Penderecki’s score features tri-tones (more on that later), choral music, and the dissonant sound of children singing, which brings elements of the unholy and the demonic to mind. This brilliant sound design from Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki makes the film as infamously unnerving as it is. In fact, if you watch Kubrick’s masterpiece without sound, the movie loses much of its effect.
This music is ominous, with jarring and tonally unpleasant elements that signal the viewer that we should be on edge and aware that something is not right. In the background, however, the non-diegetic music (background music not audible to the characters in the film) is getting gradually louder. We hear the sound of Danny’s bike passing over wooden floors and carpets. Without sound, it’s relatively innocuous and innocent with sound, however, it’s highly unsettling. Give it a try by watching the scene below with sound and then watching again with the sound on mute. That’s because nothing actually happens in this scene to terrify viewers. However, if you watch the clip without sound, you may find it boring and highly uneventful. This scene is notable for being incredibly chilling.
To understand the impact of sound in film, you only need to watch an icon and terrifying or unsettling scene from a horror film with and without sound to experience the difference in tension, mood, and fright levels.Ī great example of this can be found in the famous Steadicam scene from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, where Danny Torrance rides his tricycle through the empty halls of the hotel and ends up standing in front of the door of the haunted room 237. On the other hand, a slower beat can relax audiences and even lull them into a false sense of safety, thus giving them an extra fright when something happens because it is unexpected. Fast-paced music can get the blood going and keep heart rates up, as viewers will be expecting something to happen. Of course, music is one of the most effective ways to evoke powerful emotions in the viewer. If you are a fan of the genre or have ever been scared out of your mind by a horror movie, then you already know how much of a critical role great music and sound design play in making the art form as powerful and effective as it is.įrom ambient sounds and foley work like a creaking door or footsteps in the attic to screeching violins and blood-curdling screams, great sound design is more than just a killer score. Sound plays a crucial role across the movie industry, but it is arguably the most important in horror films. The Role of Sound Design in Horror Movies
This can impact audience reactions, such as screaming, gasping, jumping, or sinking in the seat with eyes covered tightly behind hands. It targets the basic human fears, whether rooted in current cultural anxieties or fears that tap into our primal flight or fight response.Īudio helps create an atmosphere, as tension can be raised to an uncomfortable degree. The horror genre is about raw, visceral emotion. But the sound design is equally critical, and, in many cases, it is even more instrumental in helping evoke a strong emotional response in viewers. Obviously, visuals play an essential role in the power of the genre to captivate and terrify. Horror is wildly entertaining but can be more than just mindless thrills and chills. While horror may not be for everyone, those who love it tend to be quite passionate about our love, from shocking scares and gripping tales to the potent way horror films reflect our collective fears and often reshape how we view the world. We explore the sound of fear, the importance of sound design in horror, and the various ways filmmakers use sound to enthrall and terrify.
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