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