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