The Door Slams You

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Flora: Uncle Greeny, where are you?
Greensleeves: I'm under the door, ya twits!

Rod Rescueman: That's a pretty stupid place to be when people are knocking doors down.
—Twice Upon a Time

You've Seen It a Million Times. Character A is approaching a door, or is standing beside or in front of a door, when abruptly the door is thrown open from the other side by Character B. Character A is then revealed to have been squished against the wall by the door when it was smashed open.

While this is a type of Slapstick that is very common in animation, being hit by a door happens in live-action media also (not to mention real life). Definitely a case of Truth in Television: if you've ever seen a sign on a door warning you to open it slowly, chances are that sign was put up after someone got clobbered by that particular door.

Compare with Door Judo. See also Toyota Tripwire. Might be the deed of a Ghost Butler.

And no, this is not Soviet Russia. It might have happened there, though.

Examples of The Door Slams You include:


Anime & Manga

  • An early chapter of Mahou Sensei Negima has Asuna kicking the library door off its hinges, and into Negi.
  • Ranma One Half:
    • One of the few times that Shampoo uses the door to enter the Tendō house, she flattens Akane behind it.
    • Happens again to Akane when Ranma, in order to satisfy his mother's ideals of "manhood", burst into the bathroom to (pretend to) spy on her. Too bad Akane had come out several minutes before and was slammed quite painfully between the door and the wall... and hearing that Ranma wanted to see her naked did not improve her day.
    • And Ranma also did it to Kodachi in her own intro story just as the latter was about to attack Akane. She just twitched and spasmed behind the door for a while.
    • Sort of happens in the anime when Dr. Tōfū is introduced; startled by the good doctor appearing behind "her", Ranma leaps up onto the door. Akane comes barging in and slams the door shut, catching Ranma's fingers painfully between the door and the edge of the wall due to Ranma not having enough time to let go before being knocked out of the room.
  • Done in Naruto, when Suigetsu goes towards a door to try and find where Karin went... right as she gets back from finding there's a Leaf Village party headed their way—and kicks down the sliding door on his face.
  • One Piece has this happen to Apis, who tries to escape the custody of the Marines by tricking the guard into opening the door by not being in plain sight of the door. Problem is, her hiding place was the side of the door that it opens into.
  • The Lupin III TV special Operation Return the Treasure had Goemon take up a position behind a door, ready to strike with his legendary sword, after hearing a noise in the hall outside. Instead of getting to use his Implausible Fencing Powers though, an angry Fujiko barges in, opening the door with such force it smashes Goemon behind it.
  • An episode of the Black Cat anime has this happen to Sven as he's going out for a walk and Rinslet slams the door open just as he reaches it.
  • In book 4 of Futaba Kun Change, Principal Hiroin in one of his silly "Justice Maker" costumes is about to make the usual corny speech, when his daughter Takane slams open the door he was standing next and sends him down a flight of stairs (not that she notices anything, except the broken stairwell her father left behind as he fell down a few stories). And then Futaba-chan comes by in a hurry and slams the door against Takane as she was starting her own speech.
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion has an example where Shinji and Pen-Pen are having a Potty Emergency since Asuka occupied the bathroom. She then slams the door open, hitting Shinji in the face and buying Pen-Pen enough time to run inside before him.
  • Pokémon
    • "Here Comes The Squirtle Squad": Ash is trying to buy some Super Potion for an injured Pikachu, and as he's running into the store, Gary opens the door and squishes Ash against the wall.
    • Hilarious variant in "Berry, Berry Interesting" where Pikachu slams into an electronic sliding door as it shuts close.
  • Hanaukyo Maid Tai La Vérité episode 7. As Konoe Tsurugi is waiting on one side of a door, her lieutenant Yashima Sanae slams open the door from the other side and smashes her in the face, giving her a temporary bloody nose.
  • In an episode of Urusei Yatsura, Ataru is trying to get out of his house and away from Lum, and slams the door in her face as he's exiting. An upset Lum pushes the door forcefully open and flies out to catch up to Ataru, but can't see him anywhere. A zoom in then shows that Ataru is flatened behind the door, his face ground into the wall.


Comic Books

  • In Asterix and Cleopatra, Obélix does warn an Egyptian prison guard that he and his fellow Gauls are about to come out of their cell, but the guard just laughs it off, thinking he's safe sitting behind the heavy reinforced door. Not so, which result in him being slammed against the floor, and Obélix grumbling he should have listened. Repeated both in the Animated Adaptation and the Live Action Adaptation Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cleopatra.


Comic Strips

  • Pooch Cafe for 5-26-11 [dead link]. Chaz warns Carmen to not stand near the door because Poncho will be coming through like a train. She doesn't believe him, and gets smashed behind the door when Poncho slams the door open and charges through with a "Choo Choo" sound effect.
  • The Garfield comics and cartoons. Notably, one Quickie has Garfield hanging on the door when Jon opened it...


Films -- Animation

  • The Emperors New Groove (and the television series that followed the film) loves this joke.
  • Aladdin
    • This happens to Jafar and Iago both after Jafar tries to hold the palace doors shut to keep "Prince Ali" from entering the Sultan's throne room. Abu (in elephant form) smashes the door open and squashes them into the wall.
    • It happens earlier to Iago when he and Jafar are walking out of their secret lair. Iago is about to cross the door/wall when Jafar has to shut it when Jasmine pops out of nowhere, smashing Iago in the process.
  • In The Jungle Book, while Bagheera is beside a door in King Louie's ruins and trying to grab Mowgli so they can escape, Baloo slams the door open and smashes Bagheera into a wall, giving him a black eye.
  • In the (still animated) beginning of Enchanted, Nathaniel goes to open Giselle's coach, and gets slammed by the door as she bursts through.
  • Happens in Titanic: The Legend Goes On, where Geoffrey the cat is Squashed Flat as the owner arrives.
  • One Hundred and One Dalmatians
    • Cruella is in her car in the street, and yells for Jasper and Horace, who we see inside a wooden building with a locked barn-style door that leads out to the street. They try to break down the door, and they knock it down right into her face, as it turns out she was parked right outside.
    • It does happen earlier in the movie too; as Cruella comes to visit the Radcliffes, Nanny walks over to open the door for her. Cruella managed to open it on her own.
  • In Twice Upon a Time, Greensleeves gets pinned under the door to his prison cell when Rod Rescueman knocks it down.
  • Done in Transformers the Movie to a Quintesson. The Dinobots knock the door to the execution room down on top of him. And then as Slag (the Triceratops) and Sludge (the Apatosaurus) walk across the door, they stop for Slag to say, "Excuse me."


Films -- Live-Action

  • In Trail of The Pink Panther, Inspector Clouseau is knocked out a window by a chambermaid opening the door. Three times in a row.
  • The Three Stooges often did this. In one especially memorable example, a freestanding door the boys were installing fell on top of Moe and got jammed, and Larry and Curly had to saw it to get him out. The saw cut the floor and sent Moe falling 14 feet to the basement. Larry doesn't see why Moe is so miffed. On occasion they'd trap the villain's head in or through a door, and, once certain he couldn't extricate himself, proceed to add to his misery.
  • Robin Hood Men in Tights. Happens to a couple of the Sheriff's guards when Robin Hood throws open a double door.
  • In The Incredible Journey, Shadow the dog does this to the vet at the pound to allow Chase to escape.
  • In Home Alone 2, the two crooks hear a noise on the other side of the door. It's a heavy toolchest, which smashes them and the door against the opposite wall. In utterly realistic fashion, they only get their noses bent.
  • In the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie, Adam disposes of one of Ivan's grunts through the means of a construction yard vehicle's door.
  • This is a running gag in The Naked Gun series, with Frank Drebin doing it at least once per movie. He tragically knocked his first girlfriend off a cliff (then never realized and thought she'd abandoned him). He also did it to Barbara Bush when invited to the White House for a dinner.
  • In Back to The Future Part 2, one time-traveling Marty does this to another time-traveling Marty.
  • Happens to Felix in the movie version of The Odd Couple.
  • In a rare non-comedic example, The Fellowship of the Ring has this when the Nazgul burst into Bree. The terrified door guard looks through the door, and gets it slammed off its hinges, on top of him. Ouch.
  • The Three Musketeers 1973 (1973). The Duke of Buckingham slams open a secret door, hitting Planchet who's standing behind it.
  • In Clerks II, Jay twice gets hit while trying to take a leak next to the back door.
  • In Toy Soldiers, the Big Bad rushes into the kitchen looking for one of the Kid Heroes. The kid in question hides behind the kitchen's swinging door, and for a moment it looks like it's worked. And then the Big Bad grabs the door and slams it into the wall, crushing the kid and knocking the wind out of him.
  • In the first Johnny English movie, this happens twice to the eponymous hero. First when Johnny is about to ambush a henchman in the Big Bad's tower, and gets hit in the nose by the door. And again when tied up and locked in a cell, while trying to open the lock by whistling. His Hypercompetent Sidekick Bough opens the door to free him, as Jonnhy is leaning right behind it.
  • Happens to a security guard in Freddy vs. Jason, with predictably fatal results.
  • A Jehovah's Witness loses his head this way in Las Vegas Bloodbath.
  • When the Final Girl tries to open the door of a truck in Bunnyman, she gets knocked on her ass by it.
  • Happens to Freddy once or twice in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street.


Literature

  • Happens three times to Geronimo Stilton in book 17, Watch Your Whiskers, Stilton! By the end of the book, he manages to get out of the way just in time.
  • Magazine/Mad's Super Special Fall 1980. In "The Moronic Woman" (a Bionic Woman parody), Jammy Summons (Jaime Sommers) and Oscular (Oscar Goldman) have infiltrated the enemy palace. When they reach the office of the dictator, Jammy slams open the door with her moronic (bionic) strength. When Oscular asks where the dictator is, an officer says that he was behind the door, so he's now part of the wallpaper.


Live-Action TV

  • Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The title character Meet Cutes her Love Interest Harvey this way.
  • Howard Moon gets this done to him by Mrs Gideon in an episode of The Mighty Boosh. Then later he steps out from behind the door in a strange way that gets a second laugh out of the same joke.
  • This happens to Josh Lyman in one episode of The West Wing.
  • Stargate SG-1
    • Teal'c gets a door in the face in the episode "Windows of Opportunity". Repeatedly, as he is stuck in Groundhog Day Loop and this happens right at the beginning of it—he has no chance to avoid it, every time, for hundred of loops. And then he slams back.
      • One "missing scene" fanfiction has Teal'c taking his revenge during one loop by bringing an electric saw and cutting the door into tiny pieces.
    • In the season 10 episode "Family Ties", Sergeant Siler slams into an open door after being distracted by Vala and Sam in civilian clothes. The last of a great number of bruises he received over working at the SGC for 10 years.
  • Happens a few times in The Nanny to Niles, CC and Fran. Especially CC, since she was usually found sitting on a leather couch behind the door in Maxwell's office.
  • Cindy in Threes Company constantly did this inadvertently to the rest of the cast; so much that Jack tried to teach her in one episode how to open a door slowly.
  • In Leverage, Eliot Spencer (who else?) uses this as an attack. He was fighting a group of drug dealers, one of whom was in a truck repeatedly trying to get out to help his friends. Every time he'd try, Eliot would slam the door on him, at one point simply yelling "stay in the car!" which apparently intimidated the man enough not to even try the other door.
  • A knock comes from the door, and says Blackadder to Baldrick:

Blackadder: See who that is Baldrick. And whoever it is, slam the door in their face, or I'll slam your face in the door.

Unfortunately for Blackadder, it was Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
  • Lost count of the number of times this happened in All in The Family.
  • Happens to Erin a couple of times in the Titus episode, "The Visit", eventually leading to child-services officer to say, "Want a hint? Hold the door for her!"
  • 1960's Batman series episode "King Tut's Coup". While Robin is waiting beside the door to Tut's hideout, two of Tut's henchmen slam the door open and smash Robin against the wall, knocking him silly. They then capture him and take him inside.
  • In the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode, "Lovers Walk", Angel gets crushed under a door while attempting to defend Spike. A few mooks walk over him shortly thereafter.
  • In the episode of The Goodies entitled "The Movies", Graeme manages to inflict one of these to himself—he kicks open a door with enough force to have it bounce off the wall and slam in his face.


Music Videos

  • Happens in the music video for Weird Al's "Eat It".


Puppet Shows

  • This happens to Bean Bunny during the breakfast scene in Muppets from Space. The culprit is Miss Piggy, who always has to make a huge entrance, Large Ham that she is.
  • Pierce Brosnan does this to an unnamed muppet in Muppets Tonight.

The victim: (moments before) I finally got over my fear of standing next to closed doors! (WHAM!) Uhh!


Theater

  • Happens twice in British farce Cash on Delivery to the Uncle, setting up the comic misunderstanding first that he's crazy (due to him being dazed) and then dead (because he's been knocked unconscious).


Video Games

  • This happens to Donald Duck a couple of times in Kingdom Hearts for comedic effect.
  • This is an actual gameplay mechanic in Bonanza Bros. In fact, the first enemy in the game has almost certainly been deliberately placed to be dispatched in this manner.
  • One of the attack techniques of everyone's favourite mechanical assassin, Robot Ninja Haggle Man.
  • Resident Evil 4 & 5 allow you to either open doors slowly and quietly in order to stealth in, or loudly kick the door open. If you use the more Dynamic Entry then any enemies standing on the other side will be knocked back.
  • Super Mario Bros
    • In Luigis Mansion, some of the doors are fake. When Luigi goes to open them, they'll swing around and crush him against the wall.
    • In Paper Mario, the first time you go to see Merlon, he knocks you down when he opens it.
    • In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, when you're working your way to the top of the Glitz Pit rankings, you let the promoter know when you're ready for the next fight, then wait for security to come get you. If you're in front of the door, you flail about as you're pushed out of the way.
  • In the 3D Legend of Zelda games, fake doors crush Link against the floor by falling on him.
  • In Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, a guard can kick open a door if something is blocking it. If that something is you, then the door will knock you out causing an instant mission failed.
  • This is the main form of attack of the eponymous mouse policeman in the Arcade/NES classic Mappy.
  • Some early video games with doors that actually work like real-world doors, rather than Doom-esque upside-down-elevator doors, can crush the player if they stand in the wrong place as it automatically closes.


Web Comics


Western Animation

  • One of the early The Simpsons' "Treehouses of Horror" uses this gag: Milhouse gets hit by the door when Homer enters with Bart's birthday present.
  • During the Veggie Tales Silly Song "Oh Santa", this happens to the bank robber. Twice.
  • Occurs in an U.S. Acres Quickie. And some strips had it as well.
  • Has happened to Tom of Tom and Jerry more times than anyone can remember.
  • Ben 10 Alien Force has Kevin getting the door slammed in his face by Mike Morningstar. The fans have dubbed it Nosedoor.
  • Happens frequently in Happy Tree Friends. The results are never pretty.
  • In an episode of The Fairly OddParents, Timmy and Wanda are invited to lunch in fairy world by Mamma Cosmo, but the two are seated at a table situated between the kitchen and the bathrooms. Cue the two getting repeatedly smacked by the doors as fairies enter and leave.
  • Wakfu
    • Happens to Yugo in episode 4, when he's sneaking around Sadlygrove's cell and the huge Princess Lela slams the door open hard.
    • Happens to Ruel in episode 9, when he's trying to stop anyone from coming into his house... and he gets bull-rushed by the rest of the gang.
  • The Venture Brothers: Dean is playing detective, sticking a hair onto a doorframe, when Dr. Orpheus dramatically swings the door open, knocking him over.
  • My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic
    • In the first episode, Twilight Sparkle does this to Spike in her hurry to get to the library.
    • Happens to Twilight twice in "Feeling Pinkie Keen", both of which Pinkie Pie predicted.
    • Happens to Fluttershy when she tries to hide in her house (again) in "Luna Eclipsed" thanks to Twilight preemptively closing the door.
    • In "The Best Night Ever", Prince Blueblood does this to Rarity after making her get the door for him
  • One Pink Panther short has the inspector declaring, "All right, Pink Panther, I know you are in there; come out at once!" only to get a door in the face. And no matter where he stood, the door opened on him....
  • In The Legend of Korra , Korra is treated like a pinball within the confines of a 2000 year old Airbending training device.
  • In Futurama's "Space Pilot 3000", Fry stares in awe of the automatic sliding doors that slide up. However, he's doing so directly under the door, so just as he says "Wow, just like in Star Trek" the door closes down on him.
  • Happens to Helga on Hey Arnold! in the episoded Beaned. Arnold is holding the door open for everyone to enter the cafeteria because they're holding their trays and Helga assumes he'll keep it open for her as well. Just as she's about to walk through, he slams it shut on her (unknowingly), slamming her tray and all its' content into her face as she slowly slides down to the floor.
  • The titular character of Dan Vs. gets one in Dan vs. Canada when, thanks to an unfortunate maple syrup related accident, he becomes stuck to his own apartment door. After calling Chris for help, Chris arrives and slams open the door along with Dan squashed by it.
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