{"id":4049,"date":"2021-10-25T12:01:06","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T12:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/?p=4049"},"modified":"2024-09-10T06:43:47","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T06:43:47","slug":"scary-sound-effects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/scary-sound-effects\/","title":{"rendered":"Horror Sound Effects and Techniques that Will Make Your Horror Film More Terrifying"},"content":{"rendered":"

Halloween is approaching, so we\u2019re taking a look at some of the ways sound effects and musical instruments are used in the genre. Together, these sound effects and musical instruments create tension, build suspense and terror and create fear and uncertainty.<\/p>\n

And you can find the perfect sounds for your next horror project in our curated Halloween SFX collection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"701\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Diegetic vs. non-diegetic horror sound effects<\/h2>\n

Before we get into the sound effects and musical production frequently found in horror films, let\u2019s take a minute to define the 2 categories of sound we hear in this (and any) type of cinema.<\/p>\n

First, there is diegetic sound. These are the sounds that emanate from the world of the film. These would be things like screams, knocking doors, ghost sound effects, flesh being wounded, whispers and so on. Non-diegetic, on the other hand, is placed there by the filmmakers in post-production and can include sounds like music, foley sounds and other designed sounds.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, diegetic and non-diegetic sounds<\/a> blend together in fantastic ways, especially in horror cinema. Sometimes you can\u2019t even tell the difference.<\/p>\n

Take the\u00a0iconic \u201cch ch ch ha ha ha\u201d whisper\u00a0sound (actually \u201cki ki ki ma ma ma\u201d) from\u00a0Friday the 13th<\/em>, for example. While it sounds like Jason whispering as he stalks his teenage prey, the sound is actually the work of the film\u2019s composer Harry Manfredini.<\/p>\n

To make the unnerving sound, Manfredini whispered \u201cki\u201d and \u201cma\u201d into a microphone, which he routed into an Echoplex machine, a magnetic tape delay effect heard on some of the best music of the last 60 years. The Echoplex\u2019s delay created a reverberation that distorted the \u201cki\u201d and \u201cma,\u201d which might explain why viewers have always heard the whisper as \u201cch ch ch ha ha ha.\u201d<\/p>\n