History Main / DangerousWindows

** It also happens twice in ''[[Film/FridayThe13thTheFinalChapter The Final Chapter]]'' when Jason tries it on Tommy. Trish decides to DropTheHammer on him as a result.

* Subverted in ''Film/IndependenceDay'': the monster smashes into the window but it doesn't break. And then promptly Inverted.

* Invoked in ''Film/TheGame'' in a dramatic cut when Nicholas Van Orton [[BrokenMasquerade confronts Christine at her "apartment"]] about her involvement with [[TheConspiracy CRS]], before several CRS goons who had been monitoring the situation exit a nearby van and unload a few clips of SMG rounds into the apartment.

* The Rail Tracer from ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' kills several mooks by pulling them out the windows of the train.

Compare SuperWindowJump and DestinationDefenestration, in which windows are used for improvised entrances, deliveries and exits, rather than monsters using them. See also HelplessWindowDeath, when a character witnesses a murder occurring on the other side of the glass.

-->'''Christine''': Get away from the windows.

Compare SuperWindowJump and DestinationDefenestration, in which windows are used for improvised entrances, deliveries and exits, rather than monsters using them.

There is some TruthInTelevision to this, during severe storms, such as hurricanes and ''especially'' {{UsefulNotes/Tornadoes}}, it is a bad idea to even be in the same room as a window, since they are giant weak spots that allow pieces of debris to blast in and [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impale]] an unfortunate sap on the other side. And if the piece of debris doesn’t do you in, the flying glass shards probably will.

There is some TruthInTelevision to this, during severe storms, such as hurricanes and ''especially'' {{UsefulNotes/Tornadoes}}, it is a bad idea to even be in the same room as a window, since they are giant weak spots that allow pieces of debris to blast in and [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impale]] an unfortunate sap on the other side. Or if it misses, you’ll end up sliced to ribbons by the glass shards.

There is some TruthInTelevision to this, during severe storms, such as hurricanes and ''especially'' {{UsefulNotes/Tornadoes}}, it is a bad idea to even be in the same room as a window, since they are giant weak spots that allow pieces of debris to blast in and [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impale]] an unfortunate sap on the other side. That or the window itself can shatter and slice you to ribbons with the glass shards.

There is some TruthInTelevision to this, during severe storms, such as hurricanes and ''especially'' {{UsefulNotes/Tornadoes}}, it is a bad idea to even be in the same room as a window, since they are giant weak spots that allow pieces of debris to blast in and [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impale]] an unfortunate sap on the other side.

There is some TruthInTelevision to this, during severe storms, such as hurricanes and ''especially'' UsefulNotes/Tornadoes, it is a bad idea to even be in the same room as a window, since they are giant weak spots that allow pieces of debris to blast in and [[ImpaledWithExtreamPrejudice impale]] an unfortunate sap on the other side.

** In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', zombies and zombified crows will smash through windows. You have the option to seal the windows by using a cable to hotwire the switchbox... but it doesn't last long. A Licker also does a SuperWindowJump through a one-way mirror in the interrogation room.

** In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', zombies will smash through windows. A Licker also does a SuperWindowJump through a one-way mirror in the interrogation room.

* In ''Film/FiendWithoutAFace'', after Sergeant Kasper is killed by one of the "fiends" breaking in through the patio windows during TheSiege, the other survivors hurriedly board the windows up. This holds them off for a while, allowing the armed Air Force officers to shoot at them through the gaps the boards, but eventually the fiends just use their prehensile spinal cord "tails" to pry enough of the boards loose so they can get in.

** Jason tries to grab Rennie in ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIIIJasonTakesManhattan Jason Takes Manhattan]]'' through a cabin window, but she manages to deter him by stabbing him the eye with an ink pen.

* Lampshaded in ''Film/TheMist''; everyone is inside a supermarket, and once they realize that there actually ''is'' something God-awfully horrible out there, someone points out that the entire front side of the building is a row of windows. The next few minutes consists of the hold-outs piling up everything they can to block the windows off, with only a relatively small bit of the tops exposed.

* In one level of ''VideoGame/Metro2033'', there is a incredibly tense sequence where you are walking through a ruined library on the surface and are ambushed and trapped within a small room by one of the strongest monsters in the game, the Librarian. When you try and break down a rotting door to get out, the thing attacks.

** In "The Deadly Pyramid", one of the giant mummies climbs up the side of City Hall and reaches in through the window to try and grab Mayor Manx, who does his best to hold it back with a [[ImprovisedWeapon golf cub]].

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1405072118082692600
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'''Tubby:''' ''(turning away from window)'' My name...is Lawrence!\\
'''Marshal Martin:''' All right. Lawrence...Larry...please, ''for the love of God!'' GET AWAY FROM THE GODDAMN WINDOW!\\

In the horror genre, windows are not the safest thing. They're mostly [[SoftGlass thin breakable glass]], often big enough to let monsters and crazed madmen use it as an improvised entrance and make for a nice spot to grab unsuspecting victims to their doom. SoftGlass trope seems to be in effect as such monsters or madmen are rarely harmed by breaking them with their bare hands. Barricading windows can be hard work if there are too many of them and more often than not whatever is trying to get through, will.

Compare SuperWindowJump and DestinationDefenestration, in which windows are used for for improvised entrances, deliveries and exits, rather than monsters using them.

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[[folder:{{Film}}]]
%%* ''[[Film/FourteenOhEight 1408]]'' has way too much fun with this trope.

* The final act in ''Film/{{Alien 3}}'' has a bait-and-chase plan to lure the xenomorph into a lead mould by having it chase the inmates, who then close doors behind them to corral it where they need it... until the xeno takes advantage of the glass windows set into the doors to smash through and pick off the unlucky prisoner. The next inmate to try this is understandably [[OhCrap rather nervous]].

* ''Film/TheFog1980''. Zombies break through stained glass windows in a church to attack the protagonists.
* ''Franchise/FridayThe13th''

* In the original ''[[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'', [[spoiler:the last scare of the movie has Freddy snag the heroine's mother through the front door window.]]
* In the original ''[[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968 Night of the Living Dead]]'', the hero is trying desperately to board them up while zombies reach through the broken glass for him. Great tension and suspense builder.

%%* The killer in ''TheToolboxMurders'' gets to do this.

* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode where they throw a coming-home party for Buffy, they end up getting attacked by various monsters (of course), many of whom attack through the windows.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Action 52}}'' game City of Doom, touching windows kills you instantly.

* The most common death in ''VideoGame/Die2Nite'' has zombies break into your house through a poorly barricated window and eat you alive.

* In one level of ''VideoGame/{{Metro 2033}}'', there is a incredibly tense sequence where you are walking through a ruined library on the surface and are ambushed and trapped within a small room by one of the strongest monsters in the game, the Librarian. When you try and break down a rotting door to get out, the thing attacks.

** In ''VideoGame/DinoCrisis'', the Tyrannosaurus smashes his head in through a big window in the administrator's office, eats the dead body of the man Regina just got done talking to, and then tries to do the same to her. Cue BossFight!

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS2E10TheDeserter "The Deserter"]], while his house is under attack by damaged commando droids, Cut Lawquane makes the mistake of backing up to a window, and of course one of the droids smashes through and grabs at him. So he headbutts the droid to make it release him.

** In "The Giant Bacteria," Dr. Zyme boasts that the huge windows in Megakat Biochemical Labs are "[[TemptingFate practically indestructible]]." Cue one of the bacteria monsters to smash the glass and reach inside...
** In "Enter the Madkat," Madkat, in the form of a giant octopus, uses his CombatTentacles to smash through the window of Commander Feral's office and grab "the queen" (Callie).
** In "The Deadly Pyramid," one of the giant mummies climbs up the side of City Hall and reaches in through the window to try and grab Mayor Manx, who does his best to hold it back with a [[ImprovisedWeapon golf cub]].

* ''Film/TheFog'' (1980). Zombies break through stained glass windows in a church to attack the protagonists.

-->-- ''In A Valley of Violence'' (2016)

->'''Marshal Martin:''' Get away from the window. How many times I got to tell you? Tubby!
->'''Tubby:''' ''(turning away from window)'' My name...is Lawrence!
->'''Marshal Martin:''' All right. Lawrence...Larry...please, ''for the love of God!'' GET AWAY FROM THE GODDAMN WINDOW!
->''[[TooDumbToLive Tubby gets shot through the window.]]''
-->-- ''In A Valley of Violence'' (2016).

Compare SuperWindowJump, DestinationDefenestration and WindowPain, in which windows are used for for improvised entrances, deliveries and exits, rather than monsters using them.

* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'', and {{Capcom}} horror games in general have things breaking in from windows.