Tropescilloscope: Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking

Minimum three items: start dark, continue dark, finish weak. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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