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