what is sound design in horror films?
Horror movies use musical scores to build suspense in the movie and lead up to a climax of horror. However in many movies such as the quiet place silence is used as a tool to make the audience feel disturbed, this is because we live in a world where we are surrounded by sound and can barely ever escape it. This why when we have complete silence it can feel unnerving and disturbing. In horror movies we are constantly expecting a moment of terror and when the silence occurs in a horror film our brains go on high alert, this causes us to prepare for a sudden jump scare such as a loud bang or scream. In films such as the conjuring sounds such as door slams, windows breaking and screams as amplifies through sound design to create loud punchy intimidating sounds or loud distressing which can scare us, this is because our brain views these sounds as both distressing and threatening which puts us on high alert.
How does sound design influence horror?
Sound design is the process of editing sounds to create a more immersive experience when watching films, when you hear a glass window get smashed or a door slam this will be recreated through the process of Foley recording. I have talked about this topic on my Year 1 Project 5 page ‘Foley’, without Foley these sounds can sound extremely dull to the audience and have no impact in the film. One shots are a single impact of a note or sound effect often used in movies such as saw, for example when the camera pans to show peoples terrified faces brass instruments will often play one shots to reflect on the terror on screen. This is an element of sound design used to put emphasis on certain elements on screen, without this the film can often seem uninteresting to the audience. Horror film scores often comfort the audience as it tells them what to feel through the music’s emotions, without this the audience can feel in the dark leading to discomfort as they are uncertain what to feel. Sound effects such as door slams can also be further enhanced through mixing and mastering which can lead to loud punchy sounds which can provoke fear in the audience through these intimidating sounds, as I stated before film franchises such as the conjuring and other supernatural horror films tend to do this to put emphasise on supernatural activity. Ambient sounds such as floorboard creeks, leaves rattling, water dripping and loud wind can also put emphasise on the sound of the environment which in some cases can create scary environments. For example if the scene for the film is a old abandoned house the director may use sounds such as: howling winds, creaky floorboards and slamming doors to put emphasise on how unkept and abandoned the building is. If these sounds are used correctly they can create ominous and unsettling environments for the audience.
Reading List
Burgos, D., 2018. Why ‘A Quiet Place’s Use Of Silence Creeps You Out So Much, According To Science. [online] Bustle. Available at: <https://www.bustle.com/p/why-a-quiet-places-use-of-silence-creeps-you-out-so-much-according-to-science-8715866> [Accessed 13 June 2021].
Electronic Music Collective. 2019. Sound Design, Foley and FX in Horror Movies – Electronic Music Collective. [online] Available at: <https://electronicmusiccollective.com/sound-design-foley-and-fx-in-horror-movies/> [Accessed 15 June 2021].
Reich, J., n.d. 8. What Is Sound?. [online] Milnepublishing.geneseo.edu. Available at: <https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/exploring-movie-construction-and-production/chapter/8-what-is-sound/> [Accessed 13 June 2021].