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