Tropescilloscope: Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking

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

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