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