History Main / AccidentalIncantation

* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': In ''Recap/HTFReadEmAndWeep'', [[BumblingDad Pop]] buys the freakin' {{Necronomicon}} at a yard sale for his child Cub (it was cheaper than the actual children book Cub wanted). After reading it as a bedtime story he unwittingly causes supernatural events (such as birds falling dead from the sky) before finally summoning a demon which [[DemonicPossession possesses]] Cub.

The consequences of an accidental spellcast can range from [[AccidentalMurder killing]] [[BadassUnintentional a villain]] and [[AccidentalHero saving the day]], to [[TrappedInAnotherWorld warping to another dimension]], to ButtDialingMordor, to [[FreakyFridayFlip swapping bodies]] with [[BalefulPolymorph your dog]], to [[{{Necromancer}} reviving]] the [[AnimateDead dead]] or [[SealedEvilInACan awakening ancient evils]]. If it's a {{Horror Film|s}}, expect this to have [[CuriosityKilledTheCast fatal consequences]]. No magical powers are required of the people involved -- the ''incantation'' is often enough to [[{{Pun}} make the magic happen]], although [[ThisIndexHasMagicProperties magical items]] such as [[MagicWand wands]], [[MagicalAccessory rings]], [[PaperTalisman talismans]], or [[AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome amulets]] may factor into it.

* ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1985}}'': "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1985S1E12HerPilgrimSoulIOfNewton I of Newton]]" has a professor reciting equations out loud as he writes a math problem on the blackboard: "The integral of d of x over the cosine to the n of x..." When he can't work out the problem's solution, he angrily cries "Damn it! I'd sell my SOUL to get this thing right!" [[InadvertentEntranceCue Cue a demon manifesting in the classroom to take said soul.]] When the professor protests that he didn't mean what he said, the demon explains that the spoken equations had "the right phonetic structure to be a good old-fashioned demonic invocation--especially with that neat little curse word woven into it."

* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': In ''Recap/HTFReadEmAndWeep'', [[BumblingDad Pop]] buys the freakin' {{Necronomicon}} at a yard sale for his child Cub (it was cheaper than the actual children book Cub wanted). After reading it as a bedtime story he unwittingly causes supernatural events (such as birds falling dead from the sky) before finally summonning a demon which [[DemonicPossession possesses]] Cub.

* ''ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica'' member Johnny Thunder possessed a ring containing a genie named the Thunderbolt, who was summoned with the magic words "Cei-U". It took Johnny a while to catch on that the genie even existed, though, meaning that every time he said "[[{{Mondegreen}} Say, you-]]" the Thunderbolt would appear to grant anything Johnny said that sounded like a wish. And the Thunderbolt was a LiteralGenie to boot.

* ''Film/EvilDead'': The events of the first film start when the group find a recording left by Professor Knowby, which just so happens to contain him speaking the incantation to summon the Deadites.

* ''Fanfic/OldManHenderson'': During a legendary TabletopGame/TrailOfCthulhu campaign, Henderson and some other player characters go into the cultists' house to investigate, and Henderson finds a book and reads a magical incantation out loud, calling the incantation gibberish, but summoning a monster that depletes the sanity of anyone who looks at it. Another player character tries to tell him about it, but he says he refuses to fall for a "look behind you" trick, and just leaves the room without looking at it. Later on, the party apparently catches onto this, and puts the same incantation into an overhead projector presentation at large meeting of other cultists, tricking them into thinking they're saying a prayer for their dead comrades. HilarityEnsues, especially since the player characters have noped out of the meeting by that point, and barricaded the doors from the outside.

* The plot of ''Series/AstridAndLillySaveTheWorld'' is initiated by the titular girls, burned by a mean prank from their peers, do a random series of actions as an outlet for their frustration. It just so happens that the cosmos was aligned and their actions perfectly performed a ritual in those conditions to open a {{Hellmouth}} and unleash monsters from parallel dimensions onto their hometown.

* ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'': In one episode, Phoebe tells her non-witch classmates that the words to a supposed love spell they are reading are wrong; and gives them the correct version, which one of them records on a tape recorder. The three classmates then try to do the spell with the wrong incantation, to no avail. One of them plays the tape, and before they can do anything, the spell is cast, [[HumanityEnsues turning animals into]] [[MrFanservice strapping]] {{naked|FirstImpression}} [[HumanityEnsues men]].

* ''Fanfic/OldManHenderson'': During a legendary Trail Of C'thulhu campaign, Henderson and some other player characters go into the cultists' house to investigate, and Henderson finds a book and reads a magical incantation out loud, calling the incantation gibberish, but summoning a monster that depletes the sanity of anyone who looks at it. Another player character tries to tell him about it, but he says he refuses to fall for a "look behind you" trick, and just leaves the room without looking at it. Later on, the party apparently catches onto this, and puts the same incantation into an overhead projector presentation at large meeting of other cultists, tricking them into thinking they're saying a prayer for their dead comrades. HilarityEnsues, especially since the player characters have noped out of the meeting by that point, and barricaded the doors from the outside.

* ''Film/JustVisiting'': Shortly after Thibault returns to his original time, Hunter, back at the house, drinks what he thought was a shake that they poisoned. He finds a slip of paper on the counter, and accidentally reads out the incantation. Immediately he is sent back to the medieval era seemingly in the same place as Thibault.

* A Bavarian folk legend from the Creator/FranzXaverVonSchonwerth's collection concerns a man paying a visit to his friend, the sorcerer Zwergl. While the guest waits alone in the sorcerer's room, he picks up a strange book lying atop a cupboard and starts reading. Soldiers come in by the door, with ever more of them entering so long as the guest keeps reading. Eventually the man panics and jumps out of the window; Zwergl comes by and speaks a few words to the soldiers upon which they disappear, then warns his friend "not to touch things which aren't his business". It is implied the soldiers were demons summoned by the magic book.

* A Bavarian folk legend from the collection of Creator/FranzXaverVonSchonwerth collection concerns a man paying a visit to his friend, the sorcerer Zwergl. While the guest waits alone in the sorcerer's room, he picks up a strange book lying atop a cupboard and starts reading. Soldiers come in by the door, with ever more of them entering so long as the guest keeps reading. Eventually the man panics and jumps out of the window; Zwergl comes by and speaks a few words to the soldiers upon which they disappear, then warns his friend "not to touch things which aren't his business". It is implied the soldiers were demons summoned by the magic book.

* Exaggerated in ''Literature/TimeWarpTrio''. What causes The Book to send Joe, Sam, and Fred to different time periods changes every installnent, ranging from saying the right combination of words to highlighting key phrases in the text.

SisterTrope to UnexpectedlyRealMagic, which covers skeptics accidentally casting magic, and SorcerorsApprenticePlot, in which a beginner intentionally casts magic, but is unable to keep it under control. By contrast, this trope is about not realizing something is a spell, but activating it [[StupidityTropes out of sheer ignorance]]. Compare and contrast BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor, which involves wishes accidentally coming true; MagicMisfire, which is when a spell is ''meant'' to be cast, but has GoneHorriblyWrong; and RealAfterAll. Also compare SpeakOfTheDevil, as well as a common attempt to subvert it, TheScottishTrope. Contrast with WordsDoNotMakeTheMagic.

* A Bavarian folk legend from the collection of Creator/FranzXaverVonSchonwerth collection concerns a man paying a visit to his friend, the sorceror Zwergl. While the guest waits alone in the sorceror's room, he picks up a strange book lying atop a cupboard and starts reading. Soldiers come in by the door, with ever more of them entering so long as the guest keeps reading. Eventually the man panics and jumps out of the window; Zwergl comes by and speaks a few words to the soldiers upon which they disappear, then warns his friend "not to touch things which aren't his business". It is implied the soldiers were demons summoned by the magic book.

SisterTrope to UnexpectedlyRealMagic, which covers skeptics accidentally casting magic. By contrast, this trope is about not realizing something is a spell, but activating it [[StupidityTropes out of sheer ignorance]]. Compare and contrast BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor, which involves wishes accidentally coming true; MagicMisfire, which is when a spell is ''meant'' to be cast, but has GoneHorriblyWrong; and RealAfterAll. Also compare SpeakOfTheDevil, as well as a common attempt to subvert it, TheScottishTrope. Contrast with WordsDoNotMakeTheMagic.