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