10 Most Ominous Cinematic Prisons

10. Château D’If, The Count Of Monte Cristo

Barren and devoid of human contact, this fortress is insanity personified.

Its only sound is the sea crashing against its rocks, forever and ever; its sole unholy purpose is to drive prisoners to madness. There is no escape from its loneliness and no escaping one’s wretched destiny if they manage to end up in this island dungeon.

Château d’If is a bad place to land, but turns out to be a great locale to plan revenge, as Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel) finds out.

When he is betrayed by his best friend Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce), Dantes is incarcerated at Château d’If for 13 years. By sheer chance, he meets a prisoner attempting to escape and, with his guidance, he begins changing his identity in order to avenge the crime. He escapes after his benefactor dies, by entering his body bad and being thrown into the sea.

It says a lot about a prison’s location and security if the only way to escape is to die. Sometimes you do what you have to do, though, particularly if you have been stripped of your life and sweet vengeance is your ultimate goal.