The Importance Of Sound In Horror Films

1. The
Importance
Of
Sound
In
Horror
Films

2. Why The Music Used In Horror Film Scare Us?
The reason why the music used in a horror
film scare us, is because the sound
information travels faster then the
information we receive from sight, which
means that sounds are scarier than the
images.
The sound that it’s been used are nonlinear
sounds, in which can also include
frequencies, noise and nonstandard
harmonies.
Some of these sounds have been made by
Theremin and Trautonium. The reason why
the tone gets increasingly lower or higher,
it’s because the sound it’s separated by
octaves and that's why it gives that illusion.
Here are some examples:
CLICK ON THE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.

3. What Makes Music Sound Scary?
Our brains recognise that the music is
supposed to be scary, as it lies in our
animal instinct. For example, Blumstein
( UCLA evolutionary biologist)who study
human sound perception in a community
of yellow-bellied marmots in Colorado. He
found out that screams like those of the
baby marmot, are created when animals
rapidly blow air past their vocal cords,
which it realises a scratchy noise, called
nonlinear sound.
Nonlinear sounds, seems to evoke
emotional response in humans, this is by
young animals grabbing their attention of
their parents.

4. Why music makes horror film scarier?
It isn't the movie that makes the
film scary, it’s the sound. For
example anything that mimics a
predator can make the viewer
panic.
If you try to watch a horror
film without the sound on, it’s
impossible to understand it as
the dialogue its missing but
also it becomes less of a
horror film. For example in
‘The shinning’ if you turn the
volume off you can see that it
looks like a comedy film.
When Johnny goes upstairs
there’s a really high pitch of
violins, that accompanies it
and that builds tension as it
makes the viewer think that
the predator its closer and
closer to the victim.
when he’s by the door the
violins stop playing but then
when he knocks on the door,
the violins gets even louder
with a low pitch, which makes
the viewer more terrified and
nervous of what is going to
happen next.
But when Johnny breaks the
door and the violin starts to
trill , it builds up the tension
even more, as he’s got it
easier to get in and get the
victim.
Movie clip of
‘The shinning’