Doom Doors

The sound effect used for doors opening and closing in the game Doom has rapidly become one of the Stock Sound Effects and is one of the few sound effects that non-movie fans will be able to identify right off. The reason for this is quite simple: The sample comes from a sound archive, which is a series of stock sounds—explosions, screams and so on—that can be licensed out to filmmakers. Thus, the makers are not ripping off Doom; they just happen to have used the same sound files that were used in that game.

Many films use the same sound effect libraries; the only reason this one is obvious is that gamers of a certain age have heard it thousands of times over...

Mac users of the correct age might likewise recognize Marathon elevators in a lot of media.

Sub-Trope of Stock Sound Effects.

Examples of Doom Doors include:

Anime

Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex features this sound when the door of a mobile command central opens and closes.
Magic Knight Rayearth uses so many of the same sound effects as Doom that it can send you lunging for the fire button.

Live-Action TV

Can be heard in the Doctor Who episode "The Impossible Planet", possibly an intentional reference, given that the plot, like that of Doom, involved a remote mining colony that discovered a powerful demonic monster.
Also turns up in the Torchwood episode "Cyberwoman".
Austar, an Australian television channel, used the Doom Doors sound in one of its promos.
In the later seasons of Mystery Science Theater 3000, one of the theater doors makes the Doom Doors sound.
- Possibly a Shout-Out, as certain members of the creative staff (particularly Jim Mallon and Michael J. Nelson) were fans of the game.
Also heard in the middle of the Babylon 5 fourth-season episode "Into the Fire", in a space battle scene.
Newer episodes of Good Eats have used the Door sounds.
Used in the second half of Season three of Twenty Four.
The doors in the Stargate SG-1 SGC sometimes make this noise.
During the opening sequence, and commercial interstitials, for Modern Marvels, the sound of the doors opening and closing can be heard while the show's logo is being constructed.
In the short lived CW show Birds of Prey, the entrance to Oracle's secret hideout uses this sound.

Film

Galaxy Quest uses this sound effect instead of the usual one heard in Star Trek.
Eagle Eye. Used near the end of the film.
Doors in the film version of Doom open with a non-doom doors futuristic style sound... until the film shifts to a First-Person style and becomes much more similar to the game, complete with doors now inexplicably opening with the characteristic noise.

Music

"Bein' Who We Are", the song which came on the CD bundled with the Bratz: Space Angelz line of dolls, used the Doom door sound effects in the opening to the song. You can hear the song here.
The music video for Body Movin' by the Beastie Boys has the sound effect used for the spy's cave. [1]
Mann Gegen Mann by Rammstein uses a sound effect that sounds suspiciously like Doom Doors. Also note the sound of the Doom shotgun can be heard in Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen Sehen.

Videogames

Descent uses one of the Doom Door sounds for the four-part square doors.
Kirby: Canvas Curse uses it for sliding doors in a level.
The elevator/platform sound is used for the vertical sliding doors in the Laboratory in Resident Evil 2, and sliding train doors in Resident Evil Zero.
- Resident Evil 4 also has the "elevator" sound as the door sound in a couple rooms in the fortress, notably shortly before Leon faces the first Regenerator.
The RoboKing in Katamari Forever makes this sound after crashing into a house.
The high-tech dungeons of Wild ARMs use this sound for doors and elevators.
Ragnarok Online: Shadow Chaser skill Manhole has this as its sound effect.
Doom, obviously.
Zelda: Skyward Sword has robotic enemies that die with this sound.
Small doors in Halo: Combat Evolved also use the lift sound.
The elevator sound was used in Quake's base levels.

Western Animation

Jonny Quest, Ezekiel Rage's secret underground base has one.
The Venture Brothers, "Victor Echo November", the sound effect is mixed with another one when the power goes out at the Venture compound.
Rugrats, "The Mega Diaper Babies": The sound plays when the robotic Angelica's head is about to explode.