Tropescilloscope: Mystery and Detective Films

nan (read more at tvtropes.org)

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