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