Ten Little Murder Victims: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''"I know I'm human. And if you were all these Things, then you'd all just attack me now, so some of you are still human."''|'''R.J. MacReady''', ''[[The Thing (~~Film~~)|The Thing]]''}}

{{quote|''"I know I'm human. And if you were all these Things, then you'd all just attack me now, so some of you are still human."''|'''R.J. MacReady''', ''[[The Thing (film)|The Thing]]''}}

A group of people are invited to attend a get-together, usually held at an [[Old Dark House]] often in the middle of the lush country side or (more recently) on someone's [[Island Base|Private Island]], by a mysterious and/or eccentric host. Suddenly one of the guests (or even the host) is murdered and [[Closed Circle|circumstances prevent the others from leaving]], usually a heavy storm or a cut bridge, or even both.

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Our heroes soon learn that one of their party is actually some manner of villain (typically [[The Mole]], though a random escaped criminal is not unheard of), but, for various contrived reasons, that's all the information they're going to get. So it's up to them to work out which of their supposed colleagues is really [[The Mole]] before he can kill them all. And [[Divided We Fall|you can't trust anyone until you do]]. Luckily, however, there's (usually) only one mole involved.

Often results in everyone being [[Locked in A Room]]. This can be self-imposed, as our heroes can't chance [[The Mole]] reporting back to headquarters, but a [[Genre Savvy]] enough character may force this upon everybody, which will usually raise everybody's tension. Circumstances will always contrive to prevent our heroes from getting in touch with the outside world to find out who [[The Mole]] is, which may range from the aforementioned storm knocking out the telephone poles, to someone cutting the telephone lines, to outright smashing all the phones to pieces. [[A House Divided|Accusations are hurled]], secrets are uncovered and more murders are committed as the [[Dwindling Party]] tries to determine who is the murderer in their midst.

Often results in everyone being [[Locked in a Room]]. This can be self-imposed, as our heroes can't chance [[The Mole]] reporting back to headquarters, but a [[Genre Savvy]] enough character may force this upon everybody, which will usually raise everybody's tension. Circumstances will always contrive to prevent our heroes from getting in touch with the outside world to find out who [[The Mole]] is, which may range from the aforementioned storm knocking out the telephone poles, to someone cutting the telephone lines, to outright smashing all the phones to pieces. [[A House Divided|Accusations are hurled]], secrets are uncovered and more murders are committed as the [[Dwindling Party]] tries to determine who is the murderer in their midst.

In a well-done example, the audience will work out who [[The Mole]] is only seconds before the heroes do, though they'll typically be led to an [[Red Herring Mole|incorrect guess]] from early on.

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Non-recurring characters are subject to being killed off one-by-one by [[The Mole]]. Of course, strictly speaking, no one is above suspicion, even our heroes, and at least one member of the group will panic, accuse the heroes, and run off to a certain demise. The audience (usually) knows better.

Named after the 1939 [[~~Agatha Christie (Creator)|~~Agatha Christie]] novel formerly titled [[And Then There Were None|Ten Little Indians]].

Named after the 1939 [[Agatha Christie]] novel formerly titled [[And Then There Were None|Ten Little Indians]].

Often the ''modus operandi'' in a [[Reunion Revenge]]. If the writers are really bloodthirsty, it only ends when they [[Kill'Em All]] (or, if you're at the beginning of the series, [[Everybody's Dead, Dave]]); if they're feeling devious, they may also throw in a few instances of [[Suspect Existence Failure]]. Don't be surprised if a [[Mexican Standoff]] or two pop up, especially for the finale.

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== Anime and Manga ==

* In Episode 5 of ''[[~~Azumanga Daioh (Manga)|~~Azumanga Daioh]]'', Osaka imagines one of these happening at Chiyo's summer home:

* In Episode 5 of ''[[Azumanga Daioh]]'', Osaka imagines one of these happening at Chiyo's summer home:

{{quote| '''Osaka''': And then it turns out... I'm the killer!<br />

'''Yomi''': Why do ''you'' get to be the killer? }}

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* In volume 30 of ''[[Case Closed]]'', [[Captain Ersatz|Captain Ersatzes]] of famous detectives were invited to an abandoned mansion and die off one by one. {{spoiler|Only one of them actually died. The rest faked their deaths once they deduced who the real killer was in order to [[Pull the Thread]] on her.}}

* Moto Hagio's ''[[They Were Eleven]]'' has this happening during a survival test where ten students are stranded on a derelict spaceship...so why are there eleven of them? Everyone knows that one of them shouldn't be there as accidents keep happening, and the hero has the additional problem of fitting the "competent and helpful" rule of Mole detection above -- as the other students begin to notice. {{spoiler|[[Everybody Lives]]. The extra examinee was an instructor sent in as [[The Mole]] to cause trouble and force the group to quit the test, as a [[Secret Test of Character]] for all of them; things got out of his control. The hero's suspicious knowledge of the ship was because he was unknowingly a survivor of the disaster that originally destroyed it.}}

* Between ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro Ni]]'''s [[Succession Crisis]] and a bizarre riddle counting off the visitors' horrific deaths in a witch resurrection ceremony, the characters can't figure out whether they're being bumped off by each other {{spoiler|or [[Our Demons Are Different|demons from hell]].}} And [[Mind Screw|the author isn't helping]], making this one a [[Zig Zagging Trope|zig-zag]].

* Between ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro ni]]'''s [[Succession Crisis]] and a bizarre riddle counting off the visitors' horrific deaths in a witch resurrection ceremony, the characters can't figure out whether they're being bumped off by each other {{spoiler|or [[Our Demons Are Different|demons from hell]].}} And [[Mind Screw|the author isn't helping]], making this one a [[Zig-Zagging Trope|zig-zag]].

* Only one murder so far - well, {{spoiler|almost two}} - but the latest chapters of ''[[~~Black Butler (Manga)|~~Black Butler]]'' are following this trope's description to the letter, complete with large, dark mansion, gathering of wealthy guests, and the raging storm that means no one gets to go home. (And this troper considers Ciel fitting enough for the role of 'mysterious host'.)

* Only one murder so far - well, {{spoiler|almost two}} - but the latest chapters of ''[[Black Butler]]'' are following this trope's description to the letter, complete with large, dark mansion, gathering of wealthy guests, and the raging storm that means no one gets to go home. (And this troper considers Ciel fitting enough for the role of 'mysterious host'.)

* ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' had an anime only episode where the group was killed off one by one till only Ataru was left {{spoiler|In the end, it turned out the murders and complicated reveal of a killer with Ataru's face were a complicated plan by the perfectly unharmed victims to "Fix" Ataru's personality. The ending makes it pretty clear that Ataru saw through it at some point and proved to be a better actor than they had realized.}}

* In a chapter of ''[[Franken Fran]]'', Fran is invited by former patients for a party in a remote location. Soon, they are attacked one by one - hopefully, Fran can save them. This being ''[[Gorn|Franken]] Fran'', the truth is far more disturbing than expected. {{spoiler|Even Fran finds it disturbing.}}

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== Board Games ==

* The entire premise of the board game ''[[Clue (~~Tabletop Game~~)|Clue]]'', as well as [[The Movie]] based on it. The film involved a group of guests with questionable pasts being locked inside a mansion trying to figure out who killed Mr. Boddy. Every single one of them had a motive to kill him, and things aren't helped when the rest of the mansion's staff begins falling like flies...

* The entire premise of the board game ''[[Clue (game)|Clue]]'', as well as [[The Movie]] based on it. The film involved a group of guests with questionable pasts being locked inside a mansion trying to figure out who killed Mr. Boddy. Every single one of them had a motive to kill him, and things aren't helped when the rest of the mansion's staff begins falling like flies...

* Parodied in the board game ''[[Kill Doctor Lucky]]'', by Cheapass games, the objective of which is to be the first to bump off the good Doctor. The players all despise Doctor Lucky, and have been invited to his country mansion for the weekend. In the words of the game "There's a howling storm outside, it's midnight, and someone just shut off the lights..."

== Comic Books ==

* Parodied / subverted in a ''[[~~Doctor Who Magazine (Magazine)|~~Doctor Who Magazine]]'' comic strip, in which a group of minor villains that the Doctor has previously defeated gather together in a deserted space-station to plan a final attack that will finish him once and for all. One of them dies horribly, and as the others begin dying one by one afterward, it seems (to them, anyway) as if the Doctor has infiltrated their midst in disguise and is picking them off one by one. Finally, the last couple -- paranoid that either one of them could be the Doctor in disguise -- kill each other... and at that point, the Doctor arrives, not recognising any of them. Turns out the first death was just an accident with a faulty machine and the other deaths were just everyone picking each other off out of sheer paranoia.

* Parodied / subverted in a ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' comic strip, in which a group of minor villains that the Doctor has previously defeated gather together in a deserted space-station to plan a final attack that will finish him once and for all. One of them dies horribly, and as the others begin dying one by one afterward, it seems (to them, anyway) as if the Doctor has infiltrated their midst in disguise and is picking them off one by one. Finally, the last couple -- paranoid that either one of them could be the Doctor in disguise -- kill each other... and at that point, the Doctor arrives, not recognising any of them. Turns out the first death was just an accident with a faulty machine and the other deaths were just everyone picking each other off out of sheer paranoia.

** Played straight in an earlier Eighth Doctor strip.

* Happens to the Club of Heroes in "[[The Black Glove]]" arc in ''[[~~Batman (Comic Book)|~~Batman]]''.

* Happens to the Club of Heroes in "[[The Black Glove]]" arc in ''[[Batman]]''.

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== Film ==

* ''[[Murder By Death]]'' is the [[Affectionate Parody]] of the genre; here, the guests are thinly-disguised versions of famous fictional detectives. The trope is averted when it turns out the villian isn't really interested in killing them off, but in embarrassing them instead.

* ''[[Alien (~~Film~~)|Alien]] 3'', which has been described as "''[[And Then There Were None]]'' [[Recycled in Space|in outer space]]" by Entertainment Weekly, had the entire population of Fiorina 'Fury' 161, save for one prisoner (Morse), killed off by the xenomorph that had infiltrated the prison. {{spoiler|This includes Ellen Ripley herself, who died as a combined result of the chestbursting chewing its way out of her, and a suicide dive into the prison's metalworks}}.

* ''[[Alien (franchise)|Alien]] 3'', which has been described as "''[[And Then There Were None]]'' [[Recycled in Space|in outer space]]" by Entertainment Weekly, had the entire population of Fiorina 'Fury' 161, save for one prisoner (Morse), killed off by the xenomorph that had infiltrated the prison. {{spoiler|This includes Ellen Ripley herself, who died as a combined result of the chestbursting chewing its way out of her, and a suicide dive into the prison's metalworks}}.

* ''[[April ~~Fools~~ Day ~~(Film)~~|April Fools Day]]''. There's even little dolls representing the guests, prompting one to say that it's "like something from [[~~Agatha Christie (Creator)|~~Agatha Christie]]".

* ''[[April Fool's Day|April Fools Day]]''. There's even little dolls representing the guests, prompting one to say that it's "like something from [[Agatha Christie]]".

* By the end of ''[[The Lady Killers]]'', the robbers have all killed one another except the Professor, who is struck on the head by a railway semaphore. Little Mrs Wilberforce is left with all the "lolly".

* The film adaptation of ''[[Clue (~~Film~~)|Clue]]'' was essentially a gigantic parody of this trope.

* The film adaptation of ''[[Clue (film)|Clue]]'' was essentially a gigantic parody of this trope.

** The last one of the three alternative endings subverted the trope by revealing that {{spoiler|everyone ''except'' [[The Mole]] was a murderer.}}

* The Bollywood movie ''Gumnaam'' is an uncredited remake of ''[[And Then There Were None]]''.

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{{quote| ''{{spoiler|Joker}}'': No. No, no, no, I kill the bus driver.<br />

''Grumpy'': Bus driver? What bus dri-? (bus drives through wall and hits Grumpy, killing him) }}

* The '80s version of ''[[The Thing (~~Film~~)|The Thing]]'', and the short story both versions were based on, ''[[~~Who Goes There (Literature)|~~Who Goes There]]'' both combined this trope with [[The Virus]].

* The '80s version of ''[[The Thing (film)|The Thing]]'', and the short story both versions were based on, ''[[Who Goes There]]'' both combined this trope with [[The Virus]].

* Another alien-invasion movie example: ''[[The Faculty]]''; the humans who have not (yet) been taken over by alien parasites regard each other with suspicion and must figure out who in their number has fallen under alien control... but more than that, they must determine which person has actually been an alien all along. Not really surprisingly, the one who is an alien rather than an alien-controlled human is {{spoiler|the "new girl," who has been giving the other students a [[Backstory]] they've had to take on faith, rather than having a known history in their community.}}

* ''[[Identity]]'' is a variation of this. 10 strangers meet in a remote hotel, where they start getting killed one by one by a killer, who is presumably one of them. At first the trope seems to be played straight, as the helpful, authority figure cop is revealed to really be a criminal and a killer. However, at the end, it's revealed that ''the'' killer who was actually killing the guests was {{spoiler|the little boy. This makes sense because the characters are all personalities inside the mind of a serial killer with multiple personality disorder; the little boy is the murderous personality, representing the abuse the killer experienced as a child}}.

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* Played with in the teen horror novel ''Class Trip'' by Bebe Faas Rice. The [[Ten Little Murder Victims]] plot is related in first person by one of the characters. Eventually there's just two of them left, and the police are on the way. The narrator then [[Tomato Surprise|reveals that ''she'' was the killer all along]]. However, before she can kill the last remaining character, he reveals that he tape recorded her [[Engineered Public Confession]] even though he didn't intend to. She starts crying as the rescuers arrive as she realizes she is caught.

* The book and movie version of ''[[The Ruins]]'' has this trope as a central plot point. In the book, {{spoiler|all of the characters are killed by a '''''man eating, parastic vine'''''}}.

* Several of [[Simon R Green]]'s ''Hawk And Fisher'' stories use this trope. His [[Secret Histories]] novel ''The Spy Who Haunted Me'' has a variant that plays out among spies held together in a group by the terms of their mission, rather than by geographic isolation.

* Several of [[Simon R. Green]]'s ''Hawk And Fisher'' stories use this trope. His [[Secret Histories]] novel ''The Spy Who Haunted Me'' has a variant that plays out among spies held together in a group by the terms of their mission, rather than by geographic isolation.

* A variation happens in ''[[Erast Fandorin|Murder on the Leviathan]]'', which was intended as a tribute to [[~~Agatha Christie (Creator)|~~Agatha Christie]]; what makes it unusual is that this situation came about when a detective looking for a murderer on a luxury liner had his chief suspects assigned rooms in the same salon. And then one of them was killed.

* A variation happens in ''[[Erast Fandorin|Murder on the Leviathan]]'', which was intended as a tribute to [[Agatha Christie]]; what makes it unusual is that this situation came about when a detective looking for a murderer on a luxury liner had his chief suspects assigned rooms in the same salon. And then one of them was killed.

* ''Ten Little Wizards'', a [[~~Lord Darcy (Literature)|~~Lord Darcy]] novel, is an homage to Christie's version. A subversion, in that {{spoiler|the killer's countdown doesn't make it to "none", and the apparent killing spree is an [[Evil Plan]] by Polish spies}}.

* ''Ten Little Wizards'', a [[Lord Darcy]] novel, is an homage to Christie's version. A subversion, in that {{spoiler|the killer's countdown doesn't make it to "none", and the apparent killing spree is an [[Evil Plan]] by Polish spies}}.

* ''Old Tin Sorrows''

* ''Ripper'' is Michael Slade's take on this trope, with the added twist that the guests are all mystery writers {{spoiler|and there are two killers working together, not just one}}.

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* Subverted in ''[[The Dresden Files]]'' book ''Dead Beat'', where Harry quickly and [[In the Back|decisively]] identifies the current body of [[Body Surf|the Corpsetaker]] within seconds of his/her/its body-hopping.

* Something like this plays out in ''[[Kitty Norville|Kitty's House of Horrors]]''. {{spoiler|It's all a subversion.}} The panicky, incompetent, suspiciously underinformed person {{spoiler|isn't the mole, but survives anyway}}. The competent but high-strung person who constantly accuses someone else of being the mole {{spoiler|isn't the mole, and also survives}}. The helpful, amiable person with lots of useful abilities {{spoiler|isn't the mole either. No one is. However, almost everyone besides those three and the narrator dies. Everyone in the house was an intended victim}}.

* Subverted in [[Jo Walton]]'s [[Alternate History]] novel ''[[Small Change ~~(Literature)~~|Farthing]]'', which is set up as a classic [[Genteel Interbellum Setting|country house]] murder mystery, then is revealed to actually be {{spoiler|[[Everybody Did It|a political conspiracy]]}}.

* Subverted in [[Jo Walton]]'s [[Alternate History]] novel ''[[Small Change|Farthing]]'', which is set up as a classic [[Genteel Interbellum Setting|country house]] murder mystery, then is revealed to actually be {{spoiler|[[Everybody Did It|a political conspiracy]]}}.

* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[~~Prosperos~~ Daughter|Prospero Regained]]'', the Prosperos have been told they have an in-family traitor. One of the things they try to unearth while descending through Hell to rescue their father.

* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[Prospero's Daughter|Prospero Regained]]'', the Prosperos have been told they have an in-family traitor. One of the things they try to unearth while descending through Hell to rescue their father.

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* ''[[The Adventures of Brisco County Jr]].'' ("Bounty Hunters Convention")

* ''[[The Facts of Life]]'' parodied the trope by having the victims killed in silly ways (Blair was killed by over-using hair spray, Natalie was strangled with a pair of fuzzy dice). In the end, it turned out to be [[All Just a Dream]] (a [[Dream Within a Dream]], in fact).

* ''[[~~Get Smart (TV)|~~Get Smart]]'' ("Hoo Done It")

* ''[[Get Smart]]'' ("Hoo Done It")

* ''[[~~Remington Steele (TV)|~~Remington Steele]]'' had at least one of these, with Steele of course referencing ''[[And Then There Were None]]'' and its signature plot twist: {{spoiler|the sixth person to 'die' faked his death and was actually the murderer}}.

* ''[[Remington Steele]]'' had at least one of these, with Steele of course referencing ''[[And Then There Were None]]'' and its signature plot twist: {{spoiler|the sixth person to 'die' faked his death and was actually the murderer}}.

* Funny Subversion: ''[[Homicide Life On the Street]]'' once had a murder at an exclusive country club, that appeared to be one of these. After a Christiesque setup and a cutaway, the BPD detectives had the case closed by the commercial break.

* Funny Subversion: ''[[Homicide: Life On the Street]]'' once had a murder at an exclusive country club, that appeared to be one of these. After a Christiesque setup and a cutaway, the BPD detectives had the case closed by the commercial break.

* ''[[Harpers Island]]''. {{spoiler|With 29 deaths on screen and, out of the main cast, 4 survive. Two (Shea and Madison) are [[The Scrappy]].}}

* ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' features such an episode, only instead of a building, they are all stuck on the Alpha Site planet and unable to leave until the murderer is found. Tensions mount between the three races present, with the leaders under a lot of pressure to keep it from turning into a shootout. Accusations are flung around and the humans are stuck in the middle. The murderer turns out to be an invisible Ashrak, but the relationship between Earth and its two allies never quite recovers.

** The episode "Proving Ground" took the theme [[Up to Eleven]]. Given that the SGC's primary foes are [[Body Snatcher|Body Snatchers]], they select new members through complex training exercises where [[Everyone Is a Suspect]] [[Mole]]. These exercises tend to be [[Total Party Kill|Total Party Kills]]. One particularly promising group that refuses to get their act together finds that their umpteenth test is [[Not a Game]]. {{spoiler|It was a game with one of their own being a [[Reverse Mole]] whose job was to up the ante. When they knew it was all a game, they slacked off. When they thought it wasn't, they ended up distinguishing themselves under fire and becoming a quality team.}}

** In another episode, they ''knew'' who [[The Mole]] was, but it had an annoying tendency to [[Body Surf]]. That meant ''no one'' could be trusted- just because you weren't [[The Mole]] two minutes ago doesn't mean you're not [[The Mole]] ''now''- and required some [[Heroic Sacrifice|extreme measures]] to resolve.

* ''[[The Wild Wild West (TV)|The Wild Wild West]]'' episodes "The Night of the Tottering Tontine" and "The Night of the Bleak Island".

* ''[[The Wild Wild West (TV series)|The Wild Wild West]]'' episodes "The Night of the Tottering Tontine" and "The Night of the Bleak Island".

* ''[[The Avengers (TV)|The Avengers]]'' episode "The Superlative Seven".

* ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' episode "The Superlative Seven".

* An episode of ''[[CSI]]'' has the forensic team trying to locate a gang of casino robbers. The CSIs find that each gang member was killed by one of his or her partners, and end up following a trail of dead bodies to the last surviving robber.

* Played with in an episode of ''[[Highlander the Series]]'' where Hugh Fitzcairn is killed and any one of his half a dozen or so houseguests could have done it. However, as he is immortal, he revives and spends the rest of the episode annoying MacLeod, who is trying to find the murderer without giving away the fact that he's still alive.

* Parodied in ''[[~~The Goodies (TV)|~~The Goodies]]'' episode "Daylight Robbery on the Orient Express".

* Parodied in ''[[The Goodies]]'' episode "Daylight Robbery on the Orient Express".

* ''Mathnet'' (from ''[[Square One TV]]'') did an episode like this that was both a parody (the villain turned out to be a {{spoiler|court stenographer}}) and an ''homage''.

* One ''[[Boy Meets World]]'' episode (Called "And Then There Were [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Shawn]]") features this plot, with the characters stuck in detention (caused by a quarrel between the main characters) and soon being killed by a mysterious murderer within the school, ([[Shout-Out|including one by the name of Kenny]]. {{spoiler|In the end, Shawn rips off the mask of the killer to reveal [[Karmic Twist Ending|that it was him under the mask all along.]] Then it's revealed that [[All Just a Dream|it was all just a dream had by Shawn.]] }}

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* ''[[MacGyver]]'': "The Invisible Killer". Just as Mac determines which of the Phoenix employees on his wilderness stress-relief retreat is an imposter, we find out that not one but ''two'' of them are really escaped convicts.

* ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'': "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street". A street in a small town loses all power and use of their cars. Spurred on by a young boy's claims that this is a common comic book plot, they quickly suspect each other of being aliens. As riots break out, the audience learns that, no, none of the folks on Maple Street are aliens. The whole thing was set up by alien puppetmasters outside of town to trigger the riot, who comment on how easy conquering Earth this way is. Replace "aliens" with "terrorists" and "alien puppetmasters" with "US Army researchers", and you get the version used in the 2002 remake.

* ''[[~~First Wave (TV)|~~First Wave]]'' did this numerous times and in every variation. They added the further complication that the hero himself was usually ''also'' an impostor in the group, and had to spend much of the episode convincing the others to trust him.

* ''[[First Wave]]'' did this numerous times and in every variation. They added the further complication that the hero himself was usually ''also'' an impostor in the group, and had to spend much of the episode convincing the others to trust him.

* ''[[War of the Worlds (TV)|War of the Worlds]]'' also did a number of variations on this. The most straightforward instance was "The Last Supper", complete with the undercover spy who initially appears to be a shoo-in for [[The Mole]].

* ''[[War of the Worlds (TV series)|War of the Worlds]]'' also did a number of variations on this. The most straightforward instance was "The Last Supper", complete with the undercover spy who initially appears to be a shoo-in for [[The Mole]].

* ''[[The Mole]]'' implemented this concept as a Reality-based [[Game Show]]. Thought the show the contestants are faced with several challenges which, if completed successfully, earn money that goes to a global pot. However, as the name indicates, one of the contestants is a Mole hired by the producers to make sure they win as little money as possible. Contestants are eliminated via a quiz at the end of each episode that asks several bits of biographical information about the Mole: the person who gets the least amount of questions right is eliminated.

* The second season of ''[[Who Wants to Be A Superhero]]'' included such a challenge. Given that there were ''two'' actors planted amidst the first season contestants (both [[The Mole]] and a scheduled [[Face Heel Turn]]), this was a believable threat for the heroes and the audience. {{spoiler|But it turned out to be a false one; all the contestants were for real this time, and Stan just wanted to see if they'd go into witch-hunt mode.}}

* The second season of ''[[Who Wants to Be a Superhero]]'' included such a challenge. Given that there were ''two'' actors planted amidst the first season contestants (both [[The Mole]] and a scheduled [[Face Heel Turn]]), this was a believable threat for the heroes and the audience. {{spoiler|But it turned out to be a false one; all the contestants were for real this time, and Stan just wanted to see if they'd go into witch-hunt mode.}}

* In the ''[[Star Trek ~~the~~ Next Generation]]'' episode "Allegiance", Picard found himself in a similar situation to the Star Trek novel example, where he and three strangers are left in a cell with hints that one of them is working for their captors. In this case, not only was one of them the mole, but an impostor Picard was also placed on the Enterprise to run an experiment on the crew.

* In the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode "Allegiance", Picard found himself in a similar situation to the Star Trek novel example, where he and three strangers are left in a cell with hints that one of them is working for their captors. In this case, not only was one of them the mole, but an impostor Picard was also placed on the Enterprise to run an experiment on the crew.

* Subverted in an episode of ''[[Monk]]''. After breaking into a woman's home to find her being drowned by her identical twin, Lt. [[The Ditz|Randy Disher]] asks which one's the real one. [[Deadpan Snarker|Captain Stottlemeyer]] suggests arresting the one that ''wasn't drowning.''

* In the season 6 opener of ''[[NCIS]]'', we learn that {{spoiler|Agent Lee}} is [[The Mole]], but the team thinks it is {{spoiler|Agent Langer, who Lee frames and then kills}}. Later, they figure it out and it ends in {{spoiler|[[Redemption Equals Death]]}}.

* On ''[[~~WMAC Masters (TV)|~~WMAC Masters]]'' during a Dragon Star match between Hakim "The Machine" Alston and Ho Sung "Superstar" Pak someone wearing a ghost town ninja outfit eliminated both of them and the other masters figured out early on that one of them had to be the masked ninja. They suspected the maters who had not been seen that episode like Mike "Turbo" Bernardo and Ho Young "Star Warrior" Pak as the culprit and eventually put Star Warrior (who is the [[Cain and Abel|older brother]] of Superstar) on trial for it with Tiger Claw and Olympus acting as lawyers and Turbo as Judge. He was found not guilty after the glove Tracer clamed the mask ninja dropped did not fit (so they must acquit). It turns out the masked ninja was Warlock who had secretly joined the evil cult called Jukido and was trying to steal the Dragon Star

* On ''[[WMAC Masters]]'' during a Dragon Star match between Hakim "The Machine" Alston and Ho Sung "Superstar" Pak someone wearing a ghost town ninja outfit eliminated both of them and the other masters figured out early on that one of them had to be the masked ninja. They suspected the maters who had not been seen that episode like Mike "Turbo" Bernardo and Ho Young "Star Warrior" Pak as the culprit and eventually put Star Warrior (who is the [[Cain and Abel|older brother]] of Superstar) on trial for it with Tiger Claw and Olympus acting as lawyers and Turbo as Judge. He was found not guilty after the glove Tracer clamed the mask ninja dropped did not fit (so they must acquit). It turns out the masked ninja was Warlock who had secretly joined the evil cult called Jukido and was trying to steal the Dragon Star

* ''[[Sanctuary]]'' has a particularly difficult one to solve. They do figure out who it is, but only the main characters survive until then.

* The story of the tail section survivors on ''[[Lost]]'': Nathan is the [[Red Herring Mole]]. {{spoiler|Goodwin}} is [[The Mole]]. Then there's Cindy and Libby, and we ''still'' don't know what was up with either of them. Prevailing fan speculation is that Libby was [[The Mole]], too, but for a different organization.

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== Role Playing Games ==

* The ''[[~~The World of Darkness (Tabletop Game)|~~The World of Darkness]]'' series is somewhat notorious for setting up this trope ad nauseum. Any time a vampire hosts a party, you can guarantee he's going to be dead by the end of the night.

* The ''[[The World of Darkness]]'' series is somewhat notorious for setting up this trope ad nauseum. Any time a vampire hosts a party, you can guarantee he's going to be dead by the end of the night.

* The 1E ''[[~~Ravenloft (Tabletop Game)|~~Ravenloft]]'' module's sequel, ''House on Gryphon Hill'', features Strahd von Zarovich as [[The Mole]] within the Weathermay household, and the entire population of Mordentshire as its [[Ten Little Murder Victims]] ... with the added twist {{spoiler|that not all the victims are being murdered: most are being [[Body Snatcher|possessed by Strahd's minions]] and turned into Moles as well}}.

* The 1E ''[[Ravenloft]]'' module's sequel, ''House on Gryphon Hill'', features Strahd von Zarovich as [[The Mole]] within the Weathermay household, and the entire population of Mordentshire as its [[Ten Little Murder Victims]] ... with the added twist {{spoiler|that not all the victims are being murdered: most are being [[Body Snatcher|possessed by Strahd's minions]] and turned into Moles as well}}.

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** ''[[Mitadake High]]''. Except in high school.

** ''Murder Mansion'', too, complete with above-mentioned heavy storm.

** ''[[~~Spacestation~~ 13]]'' as well, set in space.

** ''[[Space Station 13]]'' as well, set in space.

* The Point-And-click computer game ''[[The 7th Guest]]'' uses this as a base premise - with a twist. A mad toymaker lures guests into a house he built and makes them solve riddles. If they solve all of them, they'll get whatever they most desire. Unfortunately, these wishes either have an ironic twist - and that's only if the guest themself doesn't expire in the course of the game. Thing is, he only lured six people into the house. The seventh guest? {{spoiler|A little boy who turns out to be ''you'' - and you were [[Dead All Along]].}}

* This is the premise of the PC adventure game ''The Colonel's Bequest'' and its sequel ''The Dagger of Amon Ra''. The first game takes place on an old plantation in 1920s New Orleans where the protagonist Laura Bow's friend has invited her to stay with her family, who have gathered to hear the old Colonel's will. Then people start dying, and you are forced to collect clues to try and figure out who killed who, and why. The second game takes place in a museum following a robbery, and one by one everyone inside starts getting bumped off. In both games it is up to the player to figure out just what is going on, and if you get it wrong you will get the bad ending and let the murderer escape, perhaps at the cost of your own life.

* Text adventure game ''[[Delightful Wallpaper]]'' is a version of this, with the PC (apparently invisible to the NPCs) placing various "intentions" around a mansion which drive the guests to kill each other.

* ''[[~~Megaman~~ Battle Network]] 2'' has a portion spent like this. A group of Official Netbattlers, including the hero, Lan, and the [[The Rival|rival]], Chaud, are gathered in a castle for a meeting. It eventually turns out that not only was there a spy in their midst, {{spoiler|the spy is the innocent-seeming Princess Pride, who faked being attacked early on. You learn this after both Lan and Chaud have already been left the only two suspects, and have fought to the [[Disney Death]] out of paranoia.}}

* ''[[Mega Man Battle Network]] 2'' has a portion spent like this. A group of Official Netbattlers, including the hero, Lan, and the [[The Rival|rival]], Chaud, are gathered in a castle for a meeting. It eventually turns out that not only was there a spy in their midst, {{spoiler|the spy is the innocent-seeming Princess Pride, who faked being attacked early on. You learn this after both Lan and Chaud have already been left the only two suspects, and have fought to the [[Disney Death]] out of paranoia.}}

* The [[~~Garrys~~ Mod]] gamemode [[Trouble in Terrorist Town]] is based on this, where there are "innocent" terrorists and "traitor" terrorists. The traitors are the murderers.

* The [[Garry's Mod]] gamemode [[Trouble in Terrorist Town]] is based on this, where there are "innocent" terrorists and "traitor" terrorists. The traitors are the murderers.

* In ''[[Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors]]'', the characters had been kidnapped by a mysterious person called Zero to play a 'Nonary Game.' But, some of the players know each other in a less-than-friendly context, and they aren't all able to go through the final door. You do the maths...

* In ''[[Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors]]'', the characters had been kidnapped by a mysterious person called Zero to play a 'Nonary Game.' But, some of the players know each other in a less-than-friendly context, and they aren't all able to go through the final door. You do the maths...

== Webcomics ==

* In ''[[Jack (~~Webcomic~~)|Jack]]'', the titular grim reaper takes the souls of 5 people killed in an explosion, and leaves it to them to find out who planted the bomb. It's never made clear precisely why he does this, although escorting souls to Judgement must get a little dull, so maybe this is how he entertains himself.

* In ''[[Jack (webcomic)|Jack]]'', the titular grim reaper takes the souls of 5 people killed in an explosion, and leaves it to them to find out who planted the bomb. It's never made clear precisely why he does this, although escorting souls to Judgement must get a little dull, so maybe this is how he entertains himself.

** Given the way the story was resolved it seemed likely that Jack was doing it in order to give some of them (particularly an individual in the group who had already suffered loss as Jack took someone he loved in a previous arc) a chance at last minute redemption and closure that if he just took them as is more would have gone to hell than actually did. Character development by that point had him doing what he could to help souls escape damnation and since he had already had 'monitors' following him around decided to put them to a positive use with their ability to create temporary zones like was done in that story.

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== Western Animation ==

* ''[[Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends]]'': In "Seven Little Superheroes," [[Master of Disguise|the Chameleon]] invites Spider-Man, Iceman, Firestar, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Shanna the She-Devil to an island where they are trapped by a forcefield and targeted one at a time. The episode's name even reflects the alternate name of the novel. {{spoiler|Too bad Aunt May's puppy sneaks in and then becomes a [[Spanner in ~~The~~ Works]], since she acts as an [[Evil-Detecting Dog]]...}}

* ''[[Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends]]'': In "Seven Little Superheroes," [[Master of Disguise|the Chameleon]] invites Spider-Man, Iceman, Firestar, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Shanna the She-Devil to an island where they are trapped by a forcefield and targeted one at a time. The episode's name even reflects the alternate name of the novel. {{spoiler|Too bad Aunt May's puppy sneaks in and then becomes a [[Spanner in the Works]], since she acts as an [[Evil-Detecting Dog]]...}}

* A ''[[Futurama]]'' episode, "Anthology of Interest I" features a story entitled "Dial L For Leela" that features this.

* The ''[[Scooby Doo]]'' episode "A Night of Fright is No Delight" (the one with the {{spoiler|[[Funny Money|Confederate money]]}}.)

* An episode of ''[[Police Academy]]'' featured "Agatha Crusty" and "Ten Little Coppers".

* ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' has this in the [[Flash Back]] filled episode "Autoboot Camp". {{spoiler|Wasp was framed, and the ''real'' mole went on to become the head of Autobot intelligence while Wasp slowly went insane. [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|Way to go, Bumblebee]].}}

* ''[[Family Guy]]'' took on this one in "And Then There Were Fewer". {{spoiler|It was [[Clue (~~Tabletop Game~~)|Diane Simmons in the dining room, the living room, the upstairs hallway, and an upstairs balcony]] with, respectively, the gun, the knife, and the Golden Globe}}.

* ''[[Family Guy]]'' took on this one in "And Then There Were Fewer". {{spoiler|It was [[Clue (game)|Diane Simmons in the dining room, the living room, the upstairs hallway, and an upstairs balcony]] with, respectively, the gun, the knife, and the Golden Globe}}.