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