Photo by Tom Woodward

The hidden door has made several appearances on the silver screen, as you may have noticed. Some of them, in fact, had very key roles in the movies and TV shows they starred in. Whether used to keep things hidden, to maximize space, or to add variety to a living space, hidden doors have played an important part in a few of Hollywood’s most memorable masterpieces.

Scooby Doo

Maybe you remember watching this timeless cartoon as a kid, or maybe your own kids watch it now. One of the most consistent elements of the show was the use of some kind of trap door or hidden passageway. It seems like it was almost always found when Scooby or Shaggy accidentally touched the right book on the shelf or bumped a small statue and the whole book case rotated around, revealing the solution to the gang’s perplexing case.

James Bond

There have been countless occasions in which Bond has made use of some kind of secret passageway. It seems this is the perfect way for him to outsmart his enemies either to get away or to keep secret things hidden. MI6 headquarters, in fact, is often hidden by some kind of secret door. Most recently, however, Bond made his getaway through a “priest-hole” style hidden door located in the Skyfall mansion.

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National Treasure

Hidden doors and secret passageways played a huge role in adding to the elements of surprise and mystery in this movie and its sequel. How could there be a hidden treasure if it wasn’t located behind a hidden door? As fun as it may be to think of hidden doors being used in this context, it is actually quite realistic. Before the age of vaults and online banking, people preserved their riches by hiding them, often behind some sort of secret door or bookshelf.

It’s fascinating to see the many ways that hidden doors have been used throughout the ages, including in entertainment. It’s obvious that they can be very useful. A hidden door bookshelf from Murphy Door may be just what your home needs to free up some extra space or just to keep a certain room more secret than the rest.