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