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** Once Bruno discovers [[spoiler: that Mr. Schlocker has been murdered]] he starts to lose it and goes downhill as more bodies pile up. This culminates in Bruno [[spoiler: [[DrivenToSuicide suicide-bombing]] the house as a MercyKill so the children don't eventually become feral monsters like their aunt and uncle in the basement]].
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** Once Bruno discovers Bruno, who, given the situation, likely wasn't "all there" mentally even at the start of the film, really starts to go downhill after discovering that [[spoiler: that Elizabeth and Virginia have murdered Mr. Schlocker has been murdered]] he starts to lose it and goes downhill as more bodies pile up. Schlocker]].This culminates in Bruno [[spoiler: [[DrivenToSuicide suicide-bombing]] the house as a MercyKill so the children don't eventually become feral monsters like their aunt and uncle in the basement]].
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* ScarecrowSolution / ScoobyDooHoax: A {{downplayed}} variant is referenced, but ultimately {{averted}}; after the dinner scene, Aunt Emily believes that Bruno and the children are intentionally being creepy and off-putting to scare them off, calling it "the phoniest set-up [she's] ever seen".
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* CharacterTitle: "Spider Baby" refers to Virginia Merrye, an AxCrazy [[PsychopathicManchild Womanchild]] who loves spiders, and pretends to be one as part of a "game" which usually ends in the death of the other participant.
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* GrotesqueCute: Ralph is basically a toddler in the body of a teenager which makes him more innocent than his sisters and he's even kind of cute, with Uncle Peter often referring to him as "a big kid". His teenaged body does show it's ugly side when [[spoiler: he rapes Aunt Emily]].
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* GrotesqueCute: Ralph GrotesqueCute:
**Virginia and Elizabeth look and behave like darling little girls while also being violent, amoral sadists, with Virginia killing for fun in her "spider" game and both of them [[spoiler: killing Mr. Shlocker and later attempting to kill Ann and Peter]].
**Ralph is basically a toddler in the body of a teenager which makes him seem more innocent than hissisters and he's even kind of cute, sisters, with Uncle Peter often referring to him as "a big kid". His However, he's shown to be just as violent as his sisters, killing and later eating a feral cat, and his teenaged body does show it's shows its ugly side when [[spoiler: he rapes Aunt Emily]].
**Virginia and Elizabeth look and behave like darling little girls while also being violent, amoral sadists, with Virginia killing for fun in her "spider" game and both of them [[spoiler: killing Mr. Shlocker and later attempting to kill Ann and Peter]].
**Ralph is basically a toddler in the body of a teenager which makes him seem more innocent than his
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*CreepyDoll: Some ragdolls, stripped naked and affixed to the walls, are seen throughout the Merrye household. One appears to be crucified over a spiderweb drawing carved into the wall, suggesting these were Virginia's doing.
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*MiddleChildSyndrome: Virginia seems to be between Ralph and Elizabeth in age, and is the most actively and frequently sadistic of the three.
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*IronicName: They're called the "Merrye" family, yet their situation (being afflicted with a degenerative disease that causes mental age regression and murderous tendencies) is anything but "merry".
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* SanitySlippage: Once Bruno discovers [[spoiler: that Mr. Schlocker has been murdered]] he starts to lose it and goes downhill as more bodies pile up. This culminates in Bruno [[spoiler: [[DrivenToSuicide suicide-bombing]] the house as a MercyKill so the children don't eventually become feral monsters like their aunt and uncle in the basement]].
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* SanitySlippage: Once SanitySlippage:
**Once Bruno discovers [[spoiler: that Mr. Schlocker has been murdered]] he starts to lose it and goes downhill as more bodies pile up. This culminates in Bruno [[spoiler: [[DrivenToSuicide suicide-bombing]] the house as a MercyKill so the children don't eventually become feral monsters like their aunt and uncle in thebasement]].basement]].
**Aunt Emily seems to undergo one after [[spoiler: being raped by Ralph; she wanders back to the house and calls out to him in a dazed state, and when she finally finds him, she screams and attacks him in a rage]].
**Once Bruno discovers [[spoiler: that Mr. Schlocker has been murdered]] he starts to lose it and goes downhill as more bodies pile up. This culminates in Bruno [[spoiler: [[DrivenToSuicide suicide-bombing]] the house as a MercyKill so the children don't eventually become feral monsters like their aunt and uncle in the
**Aunt Emily seems to undergo one after [[spoiler: being raped by Ralph; she wanders back to the house and calls out to him in a dazed state, and when she finally finds him, she screams and attacks him in a rage]].
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*AnimatedCreditsOpening: Not quite "animated", but the the opening credits are accompanied with cartoon characters representing the cast, plus a hissing cat, a howling dog, and a sketch of the Merrye house itself.
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*HaveAGayOldTime: The Merrye children are twice referred to as "retarded"; at the time of the film's creation this was a legitimate medical term for people with intellectual disabilities.
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* GrotesqueCute: Ralph is basically a toddler in the body of a teenager which makes him more innocent than his sisters and he's even kind of cute, with Uncle Peter often referring to him as "a big kid". His teenaged body does show it's ugly side when [[spoiler: he rapes Aunt Emily]].
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* CoolCar: The family car driven by Bruno is a pristine condition [[https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_710336-Duesenberg-J.html 1930s Duesenberg J limousine]], a very sought-after car even in 1967 when most cars of the 1930s were either hot rods or rust-buckets.
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* SanitySlippage: Once Bruno discovers [[spoiler: that Mr. Schlocker has been murdered]] he starts to lose it and goes downhill as more bodies pile up. This culminates in Bruno [[spoiler: [[DrivenToSuicide suicide-bombing]] the house as a MercyKill so the children don't eventually become feral monsters like their aunt and uncle in the basement]].
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* DumbwaiterRide: Ralph is shown several times in the film riding in the house's dumbwaiter from the basement to the main floor. [[spoiler: Mr. Shlocker's corpse]] is also transported to the main floor this way.
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* DumbwaiterRide: Ralph is shown several times in the film riding in the house's dumbwaiter from the basement to the main floor. [[spoiler: Mr. Shlocker's Schlocker's corpse]] is also transported to the main floor this way.
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Added Dumbwaiter Ride trope example.
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*DumbwaiterRide: Ralph is shown several times in the film riding in the house's dumbwaiter from the basement to the main floor. [[spoiler: Mr. Shlocker's corpse]] is also transported to the main floor this way.
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Elaborated on Black Dude Dies First trope example.
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* BlackDudeDiesFirst: The postman is first one to go when he pokes his head through the house's window and Virginia kills him.
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* BlackDudeDiesFirst: The postman played by Creator/MantanMoreland is first one to go when he pokes his head through the house's window and Virginia kills him.
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Added Age inappropriate dress example.
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* AgeInappropriateDress: Virginia, Elizabeth, and Ralph all dress much younger than their actual age, reflecting the PsychopathicManchild tendencies brought on by the Merrye Syndrome.
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* PsychopathicManchild: The Merrye children are this due to suffering from the Merrye Syndrome; they operate at levels ranging from toddlerhood to elementary school-age, and have no qualms with murdering people as part of a twisted "game", killing and subsequently eating wild animals, or [[VillainousIncest engaging in incest with close relatives]].
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* PsychopathicManchild: The Merrye children are this due to suffering from the Merrye Syndrome; they operate at levels ranging from toddlerhood to elementary school-age, and have no qualms with things like murdering people as part of a twisted "game", people, killing and subsequently eating wild animals, or [[VillainousIncest engaging in incest with close relatives]].
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Revised example for Psychopathic Manchild
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* PsychopathicManchild: The Merrye siblings have a condition that causes them to revert intellectually until they have childlike minds in full-grown bodies. For example, Ralph is a full-grown man, but operates on the mental level of a very young child, while Emily and Virginia are in their teens and less regressed. They have no problem with committing horrific crimes like killing deliverymen as part of their games. %%which demonstrates how fortunate it is that humans can be taught morality before they're big enough to do real damage.%%
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* PsychopathicManchild: The Merrye siblings have a condition that causes them children are this due to revert intellectually until suffering from the Merrye Syndrome; they have childlike minds in full-grown bodies. For example, Ralph is a full-grown man, but operates on the mental level of a very young child, while Emily operate at levels ranging from toddlerhood to elementary school-age, and Virginia are in their teens and less regressed. They have no problem qualms with committing horrific crimes like killing deliverymen murdering people as part of their games. %%which demonstrates how fortunate it is that humans can be taught morality before they're big enough to do real damage.%%a twisted "game", killing and subsequently eating wild animals, or [[VillainousIncest engaging in incest with close relatives]].
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* PsychopathicManchild: The Merrye siblings have a condition that causes them to revert intellectually until they have childlike minds in full-grown bodies. For example, Ralph is a full-grown man, but operates on the mental level of a very young child, while Emily and Virginia are in their teens and less regressed. They have no problem with committing horrific crimes like killing deliverymen as part of their games, which demonstrates how fortunate it is that humans can be taught morality before they're big enough to do real damage.
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* PsychopathicManchild: The Merrye siblings have a condition that causes them to revert intellectually until they have childlike minds in full-grown bodies. For example, Ralph is a full-grown man, but operates on the mental level of a very young child, while Emily and Virginia are in their teens and less regressed. They have no problem with committing horrific crimes like killing deliverymen as part of their games, which games. %%which demonstrates how fortunate it is that humans can be taught morality before they're big enough to do real damage.%%
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Reinstated Hollywood Darkness trope and added example.
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* HollywoodDarkness: Nighttime exterior shots of the Merrye house are artificially darkened daytime shots.
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Added image caption.
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[[caption-width-right:350:''This Cannibal Orgy is strange to behold\\
And [[TitleThemeTune The Maddest Story Ever Told!]]'' ]]
And [[TitleThemeTune The Maddest Story Ever Told!]]'' ]]
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Hid spoiler in The End... Or is it? Trope example.
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* TheEndOrIsIt: The ending suggests that Peter's daughter Jessica might have the Merrye Syndrome.
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* TheEndOrIsIt: The ending suggests that [[spoiler: Peter's daughter Jessica might have the Merrye Syndrome.Syndrome]].
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Revised Foregone Conclusion trope example.
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* ForegoneConclusion: As the film opens with [[spoiler: Peter explaining that the Merrye Syndrome was wiped out]], one can assume [[spoiler: the three Merrye children (and their aunts and uncle) are not going to survive the film]].
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* ForegoneConclusion: As the film opens with [[spoiler: Peter explaining that the Merrye Syndrome was wiped out]], out, one can assume [[spoiler: the three Merrye children (and their aunts and uncle) are not going to survive the film]].film.[[spoiler: What's not revealed is ''how'' they are killed off: they are blown up with dynamite as a MercyKill MurderSuicide by their loving caretaker, Bruno.]]
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Added Cry Laughing trope example.
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*CryLaughing: [[spoiler: Bruno]] does this while [[spoiler: driving to get the [[MercyKill "toy"]] for the Merrye children.]]
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Reworded example for Old Retainer trope.
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* OldRetainer: Bruno the family chauffeur acts as a surrogate father to Ralph, Elizabeth and Virginia.
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* OldRetainer: Bruno the family chauffeur acts as a surrogate father to was entrusted with Ralph, Elizabeth and Virginia.Virginia by their late father, and acts as a [[HiredHelpAsFamily surrogate parent]] to them.
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Adding context for Cigar Chomper Trope example. Corrected spelling of a character's name.
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* AccidentalMisnaming: Bruno refers the lawyer Mr. Shlocker as "Mr. Shocker" a few times.
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* AccidentalMisnaming: Bruno refers the lawyer Mr. Shlocker Schlocker as "Mr. Shocker" a few times.
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* ChekhovsGun: While taking Mr. Shlocker and Ann to the Merrye house, Bruno stops the car because the road up ahead is being blasted with dynamite for a new highway. Near the end of the film, [[spoiler: Bruno steals dynamite from the demolition site to use in his MurderSuicide / [[MercyKill Mercy Killing]] of the Merrye children]].
%%* CigarChomper: Mr. Schlocker
%%* CigarChomper: Mr. Schlocker
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* ChekhovsGun: While taking Mr. Shlocker Schlocker and Ann to the Merrye house, Bruno stops the car because the road up ahead is being blasted with dynamite for a new highway. Near the end of the film, [[spoiler: Bruno steals dynamite from the demolition site to use in his MurderSuicide / [[MercyKill Mercy Killing]] of the Merrye children]].
%%* * CigarChomper: Mr. SchlockerSchlocker the lawyer smokes a cigar in practically all of his scenes. [[spoiler: After Elizabeth and Virginia kill him, we even see his corpse with a cigar in his mouth!]]
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Elaborated on Chekhov's Gun trope example.
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* ChekhovsGun: The dynamite used for building the new highway.
%%* CigarChomper: Mr. Schlocker.
%%* CigarChomper: Mr. Schlocker.
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* ChekhovsGun: The While taking Mr. Shlocker and Ann to the Merrye house, Bruno stops the car because the road up ahead is being blasted with dynamite used for building a new highway. Near the new highway.
end of the film, [[spoiler: Bruno steals dynamite from the demolition site to use in his MurderSuicide / [[MercyKill Mercy Killing]] of the Merrye children]].
%%* CigarChomper: Mr.Schlocker.Schlocker
%%* CigarChomper: Mr.
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Added Foregone Conclusion and Framing Device trope examples. Removed Hollywood Darkness and and Everybody Dies Ending no context links, as neither really apply to the film.
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%%* HollywoodDarkness
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*FramingDevice: The film's plot is framed as being [[BreakingTheFourthWall told to the audience]] by Peter as a {{Flashback}} to ten years ago.
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%%* KillEmAll: Except Peter.
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* SouthernGothic: The Merrye house has the sort of dark, rotted, overgrown aesthetic and bizarre characters often associated with this; however, they aren't too particular about what region the film takes place in, and the actual house they used for the film was in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles.
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* SouthernGothic: The Merrye house has the sort of dark, rotted, overgrown aesthetic and bizarre characters often associated with this; however, they aren't too particular about what region the film takes place in, and the actual house they used for the film was in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles.
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Added context for the Southern Gothic trope example.
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%%* SouthernGothic
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