Hanging cages, or gibbets, are small prisoner cells that are suspended in the air for all to see and used as a torture or terror device. Fictional hanging cages may be found hung on bridges, suspended from the walls of evil castles, within torture chambers, or at crossroads. They may be located over cliffsides, chasms, or in other high and dangerous locations. They may contain criminals being punished, prisoners in need of rescue, or skeletal remains.

Fictional hanging cages are typically used in two ways: as a background element that helps to set the tone of a world or as a central feature of escape narratives.

When designing hanging cages for your fictional world, consider how they are hung and how they can be released or lowered. For worlds with narratives, consider how a person could free themselves from being imprisoned or for what reasons they were imprisoned in the first place. Often keys are required to release the person within.

These cages were often placed in full view of the public to discourage whatever behavior the contained person committed.