History Main / BrokenHeel

Unrelated to {{Heel}} or VillainousBreakdown.

This trope dates back to the early days of movie-making and more often involves female characters, although males also had to be slowed down for some monsters. ''Film/{{Frankenstein|1931}}'' and the [[Film/TheMummysHand '40s-era mummy movies]] both featured monstrous characters unable to move faster than a walking pace. The Frankenstein movies were usually well-made enough so that the inability of human characters to run away from the monster might not be noticed. There were often scenes in films in which characters would run, run a bit more, and even enter a building and lock doors, and still [[OffscreenTeleportation inexplicably find the creature following right behind them]] and able to throttle them before they could sound an alarm or make a phone call.

In modern horror films, "broken heel" situations tend to stand out more, as they have to be coupled with a communications blackout. That is, to be isolated enough for the monster to prey on them, the hapless [[DawsonCasting quasi-teens]] have to be kept from running away, [[CellPhonesAreUseless calling out on their cell phones]], or flagging down a ride. In movies following the ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' stereotype, very often, most of the plot beyond that of the monster's killing attacks involves explaining the victim's isolation or watching the victim's attempts to break it in some manner. When the scriptwriter is desperate enough, Jason, Pumpkinhead, etc. will often [[OffscreenTeleportation just show up in front of the character]] for no reason other than that destiny (or the plot) demands it. This will even happen to a character who has been running ''directly away'' from the killer for several minutes.

* Played for comedy in ''Manga/SpyXFamily'' where a drunken Yor is fighting Loid well enough to potentially kill him, in heels...until the heel on one of her boots snaps, she trips, and upon falling over falls asleep from all the alcohol.

* ''Literature/TheFamousFive'': In ''Five Go Adventuring Again'': As the children flee from the villains down the Secret Way, Anne trips on a stone, twists her ankle, and can only hobble along. George then uses Timmy to frighten the villains away, so that the others can get Anne to safety.* Subverted in the novel ''Shadowman'' where, when female lead Lissa breaks her heel walking through a marsh, she simply throws them away (we then get a brief, but...uh, ''detailed'' description of how the marsh feels on her bare feet.

* Subverted in the novel ''Shadowman'' where, when female lead Lissa breaks her heel walking through a marsh, she simply throws them away (we then get a brief, but...uh, ''detailed'' description of how the marsh feels on her bare feet.

* ''Literature/AdrianMole'': In ''Cappuccino Years'', Adrian's mother tries to sue Shoe Mania!, after a stiletto heel breaks off when she is meeting [[Creator/AnthonyHopkins Sir Anthony Hopkins]] on a mountain. When asked in court why she was wearing heels, she says that she only wore them in the final stages, as she did not want Sir Anthony to see her in hired climbing boots. [[spoiler: She is successful in suing Shoe Mania!, as she shoes did not bear a health warning, and it is ruled that the name Shoe Mania! encouraged women to make unsuitable purchases.]]

* ''Series/LandOfTheLost'': Vital dropped items that had to be gone back for, and unexpected bottomless pits and the occasional TwistedAnkle were used to try to make the Sleestaks seem menacing, despite their [[SpecialEffectFailure clumsy motions and slow, tottering walk]].

* In an issue of ''ComicBook/GargoylesMarvel'' a out-of-canon spin off of ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' there is a subversion of this, when Detective Eliza Maza goes undercover as a prostitute to bring down a killer who targets sex-workers she actually holds her own despite one the heels on her boots being broken and him knocking her gun away from her. Eventually he does manage to wrestle her to the floor, however she manages to reach for the broken heel and use it as makeshift knuckle-duster to punch him in the face and get him off her.

* In ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana'', Yoshida's sandals break. She discards them and keeps running.

* From the Wiki/SCPFoundation, [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-450 SCP-450]] acts specifically to kill you in a broken heel situation.

->''"The Lady Amalthea fell as irrevocably as a flower breaks."''
-->-- ''Literature/TheLastUnicorn''

In movies of the '20s and '30s, the DistressedDamsel could simply simper, act dizzy, and [[{{Fainting}} faint]] to let monsters catch up. The '50s were the heyday of wearing narrow-hemmed long skirts with spike heels. In these situations, moving over anything but smooth floors was difficult for the actress, so having her stumble, stagger, and trip over outdoor terrain made sense. Unless, of course, [[FridgeLogic you asked why on Earth]] she would dress like that while investigating a potentially dangerous situation out of doors.

* Inverted and spoofed in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Buffy is retreating from Glory, an enemy who is stronger than Buffy and yet looks like a fashionable young woman. While in pursuit Glory breaks a heel, stomps her foot in anger and [[DoesNotKnowHerOwnStrength brings the entire building down on her head]], allowing Buffy to escape.

* ''Series/LandOfTheLost'': Vital dropped items that had to be gone back for, and unexpected bottomless pits and the occasional TwistedAnkle were used to try to make the Sleestaks seem menacing, despite their [[SpecialEffectsFailure clumsy motions and slow, tottering walk]].

** This can happen randomly to the player [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard (and theoretically the computer)]], much to the [[ScrappyMechanic annoyance of many people.]]

* The ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' move Grass Knot [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this. It uses grass to trip the opponent. The amount of damage depends on the opponent's weight.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0519.html "Nightmare on Blue Street"]].

* [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'' Halloween special. The beavers and [[DistressedDamsel Toluca Lake]] are fleeing monsters when she falls over and breaks an ankle. A few seconds later, she breaks her other ankle, and finally breaks ''both'' of her ankles again.

Specific variations: TwistedAnkle, MyCarHatesMe, DramaticSlip. HelpImStuck is a similar situation where a character (otherwise able-bodied) is trapped in place directly in the path of some hazard and must be rescued. Sometimes overlaps with HighHeelHurt.

* There's a story where ComicBook/TheJoker is well ahead of Franchise/{{Batman}} as he runs from his abandoned Evil Lair, but a previous plot point has established that the beach onto which they're running is covered in oil. The Joker overcomes this, despite slipping a few times, and makes it to the Batmobile, planning to escape Batman in his own car. The car, however, won't start, and Batman catches up. Once he has the Joker in custody, Batman reveals that [[OnlyICanMakeItGo there's a hidden mechanism involved in starting the thing]] - there's some sort of mechanism attached to the radio which has to be set to read "BATMAN" before the car will start. Clearly, this was something he put in before this one story before dismissing it as too impractical, because [[FridgeLogic how else would he start the damn thing so quickly in other stories?]] And Batman immediately tells the Joker all about his security system and how to bypass it.

* There's a story where ComicBook/TheJoker is well ahead of Franchise/{{Batman}} as he runs from his abandoned Evil Lair, but a previous plot point has established that the beach onto which they're running is covered in oil. The Joker overcomes this, despite slipping a few times, and makes it to the Batmobile, planning to escape Batman in his own car. The car, however, won't start, and Batman catches up. Once he has the Joker in custody, Batman reveals that [[OnlyICanMakeItGo there's a hidden mechanism involved in starting the thing]] - there's some sort of mechanism attached to the radio which has to be set to read "BATMAN" before the car will start. Clearly, this was something he put in before this one story before dismissing it as too impractical, because [[FridgeLogic how else would he start the damn thing so quickly in other stories?]] And Batman immediately [[WhatAnIdiot tells the Joker all about his security system and how to bypass it]].