Research: The Importance of Sound In Horror Films

Sound has a huge impact on horror films of all time. Non-linear sounds are sounds that does not have rhythm and the pitch of it keeps changing. Non-linear sounds such as screaming and sounds made through musical instruments like trumpet, piano, violin and so on are the most effective sounds that makes a horror film more frightening and effective and it helps to increase the level fear in certain scenes. These sounds could be both diegetic or non-diegetic. This is proved by a study conducted by Prof  Daniel Blumstein where he analysed the soundtracks from 102 most popular films. These films were of different genres such as  war films, dramas, horror films and adventure romps. He found that horror films had the highest number of sudden shift up and the pitch levels and they also had the highest number of female screams.






This is a movie clip from the movie Here's Johnny. Throughout this video violin is being played in various pitches. When he gets closer to the door the violin is being played in a very high pitch whereas when he goes up the stairs the noise of the violin is not as high pitched. Changing the pitch of the violin builds up tension for the watchers so that when he gets inside they will be more frightened. The woman screaming would make the watcher really scared as this means that she is in a very dangerous situation and she needs help. However, if this clip didn't have any music it would just look more funny than scary in my opinion.
This is another movie clip from the movie Poltergeist. At the start of this clip there is no music being played. the music starts when she gets out of bed and looks at the TV. The music is not really scary. It is quite calm at this point. By doing this it builds up more tension in the watchers mind. This results in a more effective scare. As she walks to sit near the TV the music is being played in high and low pitches. The music stop when white dots appears on the TV. This might make the watcher calm down for a little bit. By doing this the movie is playing with the watcher's fears. This makes the watcher more frightened when the jump scare takes place as the music is really high pitched. Changing the pitch of the music being played throughout the video plays with the watcher's fears and creates more tension. The noise of a woman or a girl screaming is also very effective as it creates a sense of danger. In conclusion I think the best way to make a horror movie really scary is by adding diegetic and non-diegetic sounds that high pitched and changing the pitch of the sound to create more tension leading up to a jump scare.

This has helped me think more about the types of sounds that I can include in my film opening. By doing this I have learned that music is vital for a horror film. It is what makes a horror film scary. I have decided to include diegetic and/or non-diegetic sounds in my film opening. I will also change the pitch of the sound throughout the video to create more tension and to make it more frightening.