Where Is The Fear Of Horror Films?

As she opens the door into the bedroom, a high pitched screeching sound pierces your ears while bizarre images flash on the screen. The shot then drastically cuts back to the static screen for several seconds. The scene ends. The dramatic screech is effective because it causes a successful jump scare,important to any horror themed film. The scene also demonstrates links to psychological and abnormal sound which is

Sound is something quite special, impactful, and adds layers of elements and complexity to a film. As with the progression of the movie making medium, sound has grown and changed drastically over the decades. However, sound cues in the form of effects, dialogue, and everything in between, shapes our perceptions of a scene and movie.

Even though the film is essentially a visual experience, the use of sound has become extremely important in modern film. The modern viewer hears a complicated soundtrack that is as meaningful as the image on the screen. Three elements comprise the film's soundtrack: the dialogue, the sound effects, and the musical score. The proper balance and mix of these elements produced the essential emphasis required, which created the desired effects. As explained by Joseph Boggs and Dennis Petrie,

‘Sound doesn’t have to be in-your-face, traditional, big sound effects. You can especially say a lot about the film with ambiences – the sounds for things you don’t see.’ (Bordwell, 2008) The music throughout this film adds to the ambience of the story, and follows the conventions of a family fantasy

Along with background music, sound effects play more of a role on the way we feel than many moviegoers think, and "although the function of sound effects is primarily atmospheric, they can also be precise sources of meaning in film" (Giannetti, 225). When the

The aim of a film is to evoke a response from the audience and depending on the individual spectator's background this response will vary. In this presentation, I am going to be focusing on how directors such as Alfred Hitchcock , David Fincher and David Lynch have the ability to make the spectator feel uncomfortable through subliminal messages and film language such as mise en scene and sound. As most film fans know, the idea of social discomfort in films was pushed into the mainstream by the 'Master of Suspense', Alfred Hitchcock. His breakout film, 'The Lodger' (1926), which follows the story of a protagonist who is falsely accused of a crime, shows his early efforts of upsetting the spectator. Despite 'The Lodger' being considered his

In 1928 ground-breaking technology made it possible for movies to have sound. This revolutionized horror films because sound gave an extra dimension to terror. Noise built suspense and signaled the presence of a threat. (Wilson) Instead of a monster suddenly making an appearance without warning, music would signal that they were near. Growls, Snarls, footsteps, and screams allowed the audience members to feel like the victims of the movie.

The horror genre of film is particularly interesting when it comes to musical accompaniment, as it is generally perceived as more integral to the film as a whole than in any other genre. In fact it sometimes gets so overwhelming that viewers turn the sound off, because the music is creating the nerves and the tension. A horror film has nowhere near the same effect without the music, because viewers rely on it for cues that something is about to happen.

Another aspect of sound in this film was how it affected the story. By using sound dramatically in certain parts and not using it at all in other parts, sound gave this story an entity of its own. For example, during long stretches of film with mostly dialogue, there was no music played in the background, only a phone ringing in the distance, or the men's voices during their deliberation. These long silences also took place during editing shots of the town and images that surrounded this German city. This dramatic difference in sound was a revelation of how mood can be made by images and sound put together to make an incredible component.

The use of sound in the film and television industry has been regarded as influential on manipulating audiences’ emotion (Stadler & McWilliam 65).

Sound also is used as a technique to evoke an emotional response from the audience. 
 Non-diegetic sound is only used in the film to highlight

Horror films are known for their ability to scare audiences, to get the audience’s hearts racing, their blood rushing. A good horror film will cause viewers to be on the edge of their seats and having their perception of reality distorted as they attempt to understand the unraveling plot of the horror film. The tone of the film aides in the amount of suspense that a horror film produces, since a much darker film will create a more suspenseful atmosphere than one that is more focused on campy monster makeup. But the tone of a film is determined by the sound of the film, or in other words, the score. Sound or music in a horror film, or the lack thereof, make the intense scenes and without the addition

Sound and editing are both very crucial concepts in film. In Tom Tykwer's Run Lola Run (1998), the way the narrative structure is set up can make the differentiation of diegetic and non-diegetic sound difficult for the viewer. The relationship between sound and the narrative structure, however, also makes the viewer more aware of the film's artificiality. In King Hu's Come Drink With Me (1966), we see how the major motifs of editing emphasize the unrealistic and fantasy qualities of the characters.

(N.B. Each essay question should be discussed in relation to one or more audiovisual examples (e.g., individual films and/or film scenes, computer games) of your own choice. You are encouraged to make use of visual material in your essay.

thin sound such as a flute can be used to set a mood of fear and horror. Again