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