Tropescilloscope: Thriller

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

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