History Main / EscapeFromTheCrazyPlace

* Henry Townshend of ''VideoGame/SilentHill4'' is one of the rare non-amnesiac cases; in fact, unlike many examples, he's actually ''trapped in his own room'', with the major mystery being the circumstances of his imprisonment. His front door is chained up and no one can hear him. The only way out is a hole in his bathroom, which leads him to a nightmarish mirror world populated by monsters: there are others trapped like this, but despite his best efforts, they all meet a gruesome end at the hands of the serial killer Walter Sullivan. [[spoiler: Eventually, it is revealed that Walter Sullivan killed himself in prison, [[ThanatosGambit but not before completing the first half of a grisly ritual]] [[DeityOfHumanOrigin that has turned him into a sociopathic demigod]]; he is in the process of completing his transformation through a second round of killings, and Henry and his love interest are marked for death unless they can stop him.]]

* The {{Trope Namer|s}} is the Literature/ChooseYourOwnAdventure ''[[http://jjguest.com/ESCAPE/INDEX.HTML Escape From The Crazy Place]]'' by J. J. Guest. The protagonist starts off in a padded room with a clown named [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Donald McRonald]]; wacky hijinks and dadaesque nonsense ensue as the unlikely pair attempt to Escape from the Crazy Place and thwart the efforts of the Bowler Hat Guy to keep them trapped there forever. [[spoiler: The game is technically {{Unwinnable}}, though: there are clues that apparently lead to an ending, but they either lead into each other or are simply red herrings. The author admitted that he couldn't come up with a satisfying finale, so there wasn't one...but exploring everything the Crazy Place has to offer is rewarding in and of itself. That, and as one character subtly hints, you can "escape" any time simply by closing your browser...]]

* ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'': [[{{Catchphrase}} He is not a number; he is a free man]], but the people at the [[GildedCage glorified madhouse]] called the Village seem to think otherwise. "[[YouAreNumberSix Number 6]]" is forced into their service as an operative, all the while trying to escape; things come to a head in the GrandFinale, [[spoiler:in which the minions of the Village gather together to hold a grand celebration ostensibly to honor his achievements, but when the mindless goons begin repeating his words over and over, Number 6 snaps and a glorious GainaxEnding ensues where he discovers that the mysterious Number 1 is himself in an ape mask and shoots his way out with two fellow prisoners [[SoundtrackDissonance to the tune of]] Music/TheBeatles' "All You Need Is Love"]].

* ''Roleplay/RubyQuest'': [[FunnyAnimal Endearing]], disturbing, heartwrenching, [[GrotesqueCute cute, cuddly, dark and bloody]]. A GirlInABox wakes up to find herself in an underwater lab; a boy is imprisoned in the floor below. Employing her wits, she frees the boy, makes a friend, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick and decapitates a zombie]]. This sets the tone for an adventure full of mystery, madness, sweetness and HighPressureBlood. And BodyHorror. Lots and lots of Body Horror. [[spoiler:Stitches (the zombie) is first encountered as a head attached to a bloody, snakelike mess of bones and organs, and his head itself splits open to reveal a gaping maw full of teeth. And Daisy, originally a sweet little puppy-girl, is mutated beyond recognition and serves as the story's first real boss fight.]]

* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}} Legends 2: Dark Destiny'' sees Jaller and his team of six stumble upon the forgotten land of Karzahni, ''BIONICLE'''s version of Hell, which is actually a valley in a dried-up sea where things work backwards (ice is hot, fire is cold, water is dust, steps sound like screams and the act of sitting down turns you to stone), inhabited by physically and mentally unwell "patients" who've been stuck there for tens of thousands of years, and ruled by the tyrant Karzahni, who {{mind rape}}s people into obedience by projecting horrible [[WhatIf visions of]] [[MultipleChoiceFuture alternate futures]]. Their only way out is trapping Karzahni in his own vision by [[IgnorantOfTheirOwnIgnorance making him aware]] of TheOutsideWorld, then hopping into six Toa-carrier canisters [[{{Intangibility}} that can phase through rock]], after being told by the canisters' crazy inventor that riding in them is deadly. Jaller and co. of course survive BecauseDestinySaysSo.

* ''Webcomic/{{Jailbreak}}'' starts out like this, causing a [[FollowTheLeader spawn of fan adventures]] to adopt the general idea. The OntologicalMystery of the mental hospital is an extremely easy setting to pull off, though, which means most of the fanworks are, uh, [[SturgeonsLaw uneven in quality]].

You step out of the prominently-marked Quarantine Room and decide to take a stroll around. Something's not quite right about this place. [[RoomFullOfCrazy There's cryptic writing on the walls]] [[CouldntFindAPen in what looks like blood,]] [[EverybodysDeadDave the halls are strewn with corpses]], the only other people you find are either [[AxCrazy trying to kill everybody else]] [[KillEmAll or getting slaughtered]], [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking your phone can't get a signal]], and the people in charge are either [[TheNeidermeyer completely out of touch with reality,]] [[PointyHairedBoss utterly incompetent]], or helpless to fix a situation [[GoneHorriblyWrong gone horribly]], [[FromBadToWorse horribly out of control]].

-->-- '''[[VideoGame/HalfLife Gordon Freeman]]''', ''Machinima/FreemansMind'', episode 3

Good morning, ''[[HelloInsertNameHere [Insert Name Here[=]=]]]!!'' [[YouWakeUpInARoom You wake up]] bright, early and refreshed in...hmm. Where ''[[OntologicalMystery are]]'' you? [[LaserGuidedAmnesia You can't quite recall much of anything,]] but judging by the decor, you might be tempted to call it [[AbandonedHospital a woefully understaffed hospital of some kind]]. Maybe you're here for your own good, what with your amnesia and all. At any rate, [[TemptingFate surely it can't hurt to look for some answers?]]

[[BodyHorror And why]] is the [[EvilHand back of your hand]] [[HorrorHunger demanding you feed it human lungs?]]

The Escape From The Crazy Place is an effective {{horror}} setting, but it can also be played for laughs.

A subtrope of ClosedCircle. For the post-apocalyptic variant, compare CityInABottle. Compare EscapedFromTheLab.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
* The CG anime ''Anime/GregoryHorrorShow'' starts off with an everyman lost in the woods who happens upon a mysterious hotel in the middle of nowhere; he gets not only a room for the night, but the experience of his life as he tries to escape from Gregory House ([[Series/{{House}} not that one]]) and all its crazy inhabitants. [[spoiler: In the end, he confronts his own feelings and manages to escape...only for him to realize how crushingly dull his life is and return to the House, not as its prisoner but as its willing guest.]] The second season has a woman going through much the same ordeal, [[spoiler: [[DownerEnding but instead of solving her personal problems and escaping, she is consumed by them and becomes a permanent resident]]]].

[[folder: FanWorks ]]
* ''[[FanFic/{{Bird}} Bird]]'': the climax of the Alchemilla Asylum arc invokes this, as Faultline's mercenary band causes a cascade failure in the security system, releasing several dangerous patients. Taylor and her friends use the opportuinity to escape in the chaos.

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* ''Series/ThePrisoner1967''. [[CatchPhrase He is not a number; he is a free man]], but the people at the glorified madhouse called The Village seem to think otherwise. "Number 6" is forced into their service as an operative, all the while trying to escape; things come to a head in the GrandFinale, [[spoiler: where the minions of The Village gather together to hold a grand celebration ostensibly to honor his achievements, but when the mindless goons begin repeating his words over and over, Number 6 snaps and a glorious GainaxEnding ensues where he discovers that the mysterious Number 1 is himself in an ape mask and shoots his way out with two fellow prisoners to the tune of The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love"]].

* In ''Series/BeyondTheWalls'' Lisa and Julien have to try to find the red door to leave the house. This sounds a ''lot'' easier than it actually is, as that door might not be real and can only be found by correctly interpreting a specific poem.

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* ''Videogame/PlanescapeTorment'' has this trope nested in itself several times.
** It begins with the Nameless One [[WakingUpAtTheMorgue waking up in a]] ''[[WakingUpAtTheMorgue morgue]]'' manned by some very disturbing and morbid characters who are aided by pitiful zombies.

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' puts the player in control of a woman named Chell with no past, no personality, and no way forward except to do as the [[AIIsACrapshoot crazed computer]] running the so-called [[MaximumFunChamber "Enrichment Center"]] commands. This involves running through death courses armed with only your wits and an unorthodox {{BFG}} which makes holes in the fabric of space-time that you can use in new and interesting ways. [[spoiler: Eventually, the computer tries to kill you, and you make a bid for freedom through a part of the Center you were never supposed to see, destroying the computer and finally escaping...[[SubvertedTrope only to be dragged right back into Aperture Science, while the credits song reveals that the computer is Still Alive.]]]]
** The trope is used again in ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}''. It should be a lot easier to escape now [[spoiler: the Enrichment Center is in ruins, [[TemptingFate right?]]]] Well, guess who wakes up [=GLaDOS=]? [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice job breaking it, hero.]] However, at the end of the game [[spoiler: [=GLaDOS=] actually ''lets you go.'']] This actually counts as a TwistEnding, considering the atmosphere of the game.

* The ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' games have an introductory cutscene and that tutorial/choice thing, respectively, but the player barely knows anything and for that matter the characters are pretty clueless too, when the game starts. It fits the trope pretty well.
** Strictly speaking, you're not trying to escape in the latter game, as there's nowhere to escape ''to'' if you don't fix up the FTL ship.
* ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}'' plays a lot like this in the beginning of the game with Jack seeking the nearest refuge from a plane crash and ending up in Rapture, a city overrun with psychopaths and corruption. The first third of the game is his attempt to escape to the surface with the mysterious Atlas. He still is trying to escape the place throughout the rest of the game, but has some unfinished business before he leaves it behind.

--> [[MissionControlIsOffItsMeds TRUST ME AND EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE]]
--> I AM A GOOD PERSON
* In ''{{VideoGame/Unreal|I}}'', you spend the game trying to get of a deadly planet after a prison ship crash. Then, you have to do it all over again in the expansion pack...
* {{Subverted}} in ''Videogame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' in that Batman isn't trying to escape from the crazy place (though he is trying to ''stop'' the craziness that engulfed it), but is still in one.
* In ''Videogame/{{Outlast}}'', at first you go in to investigate the Asylum, but discover it's filled with crazed monsters, and now have to escape it.

[[folder: Web Original ]]
* Creator/BenCroshaw's ''[[VideoGame/TwelveThirteen 1213]]'' stars yet another amnesiac protagonist in a hostile hospital environment full of monsters and madmen. [[spoiler: The twist? The protagonist is not entirely normal himself, and there's a secret the people in charge are keeping that turns the entire situation on its head.]]
* The TropeNamer is the Literature/ChooseYourOwnAdventure ''[[http://jjguest.com/ESCAPE/INDEX.HTML Escape From The Crazy Place]]'' by J. J. Guest. The protagonist starts off in a padded room with a clown named [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Donald McRonald]]; wacky hijinks and dadaesque nonsense ensue as the unlikely pair attempt to Escape From The Crazy Place and thwart the efforts of the Bowler Hat Guy to keep them trapped there forever. [[spoiler: The game is technically {{Unwinnable}}, though: there are clues that apparently lead to an ending, but they either lead into each other or are simply red herrings. The author admitted that he couldn't come up with a satisfying finale, so there wasn't one...but exploring everything the Crazy Place has to offer is rewarding in and of itself. That, and as one character subtly hints, you can "escape" any time simply by closing your browser...]]
* ''Webcomic/MSPaintAdventures''' ''Webcomic/{{Jailbreak}}'' starts out like this, causing a [[FollowTheLeader spawn of fan adventures]] to adopt the general idea. The OntologicalMystery of the mental hospital is an extremely easy setting to pull off, though, which means most of the fanworks are, uh, [[SturgeonsLaw uneven in quality]].
* ''Roleplay/RubyQuest''. [[FunnyAnimal Endearing,]] disturbing, heartwrenching, [[GrotesqueCute cute, cuddly, dark and bloody.]] A GirlInABox wakes up to find herself in an underwater lab; a boy is imprisoned in the floor below. Employing her wits, she frees the boy, makes a friend, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick and decapitates a zombie.]] This sets the tone for an adventure full of mystery, madness, sweetness and HighPressureBlood. And BodyHorror. Lots and lots of Body Horror. [[spoiler: Stitches (the zombie) is first encountered as a head attached to a bloody, snakelike mess of bones and organs, and his head itself splits open to reveal a gaping maw full of teeth. And Daisy, originally a sweet little puppy-girl, is mutated beyond recognition and serves as the story's first real boss fight.]]
* In the ''Podcast/AliceIsntDead'' episode "Alice," when the distressingly mobile VanishingVillage Charlatan insists on reappearing multiple times despite her driving away from it, illustrating a curious GroundhogDayLoop with bonus horrible violations of the laws of physics, the long haul trucker CharacterNarrator becomes increasingly desperate waiting for the stoplight to change so she can depart. So are the citizens of Charlatan, judging by the weeping elderly man who attempts to escape [[spoiler:by teleporting into the cab of her truck and mutely pointing to the road, only to be locked back into his loop as she leaves for the last time.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* In the ''Podcast/AliceIsntDead'' episode "Alice," when the distressingly mobile VanishingVillage Charlatan insists on reappearing multiple times despite her driving away from it, illustrating a curious GroundhogDayLoop with bonus horrible violations of the laws of physics, the long haul trucker {{Narrator}} becomes increasingly desperate waiting for the stoplight to change so she can depart. So are the citizens of Charlatan, judging by the weeping elderly man who attempts to escape [[spoiler: by teleporting into the cab of her truck and mutely pointing to the road, only to be locked back into his loop as she leaves for the last time.]]

* Peragus II in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'', a mining facility where all the staff were massacred by the facility's own robotic workers.

* Henry Townshend of ''VideoGame/SilentHill4'' is one of the rare non-amnesiac cases; in fact, unlike many examples, he's actually ''trapped in his own room'', with the major mystery being the circumstances of his imprisonment. His front door is chained up and no one can hear him. The only way out is a hole in his bathroom, which leads him to a nightmarish mirror world populated by monsters: there are others trapped like this, but despite his best efforts, they all meet a gruesome end at the hands of the serial killer Walter Sullivan. [[spoiler: Eventually, it is revealed that Walter Sullivan killed himself in prison, [[ThanatosGambit but not before completing the first half of a grisly ritual]] [[AGodAmI that has turned him into a sociopathic demigod]]; he is in the process of completing his transformation through a second round of killings, and Henry and his love interest are marked for death unless they can stop him.]]

Good morning, ''[[AC:[[HelloInsertNameHere [Insert Name Here[=]=]]]]]!!'' [[YouWakeUpInARoom You wake up]] bright, early and refreshed in...hmm. Where ''[[OntologicalMystery are]]'' you? [[LaserGuidedAmnesia You can't quite recall much of anything,]] but judging by the decor, you might be tempted to call it [[AbandonedHospital a woefully understaffed hospital of some kind]]. Maybe you're here for your own good, what with your amnesia and all. At any rate, [[TemptingFate surely it can't hurt to look for some answers?]]

-->-- [[VideoGame/HalfLife Gordon Freeman]], '''Machinima/FreemansMind''', episode 3

* ''Roleplay/RubyQuest''. [[FunnyAnimal Endearing,]] disturbing, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming,]] [[TearJerker heartwrenching,]] [[GrotesqueCute cute, cuddly, dark and bloody.]] A GirlInABox wakes up to find herself in an underwater lab; a boy is imprisoned in the floor below. Employing her wits, she frees the boy, makes a friend, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick and decapitates a zombie.]] This sets the tone for an adventure full of mystery, madness, sweetness and HighPressureBlood. And BodyHorror. Lots and lots of Body Horror. [[spoiler: Stitches (the zombie) is first encountered as a head attached to a bloody, snakelike mess of bones and organs, and his head itself splits open to reveal a gaping maw full of teeth. And Daisy, originally a sweet little puppy-girl, is mutated beyond recognition and serves as the story's first real boss fight.]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

* ''Series/TowerPrep'' has been described as "''Series/ThePrisoner'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] ''ComicBook/XMen''".

* Ben Croshaw's ''[[VideoGame/TwelveThirteen 1213]]'' stars yet another amnesiac protagonist in a hostile hospital environment full of monsters and madmen. [[spoiler: The twist? The protagonist is not entirely normal himself, and there's a secret the people in charge are keeping that turns the entire situation on its head.]]

->''"...what the fuck? Who are ''you''?! NO! [[FreakOut I DON'T WANNA BE A SCHIZOPHRENIC]]!"''

You step out of the prominently-marked Quarantine Room and decide to take a stroll around. [[{{Understatement}} Something's not quite right about this place.]] [[RoomFullOfCrazy There's cryptic writing on the walls]] [[CouldntFindAPen in what looks like blood,]] [[EverybodysDeadDave the halls are strewn with corpses]], the only other people you find are either [[AxCrazy trying to kill everybody else]] [[KillEmAll or getting slaughtered]], [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking your phone can't get a signal]], and the people in charge are either [[TheNeidermeyer completely out of touch with reality,]] [[PointyHairedBoss utterly incompetent]], or helpless to fix a situation [[GoneHorriblyWrong gone horribly]], [[FromBadToWorse horribly out of control]].

-->-- [[VideoGame/HalfLife Gordon Freeman]], '''WebVideo/FreemansMind''', episode 3

* ''Series/ThePrisoner''. [[CatchPhrase He is not a number; he is a free man]], but the people at the glorified madhouse called The Village seem to think otherwise. "Number 6" is forced into their service as an operative, all the while trying to escape; things come to a head in the GrandFinale, [[spoiler: where the minions of The Village gather together to hold a grand celebration ostensibly to honor his achievements, but when the mindless goons begin repeating his words over and over, Number 6 snaps and a glorious GainaxEnding ensues where he discovers that the mysterious Number 1 is himself in an ape mask and shoots his way out with two fellow prisoners to the tune of The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love"]].

You step out of the prominently-marked Quarantine Room and decide to take a stroll around. Something's not quite right about this place. [[RoomFullOfCrazy There's cryptic writing on the walls]] [[CouldntFindAPen in what looks like blood,]] [[EverybodysDeadDave the halls are strewn with corpses]], the only other people you find are either [[AxCrazy trying to kill everybody else]] [[KillEmAll or getting slaughtered]], [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking your phone can't get a signal]], and the people in charge are either [[TheNeidermeyer completely out of touch with reality,]] [[PointyHairedBoss utterly incompetent]], or helpless to fix a situation [[GoneHorriblyWrong gone horribly]], [[FromBadToWorse horribly out of control]].

* ''TowerPrep'' has been described as "''Series/ThePrisoner'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] ''ComicBook/XMen''".

* Ben Croshaw's ''[[TwelveThirteen 1213]]'' stars yet another amnesiac protagonist in a hostile hospital environment full of monsters and madmen. [[spoiler: The twist? The protagonist is not entirely normal himself, and there's a secret the people in charge are keeping that turns the entire situation on its head.]]

* ''TowerPrep'' has been described as "''Series/ThePrisoner'' [[XMeetsY meets]] ''ComicBook/XMen''".