Freeze Frame Ending

• Main
• All Subpages
• Create New

Alice and Bob have just triumphed over Tom the Dark Lord, sent him screaming to his doom through the castle window, and routed his entire evil army. As they and the liberated prisoners flee the crumbling castle, they see La Resistance just up ahead, the grizzled leader giving a thumbs up and rare smile of approval. Alice and Bob exchange looks of relief with each other - there is work ahead to be done, and much to be rebuilt, but for now the worst of the nightmare has passed. As the freedom fighters cheer, celebrate and hug each other, Alice and Bob turn towards the camera, jump for joy...

...and freeze. Episode over.

The Freeze Frame Ending is pretty self-explanatory: A movie, TV episode or other sequence in media ends with a freeze frame of the last scene, over which the credits may optionally roll. Leaping into the air is strictly option, though it occurs much more frequently in '80s and '90s shows, as well as parodies and pastiches thereof.

As an Ending Trope, Spoilers ahead may be unmarked. Beware.

No real life examples, please; Real Life doesn't have freeze-frame shots of any sort.

Examples of Freeze Frame Ending include:

Film

• Adam and Eve vs. the Cannibals: Adam and Eve hold up their newborn while the credits roll.
• Beyond the Darkness: A woman bursts out of a coffin, screaming. Also acts as a Jump Scare.
• Hell of the Living Dead: A close-up of some zombie's face while sombre piano music plays.
• Zombie 4: After Death: A close-up on a woman's face, bloodied, missing an eye, as she spits out blood.

Live-Action TV

• Degrassi^[context?]
• Police Squad! parodied this trope - the actors "freeze" in place while the camera continues to roll, with activities proceeding around them as usual. In each case, Hilarity Ensues.
• NCIS started using this trope in S02E04, "Lt. Jane Doe", and has employed it in every episode since. These are usually accompanied by "phoof" sounds, and occur at the end of most sequences and episodes.

Web Original

• After its first few episodes, the YouTube series Project Binky! from Bad Obsession Motorsport starts ending its episodes with a mock freeze-frame, like Police Squad! Which makes a kind of sense, as they lifted the style (and music) of Police Squad! for their opening and closing credits right from the start.

Western Animation

• Parodied in The Amazing World of Gumball episode "The Sweaters", with Gumball predicting the trope would occur outright. It does, combined with an "Everybody Laughs" Ending.

Gumball: And I know what's gonna happen if we roll with this: we're gonna have a fight, and it's gonna look like we're losing. But then we'll win thanks to our heart or something. Then the sweater guys will respect us, and they will freeze frame with some kind of high-five mega happy ending cheese pose.