Although films first started out as a visual medium, it has developed over time to be both audial and visual. Even the first silent films were not completely silent; it was a commonly shared opinion that both films and the audience greatly benefit when movies are accompanied with sound effects or music. Today, sound and visuals are considered to be co-expressive in film, meaning what we hear affects what we see, just as what we see affects what we hear. Filmmakers will often use this relationship to their advantage as it is essential for the cinematic experience, especially for watching horror films.
In honor of spooky season and the soon coming of Halloween, I thought it would be fun to do a post dedicated to the horror genre. My tolerance for the genre has grown immensely over the past few years, even to the point where I actually enjoy watching it a lot. It's probably because I'm addicted to the adrenaline rush of fear it gives me, but I always wondered, what was it exactly that scared me in horror films? Of course, there are the monsters and frightening visuals, but the more I thought about it, I believe the one thing that really makes a horror movie scary is the sound design.
Often while we're watching films, we tend to pay more attention to what we see on the screen. But rarely do we process what we're hearing. Many of the sound that's included in horror films are non-diegetic, meaning that the sounds are only meant to be heard by the audience and exists outside the world of the film. This aspect of sound is what enhances horror film moments like jump scares, foreshadows, sudden movements and unexpected appearances. In this blog post, I will be sharing moments from horror films that effectively use sound to evoke fear in the audience. If you get scared easily, might want to skip the videos on this one;)
The Conjuring (2013)
Starting off with a strong one, this scene from The Conjuring is probably one of the many reasons why many consider this film to be an effective thriller. I already used this specific scene in a previous post to comment on its visual aspect, but the audial aspect is really what makes you jump.
Right as the clip starts, there's already eerie music that tells you something strange is happening. But then the music fades out as Andrea helps Cindy back to bed. When eerie music starts to fade or becomes nonexistent, it's usually a sign that you're able to put your guard down, or that the director wants you to put your guard down (which is very manipulative, but so effective). Andrea hears noises coming from the closet and goes to open it (because that's what you're supposed to do when you hear strange noises, go towards it), which is when the music returns, signaling that there's probably something in the closet that will jump out at her.
Well, to our surprise, nothing is in the closet when Andrea opens it, and there's only silence. But of course, the real scare is when it is revealed that the monster is on top of the closet. The reveal is done in a quick zoom-in shot, accompanied with sharp, dissonant music and loud, banshee-like screams of the monster.
The thing that I love about the sound design of this scene is it proves that silence is just as effective as sound. In this scene, we think that the silence that occurs after Andrea opens the closet is a signal to calm down and recuperate from the anticipation of expecting the monster to be there. But like many false alarms in horror films, director James Wan tricks the audience and immediately delivers a scare before the audience is able to fully recover from the moments before. Truly one of the most effective horror films and one of my personal favorites.
Psycho (1960)
The iconic shower scene. Even though many people have probably not watched Hitchcock's Psycho, they still know this scene and can recognize the famous music score that accompanies it. I also mentioned this scene in another blog post. What can I say, Hitchcock's iconic.
In this scene, we start off by seeing Marion take a shower. As she bathes herself, we start to see someone's shadowy figure in the shower curtain as it gets closer and closer. Suddenly, the shadowy figure pulls back the curtain, and begins stabbing Marion, killing her in the shower.
Something that I think is interesting about this scene is that there's no music that comes before the curtain is pulled back. I feel like if the film were to be made today, filmmakers definitely would've added some creepy, foreshadowing music to make the arrival of the murder be more anticipated. But instead, Hitchcock only had the sound of the shower running, which I actually think is a good choice too. In some scenes, films will include normal sounds of the setting; the howling wind, a floor creaking, heavy breathing, a buzzing of a light source, etc. The inclusion of normal environmental sounds in a film is a good reminder to the audience of what the characters are hearing, and can also place the audience into the characters' shoes.
In this scene, I think having just the sound of the water running helps the audience envision what Marion is hearing, or in her case, not hearing. She can't hear footsteps or really any movement going on behind her because the running water drowns out any sound. When the screeching violin strings are suddenly heard, there is a harsh shift between safety and danger, and plays out the rest of the murder, until it resolves to long, sustained notes, as she collapses into her death. This scene is a great example of how effective and manipulative music can be. I feel like a lot of people underestimate instruments in horror films' sound design, but I think that a lot of the sounds from sudden scary moments are quite musical, they usually just don't sound like actual music because of how dissonant they're supposed to sound.
Jaws (1975)
Speaking of iconic film scores, Steven Spielberg's Jaws is a perfect example of utilizing the musical score. Although not exactly a horror film, I am absolutely terrified of sharks and I know a lot of other people are too, so I'm going to include it here. And plus, how are you going to talk about film scores and not talk about John Williams?
Composed by Spielberg's partner in crime, John Williams, the shark leitmotif in the film is recognized by many. Williams is famous in cinema for creating many recognizable leitmotifs including Darth Vader's "Imperial March" from Star Wars (1979), the main theme from Jurassic Park (1990), and the flying theme from E.T.
Not only are John Williams' scores just really musically good, but they are also effective in storytelling. In Jaws, the shark themeis a storytelling element that warns the audience when a shark is going to attack. Unlike sound effects that usually accompany movement and what's on the screen, musical motifs usually imply movement a/o emotion in the narrative. Then again, there's not many sound effects you can use to foreshadow a shark attack, because it would just be moving water, so having Williams compose something to fill in the lack of sound was a perfect choice.
Conclusion:
In my honest opinion, the only reason horror movies are scary is because of the sound design. I bet a horror movie would be so much easier to watch if people just watched it as a silent film and turned off the sound. Does that mean I'm going to ever watch As Above, So Below again? Absolutely not. Some of those films scar you for life, even if you were to watch it without sound.
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