Basic Trope: A dark story or one assumed to have a Downer Ending has a happy ending.
- Straight: Night Troping is a dark movie about the Five-Man Band and its members, Alice, Bob, Charles, Danny, and Evelyn fighting a pack of evil vampires, and along the way many innocent bystanders and Sixth Ranger Francis are killed brutally, and Charles is bitten and appears to be turning into a vampire, but at the end Alice stakes the head vampire, all the other vampires die, Charles doesn't turn into a vampire, all goes back to normal, and all of the Five-Man Band get happy endings.
- Exaggerated: The first hour and fifty minutes of Night Troping is constant Nightmare Fuel where everyone but Alice are gruesomely killed on screen and it looks like Alice is about to get killed by the head vampire. Then, very suddenly, Alice stakes the head vampire and the sun comes out from behind storm clouds and the rays of golden sunlight bring every hero who died back to life and everyone dances to a pop song over the credits.
- Downplayed:
- Night Troping is a domestic drama about the marital troubles between Gregory and Hazel, and while it looks like they're going to get a divorce, they decide to stay together and all seems to end well.
- Compared to how dark the rest of Night Troping is, the "Ray of Hope" Ending is Surprisingly Happy.
- Justified: The movie in question is rated PG, and it doesn't want to traumatize its viewers.
- Inverted: Sudden Downer Ending
- Subverted: Everything ends up okay for Alice, Bob, Danny, and Evelyn, but Charles becomes a vampire and dies when the head vampire is staked.
- Double Subverted: But then he comes back to life with the magical sunshine rays.
- Parodied: ???
- Zig-Zagged: Night Troping has a Surprisingly Happy Ending, but the sequel Dawn Troping has a Sudden Downer Ending, but the finale Day Troping has a Bittersweet Ending.
- Averted: Alice is about to stake the head vampire when he swoops in to kill her.
- Enforced: The executives insist on a happy ending.
- Lampshaded: "Is that it? We're really done with the vampires?"
- Invoked: Earn Your Happy Ending.
- Exploited: A new head vampire takes advantage of the Five-Man Band relaxing to wreak his havoc, setting up the events of Dawn Troping.
- Defied: ???
- Discussed: "Let's just hope for a happy ending."
- Conversed: "The hell? Why did the ending suddenly become happy?!"
- Played for Drama: The Five-Man Band has a happy ending, but the masses are still traumatized by the vampire attacks.
Back to Surprisingly Happy Ending
