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