Sound in Horror Films

Sound effects and music in horror films are used to add to the tense and frightening atmosphere. Without them, the film is much less scary, and almost comedic. Horror films use loud noises after a period of silence in order to make us jump.

Music

The music used is one of the most important aspects of a horror film as it sets a certain mood or atmosphere for each specific scene. When the music is used effectively, it promotes certain reactions and emotions from the audience, making them feel scared or tense, waiting in anticipation. Some of the most common conventions of music in horror films include:

Isolated Instruments used to display vunerability in the characters during a sad/emotional scene or flashback or before a key event.

Long Suspenseful Notes often contrasted with short notes to help shock or scare the audience.

Extreme and Intentional Pitch Changes used to make the audience feel immediately tense or on edge.

In the clip from Silent Hill, the audience are made to feel uncomfortable and tense by the simplest sound effects. The breathing almost sounds harmless to begin with, and the way the nurses heels click against the floor as they head towards the main character sounds almost omnious.

Voices

The voice of a character in a horror film is usually a big clue to the intentions and secrets of that character. Specific voices are also chosen to reflect fear, tension and panic. A well known example of this is Jigsaw, from the Saw Franchise. His voice is easily recognisable and is very distinctive, which makes is very effective in creating tension and fear within an audience. Deep, husky voices are often used in horror films in order to create a sense of intimidation and aggression. Another example of this is the killers voice in scream. The voice is creepy and gets aggressive at times, and successfully makes the audience feel uncomfortable and tense.

Sound Effects

Sound effects are also used in horror films to generate an atmosphere of fear and tension. Sometimes, sound designers add sounds that we - as an audience - don't necessarily notice but that makes us feel uncomfortable or squeamish. An example of this is used in the trailer for the remake of the film Carrie. In the background of this trailer there is a high pitched sound playing, that you wouldn't notice unless you were listening for it. Nonetheless, the sound almost grates you, making you feel uncomfortable and freaked out, which is achiving the sound designers goal.

Main Brief

For my main brief I have decided to use a mixture of non-diegetic and diegetic sound effects. This is so we can build the tension as much as possible with background music and foley sound effects such as child's laughte, a non-diegetic heartbeat and sinister background music, but also keep the film as realistic as possible with natural footsteps and the breathing of the character.