Tropescilloscope: Adult Fear
Threats and fears that most adults would worry about in real life. (read more at tvtropes.org)
More Tropes
The Film of the Book
Dramedy
Grievous Bottley Harm
Last-Name Basis
Mistaken for Gay
Psychological Thriller
Idiot Ball
Crazy Jealous Guy
Big Bad
Slasher Smile
Visual Pun
Homage
British Films
Foregone Conclusion
Wicked Cultured
Cat Fight
Police are Useless
Karma Houdini
Would Hurt a Child
Break the Haughty
Annoying Younger Sibling
An Aesop
Names to Run Away from Really Fast
The Ghost
One-Man Army
Camp Gay
Precision F-Strike
Bottomless Magazines
folderlabel
Wham Line
All There in the Script
Historical Villain Upgrade
World of Ham
Drives Like Crazy
Broken Bird
Combat Pragmatist
Death by Irony
Children Are Innocent
Beta Couple
Canadian Movies
Manly Tears
Adaptational Badass
Martial Arts Movie
Cool Shades
Vacation Films
Fanservice Extra
Those Two Bad Guys
Dirty Cop
Creative Closing Credits
Imagine Spot
German Films
Mood Whiplash
Badass Longcoat
Meet Cute
The Dreaded
Film Noir Index
The Big Guy
Bring My Brown Pants
Early Installment Weirdness
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
All Just a Dream
Malevolent Masked Men
Villainous Breakdown
No Antagonist
Ambiguously Gay
Bad Boss
Big Brother Instinct
Overly Long Gag
And the Adventure Continues
Silent Movie
No OSHA Compliance
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
Ambiguous Ending
Creepy Child
Parental Substitute
Based on a True Story
Tempting Fate
Reality Has No Subtitles
Mama Bear
Made of Explodium
No Name Given
In the Back
Funny Background Event
There Is No Kill Like Overkill
The Mafia
Black and Gray Morality
It's Personal
Punny Name
The Cameo
Curb-Stomp Battle
Line-of-Sight Name
Bloodless Carnage
Knight Templar
Playing Gertrude
Pyrrhic Victory
The End... Or Is It?
The Load
Spanner in the Works
Not So Above It All
One Steve Limit
Skewed Priorities
Never Trust a Trailer
Even Evil Has Standards
Peek-a-Boo Corpse
Alliterative Name
Genre Savvy
Heroes Want Redheads
Adults Are Useless
Never My Fault
Star-Crossed Lovers
Extreme Doormat
Amoral Attorney
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience
aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience
Vitriolic Best Buds
Small Name, Big Ego
An Arm and a Leg
Vomit Discretion Shot
Body Horror
Due to the Dead
Very Loosely Based on a True Story
Arch-Enemy
Serious Business
Stylistic Suck
Chekhov's Skill
Your Cheating Heart
Match Cut
Even Evil Has Loved Ones
Alpha Bitch
Casting Gag
Humans Are Bastards
Dramatic Irony
Captain Ersatz
Woman in White
Gold Digger
Truth in Television
Older Than They Look
Femme Fatale
Country Matters
The Brute
The Un-Reveal
Faux Affably Evil
Bar Brawl
Empathic Environment
Retcon
Jitter Cam
Dark Reprise
Bloodier and Gorier
Air-Vent Passageway
Not What It Looks Like
Suspiciously Specific Denial
Recap /
RiffTrax
aka: Riff Trax Movies
Psycho for Hire
Cruel and Unusual Death
Animal Motifs
Anachronism Stew
Defrosting Ice Queen
Brick Joke
Television Movie Index
Intrepid Reporter
Eiffel Tower Effect
Military and Warfare Films
Deus ex Machina
The Lancer
Car Fu
Video Credits
Too Dumb to Live
Agony of the Feet
Evil Is Hammy
Intergenerational Friendship
Hidden Depths
Green-Eyed Monster
Deliberately Monochrome
Artistic License History
Betty and Veronica
Mr. Fanservice
Punch-Clock Villain
Crapsack World
The '70s
Bunny-Ears Lawyer
The Smurfette Principle
Noodle Incident
Dropped a Bridge on Him
Anachronic Order
In Medias Res
Henpecked Husband
Get Out!
Hong Kong Films
Big Eater
Stepford Smiler
Death of a Child
You Killed My Father
Unspoken Plan Guarantee
Awesome, but Impractical
Japanese Films
Pay Evil unto Evil
Extremely Short Timespan
Our Zombies Are Different
Plot Hole
Fish out of Water
Lighter and Softer
Revenge
All There in the Manual
Kubrick Stare
Almost Kiss
Affably Evil
Obviously Evil
Apocalypse How
Real Life
You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!
Have a Gay Old Time
As You Know
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
Rule of Symbolism
Blonde, Brunette, Redhead
Frame-Up
Eagleland
Pretty Little Headshots
How We Got Here
Domestic Abuse
Bound and Gagged
As Long as It Sounds Foreign
Fingore
Dual Wielding
Brutal Honesty
Unusual Euphemism
The Un-Favourite
aka: The Un Favorite
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!
Red Shirt
Hero Antagonist
Only a Flesh Wound
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
Gone Horribly Right
O.O.C. Is Serious Business
Scary Black Man
Big Damn Heroes
Moment Killer
Super Strength
Male Gaze
Fan Disservice
Action Prologue
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Cloudcuckoolander
Here We Go Again!
Improbable Infant Survival
aka: Infant Immortality
BFG
Kill 'em All
Whole Plot Reference
Make It Look Like an Accident
Your Head A-Splode
The Place
Married to the Job
Took a Level in Jerkass
Plucky Comic Relief
He Who Fights Monsters
Kill It with Fire
Bad "Bad Acting"
Karmic Death
Manic Pixie Dream Girl
Credits Gag
Dwindling Party
Exact Words
Did Not Get the Girl
The Remake
Those Wacky Nazis
Double-Meaning Title
Reckless Gun Usage
Easily Forgiven
Establishing Character Moment
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene
The '60s
Card-Carrying Villain
Sequel Hook
Together in Death
Sci-Fi Horror
Bond One-Liner
The Great Depression
Adult Fear
Animated Credits Opening
Not Quite Dead
Dirty Old Man
Dirty Coward
Reality Is Unrealistic
Wretched Hive
Missing Mom
The Ditz
After the End
The Lost Lenore
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
Shut Up, Hannibal!
War Is Hell
She Cleans Up Nicely
Public Domain Feature Films
Artistic License Gun Safety
Stealth Pun
Psychopathic Manchild
Author Appeal
Adaptational Attractiveness
Romantic False Lead
Beard of Evil
Eyepatch of Power
Dramatic Gun Cock
Works Set in World War II
Final Girl
Setting Update
Camera Abuse
Properly Paranoid
"Well Done, Son!" Guy
For the Evulz
Taking the Bullet
Authority Equals Asskicking
Foil
Wham Shot
Sir Swears-a-Lot
Canon Foreigner
Every Car Is a Pinto
Never Found the Body
Hollywood Darkness
Diabolus ex Machina
The '50s
Funny Foreigner
Half the Man He Used to Be
Rule of Cool
Character Development
Informed Ability
Cold-Blooded Torture
Evil-Detecting Dog
Freudian Excuse
Evil vs. Evil
Brainless Beauty
'80s Hair
Wrong Genre Savvy
Fiery Redhead
No-Sell
Adaptational Heroism
Naïve Newcomer
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
Author Avatar
Improvised Weapon
Bowdlerise
The Stoner
He Knows Too Much
Determinator
Novelization
Horror Films
The Quiet One
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!
Antagonist Title
Foreshadowing
Lampshade Hanging
Outrun the Fireball
Four-Temperament Ensemble
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil
Gender Flip
The X of Y
Nice Guy
The Reveal
Auto Erotica
It Will Never Catch On
Unreliable Narrator
Red Right Hand
The Sociopath
Only Sane Man
The Smart Guy
Romantic Comedy
Eye Scream
Fire-Forged Friends
Sealed Evil in a Can
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
Ms. Fanservice
Token Minority
Put on a Bus
Adaptational Villainy
Unwitting Instigator of Doom
Getting Crap Past the Radar
Eureka Moment
Cool Old Guy
Bare Your Midriff
Facial Horror
The Dragon
Straight Gay
MayDecember Romance
No Celebrities Were Harmed
Vomit Indiscretion Shot
Villain Song
Ominous Latin Chanting
The Hero
Adorkable
Mad Scientist
Narrator
Up to Eleven
BrotherSister Incest
Soft Glass
Rated M for Manly
Bald of Evil
Sequel Escalation
One-Word Title
Tagline
Disney Death
timeperiod
Composite Character
Slap-Slap-Kiss
Hate Sink
Rasputinian Death
Evil Laugh
Deal with the Devil
Stealth Hi/Bye
Heroic Sacrifice
Evil Is Petty
Soundtrack Dissonance
Toplessness from the Back
Neck Snap
Non-Indicative Name
The Hero Dies
Obfuscating Stupidity
Does Not Like Shoes
Major Injury Underreaction
Actor Allusion
Broken Pedestal
"The Reason You Suck" Speech
Developing Doomed Characters
The Alleged Car
I Have Your Wife
The Chick
Artistic License Law
Took a Level in Badass
Dark Action Girl
Cluster F-Bomb
Five-Man Band
Alas, Poor Villain
Abusive Parents
Reasonable Authority Figure
All for Nothing
Neck Lift
Worthy Opponent
Pun
aka: Incredibly Lame Pun
Ambiguous Disorder
Mexican Standoff
Overprotective Dad
Only in It for the Money
The '90s
A God Am I
Everyone Has Standards
Jerk Jock
Blackmail
La Résistance
Dogged Nice Guy
Insistent Terminology
Genre Shift
HeelFace Turn
Zombie Stories
A Father to His Men
Chekhov's Gunman
Tranquil Fury
An Axe to Grind
Leave the Camera Running
Nice Hat
Book-Ends
Death by Adaptation
Driven to Suicide
Left the Background Music On
Beware the Nice Ones
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?
Artistic License Military
The Dog Bites Back
All Girls Want Bad Boys
Nothing Is Scarier
Race Against the Clock
Mystery and Detective Films
Darkest Hour
Fate Worse than Death
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good
Parental Abandonment
"Awesome McCool" Name
Bittersweet Ending
N-Word Privileges
Adaptation Expansion
Coming-of-Age Story
Epic Movie
Laser-Guided Karma
Science Fiction Films
Let's Get Dangerous!
Death by Sex
Improbable Aiming Skills
Conspicuous CG
Room Full of Crazy
Rape as Drama
Retired Badass
Blatant Lies
Spiteful Spit
Fatal Family Photo
Morality Pet
Heterosexual Life-Partners
Department of Redundancy Department
Evil Counterpart
Comically Missing the Point
Madness Mantra
Better to Die than Be Killed
Daddy's Girl
Artistic License Geography
Disappeared Dad
Corpsing
Monumental Damage
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner
Damsel in Distress
Storming the Castle
Girl-on-Girl Is Hot
From Nobody to Nightmare
Training Montage
My God, What Have I Done?
Good Is Not Nice
The Alcoholic
Heroic BSoD
Biopic
Paper-Thin Disguise
Didn't Think This Through
Ungrateful Bastard
Unusually Uninteresting Sight
Race Lift
Bavarian Fire Drill
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
Dutch Angle
Despair Event Horizon
Sole Survivor
Stock Footage
Exactly What It Says on the Tin
Disproportionate Retribution
Defiant to the End
Hell Is That Noise
Actually Pretty Funny
Immune to Bullets
Award-Bait Song
What You Are in the Dark
The Ace
NO INDOOR VOICE
Adapted Out
Hypocrite
Anti-Hero
Scenery Gorn
Mr. Exposition
Slasher Movie
Anti-Villain
The Musical
Fantastic Racism
Leitmotif
Bolivian Army Ending
The Casanova
The Voiceless
Black Comedy
The Mole
Mugging the Monster
Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other
From Bad to Worse
Trailers Always Spoil
Abhorrent Admirer
Amusing Injuries
Shoot the Shaggy Dog
Important Haircut
Famous Last Words
Enemy Mine
Same Language Dub
Red Oni, Blue Oni
Honor Before Reason
Dull Surprise
Sassy Black Woman
Depraved Bisexual
Take That!
Big "NO!"
The Stinger
Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism
Guile Hero
Stuff Blowing Up
Insane Troll Logic
Aluminum Christmas Trees
Asshole Victim
Blood Knight
Those Two Guys
Death Glare
Dying Moment of Awesome
Yandere
Shown Their Work
Gilligan Cut
Motor Mouth
Break the Cutie
Kick the Son of a Bitch
Chewing the Scenery
Butt-Monkey
Running Gag
Unresolved Sexual Tension
Re-Cut
Disney Villain Death
Roger Ebert: Great Movies List
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
Badass in a Nice Suit
Drugs Are Bad
Product Placement
Manchild
Flipping the Bird
Demoted to Extra
Crucified Hero Shot
Heel Realization
She's Got Legs
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome
Shipper on Deck
Advertised Extra
Pre-Mortem One-Liner
Index of Film Westerns
Pragmatic Adaptation
And I Must Scream
Knife Nut
Title Drop
20 Minutes into the Future
Friend to All Children
Back from the Dead
Real Life Writes the Plot
Oh, Crap!
More Dakka
Captain Obvious
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
Spiritual Successor
Jerkass Has a Point
Aside Glance
Fainting
Men Are the Expendable Gender
Killed Mid-Sentence
The Faceless
I Just Shot Marvin in the Face
Early-Bird Cameo
Belligerent Sexual Tension
Cassandra Truth
Artistic License Biology
Totally Radical
Improbable Weapon User
Expository Hairstyle Change
Poor Communication Kills
My Beloved Smother
Does This Remind You of Anything?
Covers Always Lie
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
Redshirt Army
Bilingual Bonus
Parental Incest
No Ending
Catch-Phrase
Mythology Gag
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
Happily Married
Closed Circle
Taking You with Me
Woman Scorned
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy
Failed a Spot Check
Dies Wide Open
Insult Backfire
Bury Your Gays
Not Using the "Z" Word
Danny Peary Cult Movies List
Kick the Dog
Expy
Pet the Dog
Determinator
aka: The Determinator
Villain Protagonist
Demonic Possession
Batman Gambit
Cat Scare
Be Careful What You Wish For
Wounded Gazelle Gambit
Gory Discretion Shot
Vampire Fiction
Cool Old Lady
Serial Killer
Offscreen Moment of Awesome
Fantasy Films
Black Comedy Rape
Adaptation Dye-Job
Double Entendre
Love Triangle
Call-Forward
The Bully
Distracted by the Sexy
Curse Cut Short
Drowning My Sorrows
Time Skip
Rule of Funny
You Have Failed Me
Rich Bitch
Contrived Coincidence
Eldritch Abomination
Arc Words
The Chessmaster
Faking the Dead
Papa Wolf
Hypocritical Humor
Spell My Name with an "S"
Accidental Misnaming
Chekhov's Gun
Freeze-Frame Bonus
Mind Screw
Film Series
Red Herring
Calling the Old Man Out
Hair-Trigger Temper
Blood from the Mouth
Evil Sounds Deep
Dissonant Serenity
Well-Intentioned Extremist
Hoist by His Own Petard
Decoy Protagonist
Refuge in Audacity
Historical-Domain Character
Shout-Out
Evil Brit
Shower Scene
Politically Incorrect Villain
Screw the Money, I Have Rules!
Greater-Scope Villain
The Stoic
Spared by the Adaptation
Anyone Can Die
Self-Deprecation
Armor-Piercing Question
Loophole Abuse
Disguised in Drag
Groin Attack
Scare Chord
Ascended Extra
Meaningful Name
Scenery Porn
Bullying a Dragon
Badass Grandpa
Undying Loyalty
Dark and Troubled Past
Rousing Speech
True Companions
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
Ship Tease
Daylight Horror
A Date with Rosie Palms
Villain Opening Scene
Rewatch Bonus
Badass Bookworm
Maybe Ever After
Death Seeker
Humiliation Conga
Off with His Head!
Gorn
Cool Car
Badass Normal
Reality Ensues
The Atoner
Guns Akimbo
Pretty in Mink
Mighty Whitey
"Shaggy Dog" Story
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold
Sadistic Choice
Hope Spot
Adaptation Name Change
Boom, Headshot!
Big Fancy House
Artistic License Physics
Twist Ending
Creator Cameo
Pimped-Out Dress
Smug Snake
Cool Guns
Call-Back
Big-Bad Ensemble
Large Ham
Ghost Fiction
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
Offscreen Teleportation
A.I. Is a Crapshoot
Instant Death Bullet
Gratuitous English
Catapult Nightmare
Drill Sergeant Nasty
Fanservice
Sacrificial Lion
Screw This, I'm Outta Here!
Grey and Gray Morality
Bond Villain Stupidity
Chase Scene
I Did What I Had to Do
Broken Aesop
Bi the Way
Retirony
Never Trust a Trailer
aka: Trailers Always Lie
Costume Porn
Horror Comedy
Market-Based Title
Needs Wiki Magic Love
Man on Fire
Sinister Minister
French Films
Silence Is Golden
Darker and Edgier
Villain with Good Publicity
Ironic Echo
It's All About Me
The Power of Love
Historical In-Joke
What the Hell, Hero?
Shirtless Scene
Jump Scare
Red Eyes, Take Warning
Shell-Shocked Veteran
Gainax Ending
Take a Third Option
Dark Is Not Evil
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
Sports Stories
Posthumous Character
Bloody Hilarious
Dressing as the Enemy
Male Frontal Nudity
Once More, with Clarity!
Manipulative Bastard
Obstructive Bureaucrat
Off-into-the-Distance Ending
Anguished Declaration of Love
The Starscream
Celebrity Paradox
I Need a Freaking Drink
Affectionate Parody
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
Destination Defenestration
Cowboy Cop
Black Dude Dies First
Stalker with a Crush
Not So Different
Naked People Are Funny
Villain Ball
Our Vampires Are Different
Show Within a Show
Leaning on the Fourth Wall
Redemption Equals Death
As Himself
As the Good Book Says...
Laughing Mad
Roaring Rampage of Revenge
Mundane Made Awesome
Mooks
Ass Shove
Fat Bastard
Interrupted Suicide
The Oner
The Cavalry
Bland-Name Product
Word of God
Sanity Slippage
All Men Are Perverts
Only One Name
Smoking Is Cool
Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer
Fun with Acronyms
Deliberate Values Dissonance
Action Genre
Bait-and-Switch
What Happened to the Mouse?
Accidental Murder
Translation Convention
Really Gets Around
Corrupt Corporate Executive
Genre Throwback
Deadpan Snarker
Russian Films
Evil Plan
Meaningful Background Event
Slashed Throat
Jerkass
Action Survivor
My Greatest Failure
Central Theme
It Can Think
Random Events Plot
Hero of Another Story
Face Death with Dignity
Christmas Movies Index
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
Implacable Man
Cain and Abel
FaceHeel Turn
Chiaroscuro
Crazy-Prepared
Animal Title Index
Earn Your Happy Ending
I'm a Humanitarian
Recycled IN SPACE!
Berserk Button
The '80s
Throwing Your Sword Always Works
Handicapped Badass
Babies Ever After
In Name Only
Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday
Fake Shemp
Italian Films
The Vamp
Tap on the Head
Flashback
Ax-Crazy
Suspiciously Similar Substitute
Toilet Humour
aka: Toilet Humor
Parental Neglect
Historical Hero Upgrade
Protagonist Title
Meaningful Echo
Continuity Nod
Ripped from the Headlines
Irony
The Bad Guy Wins
Sexy Discretion Shot
"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"
Suddenly SHOUTING!
Deconstruction
Becoming the Mask
Badass Boast
Thriller
Police Brutality
Black Best Friend
Lock and Load Montage
Music Stories
Only Known by Their Nickname
Victoria's Secret Compartment
Big Bad Duumvirate
Downer Ending
Dumb Blonde
Loads and Loads of Characters
Documentary
Light Is Not Good
Attempted Rape
Australian Movies
Mercy Kill
Fatal Flaw
Fourth Date Marriage
For Want of a Nail
Big Applesauce
Rule of Three
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits
Hollywood Law
Logo Joke
Action Girl
Riddle for the Ages
Age Lift
Breaking the Fourth Wall
Made of Iron
MacGuffin
Would Hit a Girl
Framing Device
Adaptation Distillation
B-Movie
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
Pragmatic Villainy
Kids Are Cruel
Beauty Is Never Tarnished
And Starring
Film Noir
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
Superhero
Love at First Sight
This Is Gonna Suck
Epic Fail
Say My Name
Arranged Marriage
A Minor Kidroduction
Not So Stoic