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