most disturbing Doctor Who episodes ever aired.
** Also the plot of "Edge of Destruction", a first Doctor serial.

->''"Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and no town or [[TropeNamer house divided]] against itself will stand. And if Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself; how, then, will his kingdom stand?"''
-->-- '''[[Literature/TheBible Matthew 25]]'''

* ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject''.
* ''Film/CabinFever''.

* ''{{Carriers}}''
* Happens to a small group of teenagers on a plane in the film ''Altitude''.

* In ''Series/BabylonFive'', the alliance against the Shadows turned in against itself when it was left leaderless by Sheridan's death. Order was only restored when TheMessiah returned from the dead.

* ''{{The 4400}}'' episode ''No Exit'' features most of the major characters being LockedInARoom... that's trying to kill them. Their bickering and political differences lead to [[spoiler: Shawn and Meghan's deaths]], and in the end [[spoiler: Jordan and Tom need to work past their personal differences to save the others.]]

* ImmoralNihilist,

* NietzscheWannabe,

* OneHundredYardStare: Episode four sees the girls turning into this trope.