History Main / LavaPit

* Several of these are in Miseryville in ''{{Jimmy Two-Shoes}}''. They vary between being like water to [[LegionsOfHell the people]] to causing lasting damage.

** A 2015 [[TheBBC BBC]] documentary, ''Kate Humble: Into the Volcano]] features the eponymous presenter joining a group of scientists as they abseil onto a ledge overlooking the Marum lava lake to make measurements. Just watching it on TV is pretty terrifying.

* Parodied in TheBasilBrushShow with a pool of [[LethalChef Anil's]] chilli sauce.

->'''Donkey: "No, I'm just uncomfortable about being on a rickety bridge, ''over a boiling lake of lava!''"

* In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', you get to pull this trope on a miniboss. Easy way to help your chances of survival, given that there's two (OnlyWorksOnce for some reason). However, you lose any loot you would've gotten from that boss. [[spoiler:[[GuideDangIt Unless you backtrack into the Arena after entering the next room]].]]

* A variant in the JamesBond novel ''You Only Live Twice'': Blofeld threatens to leave Bond on top of a frequently erupting geyser unless he talks.

* AlanMoore, naturally, takes this trope UpToEleven in ''TomStrong''; during their first encounter, Paul Saveen, Strong's ArchEnemy, traps Tom in a pit about to be filled with Phlogiston, described as "heat in its liquid form".

* AlanMoore, naturally, takes this trope UpToEleven in ''TomStrong''; during their first encounter, Paul Saveen, Strong's ArchEnemy, traps Tom in a pit about to be filled with Pholgestein, described as "heat in its liquid form".

A subtrope of LavaAddsAwesome.

[[quoteright:289:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lavapool_5352.jpg]]

* Present in many levels after the second temple of ''VideoGame/Rayman2''. Notably, the final levels feature them... despite taking place on a ''flying pirate ship''. One must wonder how they keep it from cooling down without melting a hole in the bottom of their hull.

* The big finish in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'', when Gollum falls with the One Ring into a lava pit inside [[DoomyDoomsOfDoom Mt. Doom]].[[hottip:*:In the book, it's just a "crack of fire", contents not clearly specified--Gollum falls over the edge and that's the end of it. In the movie, we get to watch him sink slowly into the lava, and the ring sits on the surface for a long couple of seconds before melting.]]

* In ''Series/CSIMiami'', a guy falls into a pool filled with sodium hydroxide. Now remember your high school chemistry...

[[AC:Anime And Manga]]

[[AC:Comics]]

[[AC:Film]]

* The second ''AustinPowers'' movie features a DeathTrap over a pit of lava. Doctor Evil seems to have a thing for magma.

[[AC:Literature]]

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* XenaWarriorPrincess features on of these in "Sacrifice 2" [[DespairEventHorizon with terrible]] [[HeroicSacrifice consequences]].

* In ''CSIMiami'', a guy falls into a pool filled with sodium hydroxide. Now remember your high school chemistry...

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]

[[AC:Video Games]]

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* ''MandatoryRollerCoaster'' references THE FLOOR IS LAVA! [[http://mandatoryrollercoaster.tumblr.com/post/20339447941/thefloorislava (The game, that is.)]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]

* ''{{Futurama}}'': the championship match of The Butterfly Derby (a popular Blood Sport) is fought over one.

[[AC:Real Life]]

Like a [[DrowningPit swimming pool]], but more viscous and much hotter [[LavaIsBoilingKoolAid than water]], and somewhat less inviting. Plus it's too dense to sink into and doesn't require you to periodically add chlorine or scoop out leaves. And it really doesn't matter if you don't wait an hour after eating before you jump in. [[{{Dissimile}} A better simile]], in fact, would be "not like a swimming pool." ([[Discworld/TheLightFantastic cf.]]) Often used as a barrier rather than a trap proper, but with [[TrapDoor the right mechanisms]] and delivery chutes, a Lava Pit can make for a delightful surprise at the end of a long drop.

* The ''{{Quake}}'' deathmatch level "Claustrophobopolis" had several lava pit death traps that players could spring on each other.
** The Ammo Depot level in ''QuakeII'' has a rectractable bridge over lava that can be used to fry crossing enemies. The Torture Chambers level has a cage used to dunk prisoners into lava.

* ''TombRaider Anniversary'' does this for the mutant boss in the final level before the final boss. You have to let the monster charge at you, pull off an bullet time shot so that it rolls over and over the edge, and then blast its fingers as it hangs on in order to drop it down a shaft with lava on the bottom.