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