Tropescilloscope: Thriller

Trope: Anticipation of action, rather than action itself. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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