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