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