Tropescilloscope: Nothing Is Scarier

Emptiness used to invoke fear by leaving it to the audience's imagination. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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