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