History Main / ImpendingDoomPOV

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

* ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/569742/chapters/1020213 Nine Lives One Love.]]'' The first part of the April 30th chapter of ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/569742/chapters/1020213 Nine Lives One Love]]'' by The Mighty Oz is told in Dartz's perspective as he [[spoiler:stalks Kurloz and Meulin as they attend her parent's funeral]].

Compare the related tropes MurdererPOV, {{Robocam}}, ShakyPOVCam. Sometimes overlapped with BizarreAlienSenses using thermographic or other non-standard imaging techniques. May lead up to a DeathByRecognition.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]
* The Mighty Oz's ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/569742/chapters/1020213 Nine Lives One Love.]]'' The chapter posted on April 30th, the first part is told in Dartz's perspective as he [[spoiler: stalks Kurloz and Meulin as they attend her parent's funeral.]]

* ''Film/{{Jaws}}'', of course. It became a TropeCodifier for using this with maneating creatures - specially sharks, as ''Film/DeepBlueSea'' shows.

* ''Film/{{Alien 3}}'' and ''Film/AlienCovenant'' use this for the Aliens, even if the creature doesn't have visible eyes! (to convey this, it's shot weirdly, such as with fisheye lens)

* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Film/MidnightMovie'' madness during a viewing of the ShowWithinAShow.

** Played with in a later scene, as the looming creature coming after Owen Wilson and Kari Wuhrer [[spoiler:turns out to be a wild boar, not the snake. She'd turn up later.]]

* The final shot of ''Film/TheStoneTape'' [[spoiler:is the camera zooming in on the screaming face of the research team's leader, as he sees whatever ancient evil killed his colleague.]]

** The debut of the [[EliteMooks Hunter]] in both the original and the [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRemake remake]] uses this to terrifying effect: First you get a POV of ''something'' fast-moving approach the lift in the garden. You know beyond doubt you're not dealing with anything you've seen before when you catch a quick glance of a green, clawed hand as it hoists itself up the shaft to quickly run across the garden and through the mansion's back entrance. This time you get a clearer look at the scaly, obviously non-human arm on this thing as it [[ItCanThink throws open the door]], trudges down the open-air corridor, and then reaches for the door you just went through a moment ago. The door that's ''[[OhCrap right behind you]]''.

** The debut of the [[EliteMooks Hunter]] in both the original and the [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRemake remake]] uses this to terrifying effect: First you get a POV of ''something'' fast-moving approach the lift in the garden. You know beyond doubt you're not dealing with anything you've seen before when you catch a quick glance of a green hand as it hoists itself up the shaft to quickly run across the garden and through the mansion's back entrance. This time you get a clearer look at the scaly, obviously non-human arm on this thing as it [[ItCanThink throws open the door]], trudges down the open-air corridor, and then reaches for the door you just went through a moment ago. The door ''[[OhCrap right behind you]]''.

* In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', this occurs with the Verdugo when it starts hunting Leon in the dungeons.

** Also used in "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS2E26S3E1Basics Basics, Part II]]". MauveShirt Hogan is killed by a rampaging camera dolly that moves a lot faster than the cave-lizard that's later shown to be the culprit.

* Subverted and spoofed in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens''. Subverted for laughs. The opening scene shows what appears to be a gurgling monster walking into Susan's bedroom as white flashes of light appear. Turns out it's actually Susan's bridesmaids coming to wake her up for her upcoming wedding; the scary noises that were heard were just an inhaler used by one of the bridesmaids, the gurgling was just a bridesmaid drinking coffee, and the flashes of light was just a bridesmaid taking flash photos.

* Spoofed in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens''. The "attacker" is really Susan's bridesmaids waking her up on her wedding day (The scary breathing heard? One needs an inhaler).

[[folder:Film — Animated]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]

* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': In "The Heist", the POV of the alien organism is seen just before it attacks someone.

** In "Macrocosm" Captain Janeway tries to access the bridge controls while something stalks her from behind. Subverted as when it strikes it's not some huge slavering monster, but an alien infection too small to see.
** Also used in "Basics, Part II". MauveShirt Hogan is killed by a rampaging camera dolly that moves a lot faster than the cave-lizard that's later shown to be the culprit.

* Used in season three of ''{{Series/The Walking Dead}}'' as someone watches Carol practicing her C-Section technique on a zombie. The next episode, that character is revealed as [[spoiler: Andrew, the convict Rick had left to die.]]

* Done in the Joan Hickson TV adaptation of ''Literature/AMurderIsAnnounced''. As Misses Hinchcliff and Murgatroyd are heatedly discussing the murder, the camera angle suddenly switches to a view from outside the window looking in at them, with an ominous sustained high-pitched tone-cluster. [[spoiler:Sure enough, Miss Murgatroyd is soon killed by Miss Blacklock, who overheard her having a realisation about who could have committed the first murder.]]

* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': In "The Heist", the POV of the alien organism is seen just before it attacks someone.
* Done in the Joan Hickson TV adaptation of ''Literature/AMurderIsAnnounced''. As Misses Hinchcliff and Murgatroyd are heatedly discussing the murder, the camera angle suddenly switches to a view from outside the window looking in at them, with an ominous sustained high-pitched tone-cluster. [[spoiler:Sure enough, Miss Murgatroyd is soon killed by Miss Blacklock, who overheard her having a realisation about who could have committed the first murder.]]

* Used in the ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' intro when we see Louis through a hunter's eyes. Notably, the game creators changed the cut scene to use this trick to make the attack on Louis seem scary, when it'd previously been comedic. It worked.

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* The protagonist of ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'' has one of these when he sees the avalanche from outside the ski lodge on his class trip.
[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'': When the Chi Creature starts attacking the team, it catches Kimiko first shown from its perspective.

* Spoofed in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'': the "attacker" is really Susan's bridesmaids waking her up on her wedding day (The scary breathing we hear? One needs an inhaler).

* ''VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc'' has one of the few uses of this in gameplay that is ''not'' a JawsFirstPersonPerspective. Enter the wrong rooms in a particular mansion, and you'll see through the crosshairs of the owner's gun, with only a few seconds to duck behind furniture.

* Throw an enemy onto the subway tracks in ''[[VideoGame/DefJamSeries Def Jam: Fight For New York]]'', and the last thing before the GoryDiscretionShot is their look of panic as the train comes down.
* ''[[{{TabletopGame/BattleTech}} Mech Warrior]] 3''. During the intro the view shifts to being in one of the LRM's launched from Lance Leader's Mad Dog as they strike a Summoner Mech's cockpit.

* The boss Crayk's POV in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'' is shown on the upper screen of the Nintendo [=DS=].

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', the Unknown Heartless (AKA [[FanNickname Red]] [[RedEyesTakeWarning Eyes]]) stalks Aqua [[spoiler: in the realm of darkness]] in this manner. It even does this during the first phase of the battle, and the player must use the POV to avoid its attacks.

* The Mighty Oz's [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/569742/chapters/1020213 Nine Lives One Love]]. The chapter posted on April 30th, the first part is told in Dartz's perspective as he [[spoiler: stalks Kurloz and Meulin as they attend her parent's funeral.]]

** ''Film/ForeverEvil'' did this one too, ad nauseam.

* A favourite of ''Series/DoctorWho'', particularly the old series, as a way of delaying the expensive and possibly [[SpecialEffectsFailure slightly naff]] creature shots until later in the story.

Probably the most common use of POVCam. These are camera shots of the heroes from an angle that ''obviously'' is someone's point of view, presumably a stealthy attacker. To ensure that the audience realizes this, the shot is often taken at a strange angle, through shrubbery or shelving or some other form of cover. Also, we can frequently hear the attacker breathing. But the hero remains oblivious. The common subversions are that either the point of view comes from something harmless; or that the character being stalked is completely aware of the threat and ready to respond with something like an OffhandBackhand, or just announcing "I know you're there."

Probably the most common use of POVCam. These are camera shots of the heroes from an angle that ''obviously'' is someone's point of view, presumably a stealthy attacker. To ensure that the audience realizes this, the shot is often taken at a strange angle, through shrubbery or shelving or some other form of cover. Also, we can frequently hear the attacker breathing. But the hero remains oblivious.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/impending_doom_8.png]]

* ''Film/TheTerminator''. Sarah Connor's vision goes red as the Terminator puts his LaserSight right between her eyes.