History Main / PivotalWakeup

[[quoteright:280:[[Film/{{Dracula}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/EarlyRiserDrac.jpeg]]]]

The Pivotal Wakeup is a classic move in the repertoire of most old school [[{{Dracula}} vamps]]. Once the sun dips below the horizon, the vampire's [[EyeOpen eyes will open]], the coffin lid will fly open on its own, and the occupant will [[PowerFloats levitate]] into a standing position while pivoting on their feet, as if they were a fulcrum.

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* {{Galactus}} rose like this during the events of ''Marvel Superheroes ComicBook/SecretWars''. Doctor Doom was impressed.

[[folder:Film]]
* ''FrightNight''. The vampire Jerry Dandridge rises up out of his coffin this way after a stake is pounded into his chest. Watch it in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE7KosYg5Xs this trailer, starting at 1:40]].

* ''Film/VanHelsing.'' Dracula did this.
** In fact, he has an [[http://actionfigure.guidestobuy.com/jakks-action-figure/van-helsing-dracula-w-coffin-playset/ action figure]] that works like the one used as the page picture!

* ''OnlyFoolsAndHorses'': Inverted by that time Del Boy fell through the bar.

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]

* What happens when the Gibdos appear out of the coffins in the Bottom of the Well in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''.

* ''TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutron'': In a non-vampire example, Sheen is laid out by the martial arts bad guy until Libby calls herself his girlfriend. This gives him the will to fight, and he suddenly just becomes vertical again and beats his opponent with The Power of Dance.
* ''TheSecretSaturdays'': Argost does this in "The Thousand Eyes of Ahuizotl".

[[folder: Real Life]]
* With sufficient lower body and abdominal strength, one can stand up from a lying on the back position in a way similar to a pivotal wakeup.

[[quoteright:280:[[http://www.monsterlandtoys.com/universalmonsters/universal.html http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/EarlyRiserDrac.jpeg]]]]

* In ''PowerRangers,'' the ''first'' time Tommy returned, he used his temporary powers to get back the other Rangers' Power Coins (their power source) and was near death from the strain on his body (and having the tar beaten out of him while only at partial power.) Later, Power Coin energy surrounds him as he rises into the air and pivots to a standing position, and only once standing does he awaken. Turns out he'd absorbed enough power from the force field around the coins to rejoin the team for good (with plenty of scares that the temporary powers may yet give out.)

* ''Manga/DragonBall'' - during the "warm-up" phase of Goku and Cell's fight, Goku knocks Cell over the edge of the arena. For a second, the audience hopes for a ring-out, only for Cell to remind them all that he can fly by freezing and performing this trope in midair.

* {{Galactus}} rose like this during the events of ''Marvel Superheroes SecretWars''. Doctor Doom was impressed.

* ''{{Supernatural}}''. In "Monster Movie" a shapeshifting demon with a liking for monster movies does this when rising from a coffin as ''TheMummy''.

* With sufficient lower body and abdominal strength, one can stand up from a lying on the back position in a way similar to a pivotal wakeup.

** The [=ReDead=] Knights as well, in ''TwilightPrincess'', though they have no coffins.

* Parodied in ''DraculaDeadAndLovingIt'' , the Count (Leslie Nielsen) does the wakeup... and ends up hitting his forehead on a metal chandelier.

* ''VanHelsing.'' Dracula did this.

* Dracula's first scene in ''TheLegendOfThe7GoldenVampires'' has him doing this.

* The Undertaker's Brother Kane, also preforms a similar bolt-upright sit up but his is more of an zombie-like sit up.

* Vincent Valentine does this when you wake him up in ''FinalFantasyVII''.

* In ''{{Darkstalkers}}'', Morrigan gets up this way. Although she cheats. Her wings turn into bats that push her up.

* Angelus pulled this trick on ''{{Angel}}''. Seeing as it's a spinoff of ''Buffy'', which debuted six years earlier, it's remarkable that they resisted this trope for as long as they did. (The weirdness of this trope is actually invoked to remind the viewer that this is a [[BuffySpeak weird, dream-walky place]], right before Faith and Angelus start interacting with the memory-dream-projection-Angel.)

* Angelus pulled this trick on ''{{Angel}}''. Seeing as it's a spinoff of ''Buffy'', which debuted six years earlier, it's remarkable that they resisted this trope for as long as they did.

* Vincent Valentine does this when you wake him up in FinalFantasyVII.

* [[MarvelComics Galactus]] rose like this during the events of ''Marvel Superheroes SecretWars''. Doctor Doom was impressed.

* What happens when the Gibdos appear out of the coffins in that one room of the Bottom of the Well in the ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''.

[[caption-width-right:280:Dracula knows how to [[AlteredBeast "Rise from your grave!"]] in ''[[EvilIsStylish style.]]'']]

* Smith gets up like this once after Neo knocks him down in ''TheMatrix''. Intentional reference?

* How vampires awaken in ''TheSims 2''.

* What happens when the Gibdos appear out of the coffins in that one room of the Bottom of the Well in the ''TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''.

* The way WWE's The Undertaker sits bolt-upright after recovering from a knock down is similar to this trope.

!!Examples:

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