Research: The Importance Of Sound In Horror Movies

Sound plays a large role in horror movies. The diegetic sounds in music often helps us to understand what is going on and often make the movie seem more realistic. They can be things as simple as dialogue or piano music playing when someone is playing the piano. this is called asynchronous sound and they contribute to the realism of the film. Asynchronous sound effects are slightly different. they are not matched with the visible source however they allow us to connect to emotionally to the characters and allow us to get a better understanding of what they are feeling in that certain moment during the movie.

Non- diegetic sound such as background music adds emotion and rhythm to the movie. It is not supposed to be noticeable and is sometimes subtle and is noted by the subconscious of the mind. In psycho the background music heightens the fear of the audience with the sharp sounds of the high pitched strip instruments that compliment the fast attack. Violins in psycho suggest knife strokes that he is creating and the deeper sounds can be interpreted a the knives piercing the skin as they penetrate the body.

The harsh sound of horror movies help to tap into peoples instinctive fears as the eyes become dark therefore the body relies on the ears. this makes people jump at the sound before they realise what is actually happening in the film. Nursery rhymes are often used in scary movies, like ring a ring o'roses, as they juxtapose with the innocence of children and the type of movie they are in.


In this clip is starts with silence as he is sleeping however the lightening cuts through the silence which makes a false jump scare. after the lightening there is a gradual fade in of the music as it begins to lead to the actual scare of when the face appears in the window. The diegetic sound then comes in when he begins to scream and then the shocked murmurs of the other passengers who are on the plane.

In poltergeist there is the blinking of the flickering tv and the high pitched squeal of the women when she is coming. There is slow music in the background that helps to build tension and then there is a sharp zap when it reaches out to touch her.