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