History Main / TreasureChestCavity

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' supplement ''Deities and Demigods Cyclopedia''. The god Druaga was said to store his soul object in a human being. If Druaga's corporeal form is destroyed, the person will die. After the person is buried, the soul object will create a new form for Druaga in the person's grave.
** Official 5e art of legendary lich [[TabletopGame/VecnaTrilogy Vecna]] depicts him as storing his magnum opus, ''The Book of Vile Darkness'' inside his own ribcage

* On ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'', The [[MacGuffin Yang Yoyo]] was hidden inside Dojo's Ear.

* ''Series/{{Elementary}}'': In ''Under My Skin'' patients are [[spoiler:operated on abroad under the guise of cheaper gastric bypass surgery, removing part of their internal organs and replacing them with bags of drugs. They return to US territory none the wiser, with their obvious health problems explaind away as temporary post-op effects, then are killed and the drugs extracted before anyone realises.]] One of them falls ill earlier, leading Sherlock on the trail.

** This happens to Rukia again at the hands of the Fullbringer Riruka. After defeating her she turns Rukia into a TrojanHorse by hiding within her. She exits through a double door that appears Rukia's torso.

* In ''Film/{{Underworld}}'' the vampire elder Viktor had [[DismantledMacguffin one of the components]] for the key to William's tomb surgically placed in his chest.

** In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' Alpha Trion hid the final Omega Key within one of his bodyguards, Smokescreen.

* [[MadBomber Nice Hollystone]] of ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' keeps an extra cherry bomb in her [[EyepatchOfPower empty eye socket.]]

* This is the essence of a Mystes from ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana''. They are Torches that carry some sort of treasure inside them and as soon as they burn out or die the treasure is relocated to a different Torch. This makes the Mystes main character very sought after by numerous parties due to him carrying a very powerful artifact inside of him.

* This is the essence of a Mystes from ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana''. They are Torches that carry some sort of treasure inside them and as soon as they burn out or die the treasure is relocated to a different Torch. This makes the Mystes main character very sought after by numerous parties due to him carrying a very powerful artifact inside of him.

* ''Film/TheFifthElement''. The Stones (the film's MacGuffin) are hidden inside the body of [[spoiler:Diva Plavalaguna]].
* In a rather bizarre version, Christopher Walken's character in ''Film/PulpFiction'' keeps a pocket watch up his arse to give it to the son of the last owner.
* In ''Film/{{Underworld}}'' the vampire elder Viktor had [[DismantledMacguffin one of the components]] for the key to William's tomb surgically placed in his chest.
* Used in numerous traps in the ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' franchise, where keys are implanted inside victims, either to force them to perform SelfSurgery or to force others to attack them. The two most particular examples for each reason, respectively, are Michael Marks in ''Film/SawII'' and William Easton in ''Film/SawVI'' (though his case was only relevant for one test).
* In ''Film/AChristmasCarolTheMusical'', one of Marley's fellow wandering ghosts has a safe in his chest. "I never had a heart..."

* ''Film/AlienCovenant''. [[spoiler:David is shown to have smuggled live alien embryos on board the ''Covenant'' inside his own body, regurgitating them when needed. As an artificial person he's not in danger of them hatching inside his body.]]

* In one season of ''Series/TwentyFour'' the {{MacGuffin}} is a computer chip holding some valuable video, which it turns out was surgically implanted under the skin of one of the terrorists. As he is dying he tells Jack Bauer of its location, and Bauer cuts it out of him.

* ''Series/{{CSI}}'':
** An episode about stage magicians included an escape-artist character who'd had surgery to sculpt a pocket into the roof of his mouth, in which he could conceal small keys.
** In another episode, a racing mare was discovered to have had a shipment of drugs concealed in her vagina, which was sewn shut in imitation of a RealLife veterinary procedure (normally used to prevent recurring pelvic infections).
* ''Series/TheCoroner'': In "Dirty Dancing", the body of a drug mule is stolen from the morgue so the smugglers can retrieve the drugs that are still inside the body.
* In two-part thriller ''The Bite'', a married couple are recruited by the Australian Federal Police to get evidence on a smuggling ring. The wife is told to swallow the drugs, but she can't bring herself to do it, so just pretends to. Unfortunately the smugglers don't know that and try to cut her open when she can't bring them up afterwards.
* ''Series/{{Luther}}''. Criminals attack a married couple in their home and threaten to kill them if they don't produce the diamonds they're smuggling. Unfortunately the wife has already swallowed them in preparation for couriering them overseas, so her husband has to pretend he's stashed them somewhere else to play for time until he can get help, or see her cut open on the spot.
* In ''Series/{{Westworld}}'', Elsie discovers that one of the robotic Hosts has had a satellite transmitter implanted in his arm, as a means of corporate espionage for smuggling Guest data out of the park.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' the 4[[superscript:th]] edition Augmentation book gives rules and equipment stats for adding one of these into a dead body. Various editions of the game allow a ''living'' person to have a small holding space added to their body using the bioware mod "Skin Pocket".
* One cybernetic implant in the ''TabletopGame/StarWarsRoleplayingGame'' puts a hidden compartment somewhere on/in the user's body.

* In ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia'', the last piece of the Silver Crystal is hidden within Fina's body. DragonAscendant Ramirez eventually takes it back by force.

* ''VideoGame/TheNeverhood'': Klaymen stores and retrieves items within his torso. Pressing the leftmost button on his chest causes a flap to painlessly and seamlessly open and close.
* Raul Menendez in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII'' keeps a celerium chip containing a cyberweapon hidden in his fake eye.
* ''VideoGame/MOTHER3'' has Duster hide the Hummingbird Egg inside a worn down Clayman.
* ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion3:'' The elevator button for the 13th floor of the Last Resort is being guarded by [[ThreateningShark Captain Fishhook]], who is keeping the button hidden in the socket of his missing left eye, covered up by his EyepatchOfPower.

* Jinn from the Literature/WhateleyUniverse is really just a pile of clothes and fake skin animated by telekinesis, so she stores a backpack of supplies and school books in her chest.
* Pom Pom from ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' can store things inside himself, from his cell phone to Strong Bad.
* ''WebVideo/TheHire''. In "Ambush" a carload of heavily-armed men pull up alongside TheUnnamed BadassDriver played by Clive Owen, and tell him to hand over his passenger, who pleads with [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Driver]] not to do so as he's swallowed the diamonds they're after. [[spoiler:After a nail-biting car chase the Driver uses his skills to crash the robber's vehicle. When they arrive at their destination, he asks the Passenger if he ''really'' swallowed the diamonds. The Passenger just laughs.]]

* This actually happened with one of the most famous diamonds ever found (not the Cullinan). The miner who found it hid it in his thigh.

person]] who would use a nuclear arsenal responsibly.

* TruthInTelevision with drug mules who swallow their illicit cargos or shove them up their rectums in plastic bags to elude searches. There's a pretty high chance of the bag bursting and killing you with a massive overdose but hey, it's not the ''dealers'' who are on the line so who's worried?

** On the other hand, the [[PresidentEvil kind of president]] who would kill the underling with their own bare hands (as opposed to a less personal or painful method) would probably be the [[{{Sadist}} last]] [[OmnicidalManiac person]] who would use a nuclear arsenal responsibly.

** Inuyasha had his father's grave hidden inside the pupil of his eye.

* ''Film/TheFifthElement''. The Stones (the film's MacGuffin) are hidden inside the body of [[spoiler: Diva Plavalaguna]].

* ''Literature/TheLockedTomb: Literature/GideonTheNinth'': How do you hide something from [[{{Psychometry}} post-cognitives]], {{necromancer}}s and [[ISeeDeadPeople mediums]]? [[spoiler: You hide it inside the body of a murder victim after being examined. Dulcinea / Cytheria hid one of the challenge keys needed to unlock a door within her first murder victim. The combination of a taboo against cutting up a noble lady and doing so after the initial medical examination was ''almost'' a foolproof strategy.]]

** ''Manga/SteelBallRun'': If the holder of a piece of the saint's corpse has the potential to be a Stand user then they will absorb that piece of the saint's corpse into the equivalent part of their own body.

[[folder:Films]]

This trope is about using a person as a walking safe. Or a dead safe, in some cases. Despite the name, the treasure can be hidden in other body parts, and with or without the person's knowledge. Smugglers may willingly have themselves (or others) surgically altered to hide objects inside of them. In some instances the hidden item may be parked inside the person's [[OurSoulsAreDifferent Soul]] or [[AnatomyOfTheSoul odder "places"]], as if in a spiritual {{Hammerspace}}. Taking the item out may require surgery (hopefully PsychicSurgery to avoid ScarsAreForever), or may be simple if they've been surgically given "pouches".

See also StomachOfHolding and PersonOfHolding. Compare VictoriasSecretCompartment, TrouserSpace and contrast SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan. If the "cavity" in question is the [[{{Squick}} rectum]], then that's an intentional case of AssShove.

See also StomachOfHolding and PersonOfHolding. Compare VictoriasSecretCompartment, TrouserSpace and contrast SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan.

** In ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'', Bond uses the dead body of diamond smuggler Peter Franks to smuggle diamonds through customs.*

* Swindle of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' stores his merchandise (helmets, weapons, etc.) within a drawer like cavity in his chest. This compartment is also linked to his "personal storage dimension" which is seemingly limitless in capacity.