History Main / DescendingCeiling

* ''Franchise/TombRaider III''. Along with the traditional descending SpikesOfDoom in several areas, there's also the "[[ThisIsADrill drill of doom]]" in the Aldwych level.

* ''VideoGame/RickDangerous'' features a descending ceiling trap in one passageway of the Egpytian level.

* The ceiling presses down (or the level rises up into the ceiling, it's a bit vague) in Marble Garden's second act in ''Sonic3'', as well as the second act of Planet Wisp in the DS version of ''VideoGame/SonicColors''. The latter of which occurs while Sonic is underground as a drill, in a bizarre twist.

-->-- '''Barry''' after saving Jill, ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' (original PS1 version)

* ''SelfDemonstrating/{{Deadpool}}'' was placed in one of these, except that the ceiling was a giant teddy bear. It was constructed by a villain with a very ''Film/{{Saw}}''-like mentality (though he predates the film). The rate at which the bear descended was linked to the victim's speech. All he had to do to survive was shut up. Being Deadpool, he instead dislocated his limbs to get out, talking all the while.

* ''[[{{Uncharted}} Uncharted 2: Among Thieves]]'' features one that is defeated by shooting the teeth of the gears on a nearby wall, causing it to go in reverse.

* In FinalFight 3's GameOver screen, your character (either [[{{Ambadassador}} Haggar]], [[{{Ninja}} Guy]], [[ActionGirl Lucia]] or [[TheLancer Dean]]) is bound to a table as a deluxe spiked ceiling descends on them. [[GuiltBasedGaming If you don't slip in a quarter and continue, it's safe to assume]] [[CruelAndUnusualDeath they were pierced AND crushed to death.]]

* In the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' module ''TombOfHorrors'', one of the false entrances to the the tomb traps the characters in and then hits them with a DescendingCeiling trap.

* This was actually used on a GameShow: One of the games on the Japanese game show ''Series/DasshutsuGameDERO'' places a team of players in a room where they have to solve a series of puzzles via LinkedListClueMethodology while the ceiling slowly descends. (Unlike most examples of this trope, the ceiling actually seems to pause if it's about to render the game {{Unwinnable}} by blocking access to any items needed for an unsolved puzzle, but will speed up afterward to compensate.) The puzzles eventually lead to a way to open up a duct at the bottom of one wall, after which one member of the team must crawl in to reach the button that raises the ceiling back up and wins them money. If time runs out and the ceiling reaches 3 meters below its initial height (this seems to be the height at which it would start to block the duct if it went any lower), the team fails and leaves empty-handed.

Deceptively simple-looking {{Deathtrap}} intended to turn tall, dark and handsome heroes into short, red and gruesome meat patties. Usually doesn't work because the villain [[BondVillainStupidity stupidly]] leaves (or allows a hero to retain) some object capable of holding back the ceiling long enough for an exit to be made, for the motor powering the ceiling to burn out or simply able to turn the damn thing off. Or he may forget the FiveManBand has a LoadBearingHero with them.

** Used during the latter half of ''SilentHill3''. During the Borley Haunted Mansion segment, the spiked-ceiling can fall and kill Heather -- if the player avoids being killed by walking forward in a combat stance (she will be crouching slightly, just out of reach), the narrator of the mansion's tour promptly apologizes and assures the player that the contraption was ''not'' supposed to stop there.
** ''SilentHill4'' includes such a ceiling (a ''very'' fast one, to boot!) in one of the rooms on the upper floor of the hospital. These rooms are also randomized, so you never know which one is going to have the descending ceiling until you get there. [[spoiler: Fortunately, it can't hurt you: a grating prevents it from going down the whole way, and the descending ceiling is mainly there to give you a quick scare.]]

* A few are found in the ''Mega Man'' franchise. including:

** Lan has to escape one of these traps in the castle in 'VideoGame/'MegaManBattleNetwork 2''.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManX 3'' has a ceiling trap, and you have to get past a miniboss before you can escape. One reason to be careful with Zero during the game is that he'll [[LoadBearingHero hold up the ceiling]] here if you haven't broken him.

** MegaManZero has this in a boss fight, but it's an interesting variation - Zero and Aztec Falcon are fighting ''on top'' of the ceiling, and Zero's trying to prevent it from crushing a Reploid beneath it.

** Uranus could do this in ''VideoGame/MegaMan V (GB)''/''Rockman World V'' for a OneHitKill attack.

* This trope may have originated with the SherlockHolmes story ''The Engineer's Thumb'', in which the titular engineer almost gets turned into a hamburger.

* ''HighlanderIITheQuickening'' had one of these with a rotating blade attachment, it shredded Ramirez.

* There was an episode of ''CaptainScarlet'' where Col. White and Captain Blue were trapped in a hunting lodge with a Descending Ceiling.

* ''{{Deadpool}}'' was placed in one of these, except that the ceiling was a giant teddy bear. It was constructed by a villain with a very ''{{Saw}}''-like mentality (though he predates the film). The rate at which the bear descended was linked to the victim's speech. All he had to do to survive was shut up. Being Deadpool, he instead dislocated his limbs to get out, talking all the while.
* ''CherryComics'': Cherry and AdventurerArchaeologist Oklahoma Smith have sex while one is descending on them in "Oklahoma Smith and the Lost Temple of Doomed Raiders".

[[quoteright:342:[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/IJ_TOD_Trap_8844.png]]]]

* Some dungeons in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' contain an interesting [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] (As well as an [[IncrediblyLamePun inversion); instead of the ceiling coming ''down'', the floor rockets ''upwards''. Towards a spiky ceiling.

* Some dungeons in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' contain an interesting [[InvertedTrope inversion]]; instead of the ceiling coming ''down'', the floor rockets ''upwards''. Towards a spiky ceiling.

* Some dungeons in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' contain an interesting [[InvertedTrope inversion]]; instead of the ceiling coming ''down'', the floor rockets ''upwards''. Toward a spiky ceiling.

* The lurker above, from older editions of D&D, is a Descending Ceiling ''Monster''. Apparently, enough stupid adventurers wander into this trope for an entire species of predators to make a living emulating it.

* At the ''BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode ''[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesTheClockKing The Clock King]]'' the eponymous villain invokes it by tying Mayor Hill to the hands of a ClockTower, that would crush him like an insect at 3:15 pm Right On The Tick. ClockKing will be around to do TheReveal with his MotiveRant, this is a CruelAndUnusualDeath because ItsPersonal… [[spoiler: but Batman will get JustInTime.]]