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