History Main / DarknessEqualsDeath

* The {{UsefulNotes/SNES}} ''VideoGame/JurassicParkSNES'' tie-in game had a primitive first-person mode which activated inside buildings. Wandering into a darkened space before obtaining the night-vision goggles meant a swift death, even if there were no dinosaurs inside once the player obtained the goggles.

* [[InvokedTrope Explicitly used]] in the UsefulNotes/WiiWare game ''VideoGame/Lit2009''. The objective is to cross the nearly pitch-black rooms of the school by creating paths of light with lamps, computer monitors, flares, etc. Stepping into an unlit area is instant death. You also have a TenSecondFlashlight, but that's only used to scope out the surroundings and figure out how to proceed -- it won't protect you as you move.

* Inverted in ''VideoGame/SilenceOfTheSleep''. At one point in the final stretch where you're trudging through a rainstorm, when lightning strikes and lights up the screen, you have to stand perfectly still or the roaming monstrosities can catch you. You can only move safely when it's totally dark.

* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'': The ''VideoGame/DontStarve'' crossover introduced a special world seed that makes a world with the latter game's mechanics. One of which being that standing in pitch-blackness for a long amount of time will have the player character be damaged by something. It's easy to keep the darkness away by holding up a torch, but torches and tiki torches extinguish in the rain in worlds made with that seed[[note]]candles and other more complex lighting items won't go out[[/note]] and early light pets are likely to fall behind and unreliable as a result; this makes Shine Potions (that make the player glow) and the Mining Helmet (that provides light when worn as armor) important until more reliable portable light sources like the Magiluminescence accessory or a good light pet can be obtained.

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* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'': The ''VideoGame/DontStarve'' crossover introduced a special world seed that makes a world with the latter game's mechanics. One of which being that standing in pitch-blackness for a long amount of time will have the player character be damaged by something. It's easy to keep the darkness away by holding up a torch, but torches and standing lamps extinguish in the rain in worlds made with that seed[[note]]candles and other more complicated lighting items won't go out[[/note]] and early light pets are unreliable.

* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'': The ''VideoGame/DontStarve'' crossover introduced a special world seed that makes a world with the latter game's mechanics. One of which being that standing in pitch-blackness for a long amount of time will have the player character be damaged by something. It's easy to keep the darkness away by holding up a torch, but torches and standing lamps extinguish in the rain in worlds made with that seed[[note]]candles and other lighting items won't go out[[/note]], so light pets are important.

* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'': The ''VideoGame/DontStarve'' crossover introduced a special world seed that makes a world with the latter game's mechanics. One of which being that standing in pitch-blackness for a long amount of time will have the player character be damaged by something. It's easy to keep the darkness away by holding up a torch, but torches extinguish in the rain in worlds made with that seed.

* ''WebVideo/StampysLovelyWorld'': Like most other Minecraft worlds, hostile mobs spawn in dark places and especially at night. [[spoiler:[=HitTheTarget=] and Veeva Dash invoke this]] in Episode 683, "Darkness" to cause a huge number of googlies to spawn in the middle of the day, [[spoiler:likely to distract Stampy and/or make them do their dirty work to kill him -- which would be a distraction anyway due to respawning mechanisms existing. Thankfully, Stampy is, for once, GenreSavvy enough to figure out their plan and get his dogs to safety before anything drastic happens.]]

* According to the logs of the ''Website/SCPFoundation'', [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-280 SCP-280,]] the "Eyes in the Dark", retreats from sources of light, but in the darkness, it's an absolute nightmare, where it will hunt down humans and tear them apart with its claws strong enough to ''tear through steel''. Try to turn on the lights to defend yourself? It'll teleport away if it's exposed to sudden lights and retreat for another ambush. Because of this, its containment chamber has to be completely dark. [[NightmareFuel Oh, and it was first found in a location where it massacred a family of five in their home.]]

* Usually subverted in ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'', given the titular hero's MO. Being blind - and relying on all his other senses, which are amplified - Daredevil is a far more effective fighter than pretty much anyone else in the dark. Meaning if the fight is at night, Matt's first move is usually to cut off whatever the light source is. If any of the good guys are being held hostage or about to be shot by the bad guys and the lights go out, that tends to be the cue for BigDamnHeroes. And everyone knows that.

* Usually subverted in ''ComicBook/Daredevil'', given the titular hero's MO. Being blind - and relying on all his other senses, which are amplified - Daredevil is a far more effective fighter than pretty much anyone else in the dark. Meaning if the fight is at night, Matt's first move is usually to cut off whatever the light source is. If any of the good guys are being held hostage or about to be shot by the bad guys and the lights go out, that tends to be the cue for BigDamnHeroes. And everyone knows that.

* In ''VideoGame/INFRA'', the map of the Bergmann Tunnels warns employees to [[SchmuckBait keep out of the hallway behind door B2]]. Unlocking this door leads to a pitch-black dead end and an encounter with [[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight the Boogeyman himself]], [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Mörkö]]. While not lethal, it does result in the player [[PermanentlyMissableContent missing out on a Chapter]].

* The Darkness is an entity unto itself in ''VideoGame/AlanWake''. It possesses people and objects that can only be fought off by shining a light at it.

* ''Film/{{Alien}}'' was very much into averting HollywoodDarkness, both to up the scares as you never knew when or where the Xenomorph was coming from, and to keep you from getting a good look at the creature to hide how much it was just a guy in a costume.

%%(ZCE)* ''Film/{{Alien}}'' was full of these.

** Played dead straight when you encounter spiderbugs, BigCreepyCrawlies that [[ZergRushattack in swarms]] but are [[WeakenedByTheLight deathly vulnerable to light]]. Then, you’ll switch on every lamp, light every lantern, and set fire to anything and everything you can to keep the nasty bastards at bay. The Nazis exploit this against you in ''VideoGame/MetroLastLight'' when you escape from Reich Station with [[ChummyCommies Pavel]]. Rather than chase you into a spiderbug-infested tunnel, they simply turn the lights off.

* In ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'', the player has limited power and is trying to survive a wave of amoral animatronics trying to stuff them into a suit lined with gizmos and electronics, killing them in the attempt. If the power runs out, the lights go off, Freddy Fazbear himself appears and plays an OminousMusicBoxTune, leaving the player helpless to do anything but wait for [[InstantWinCondition [=6AM=]]] or their death by JumpScare, whichever comes first.

* ''WebOriginal/TheCrawlspace'': [[spoiler:The creature from the crawlspace]] only seems to come out at night and apparently prefers the dark (the last time that the narrator spots it is in the ''very'' early morning when the sun hasn't even risen) although it's not confirmed if it never comes out during the day.

* Usually subverted in ''ComicBook/Daredevil'', given the titular hero's MO. Being blind - and relying on all his other senses, which are amplified - Daredevil is a far more effective fighter than pretty much any one else in the dark. Meaning if the fight is at night, Matt's first move is usually to cut off whatever the light source is. If any of the good guys are being held hostage or about to be shot by the bad guys and the lights go out, that tends to be the cue for BigDamnHeroes. And everyone knows that.