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Many may not believe it and argue against it, but in the vast majority of horror films music/sound are the main important aspect behind building tension in most scenes, creating enough emotion and agitation to leave most viewers at the edge of their seats. When looking for a horror film to watch, viewers mostly look for a film that will enhance the adrenaline running through their bodies.
James Deaville and Agnes Malkinson argue that sound give a purpose and fulfill many other roles in a movie, such as enhancing the suspense, creating hooks for the viewers and overall maintaining the flow and continuity of the film. [1]
When think about horror and suspense, viewers are taken back to many horror movies that stereotypically use certain sounds for the enhanced horror experience. Emma Shehan argues that “through a combination of non-diegetic atonal music, theme songs, diegetic popular songs, ambient sound, and screams, horror film places sound on centre stage.” [2] Viewers may not realize but these but these sounds/music are very stereotypical of horror movies, and we can easily find them in every horror movie we watch.
Figure 1 - Orchestra for the movie - "Psycho" by Alfred Hitchcock [3]
It is almost impossible to imagine horror films with no sound or music, since they are the main reason behind the thrill many viewers are looking for and the suspense it comes with. Horror films with no sound would be dull and spiritless, and most viewers would opt out. Undoubtedly, music/sound are the main important aspect behind building tension in most scenes, creating enough emotion and agitation to leave most viewers at the edge of their seats.
Daniel Blumstein from the University of California led a study investigating “non-linear” sounds in movies, reporting that horror film soundtracks tapped into our primal fears. Rowan Hooper also argues that “the music in horror movies reminds us subconsciously of primordial times.” He also argues that harsh sounds such as violin that mimics the sound of animals in distress may trigger the viewers and manipulate them emotionally. [4]. Many producers can use small sounds and still send shivers down the viewer’s spine and affect them on an emotional level. Hooper also states that “Everybody has the same basic fear response, regardless of culture; the interesting thing is how you can trigger it in different audiences. Both the Halloween and Stranger Things themes have a really strong heartbeat sound in them.” [4]. The infamous heartbeat present is what gives the viewers the adrenaline and the rush to consume horror films, but it also hides that feeling of fear under our skin. Frizzi explains further that “If you keep up a hard sound from beginning to end, you don’t surprise anybody. You must create something attractive; your experience of fear could actually be a sweet moment. You are also trying to create a melody that summons the entire film in a few notes. [4].
”Figure 2 - "Halloween" by John Carpenter [5].
Take as an example John Carpenter, the director of the infamous horror film “Halloween”, whose budget has increased over the years, he stills manages to keep the musical shocks simple. He argues “think of the Jaws theme. It is two notes. It keeps you in suspense.” Carpenter also talks about how successful his movie “Halloween” was and how it came about just from the infamous soundtrack. Carpenter states that “All I did was sit down at a piano and play octaves and went up half a step. That’s the Halloween theme.”. Viewers may think that great and award-winning horror films must include an extended soundtrack but that is not always the case as John Carpenter enhances when talking about the film “Jaws”. [6] Composed by two single notes, the Jaws film is another great example of a horror film with a simple soundtrack that still, to this day, is considered one of the most recognizable terrifying sounds in the horror film industry.
Figure 3 - Movie - "Jaws" by Steven Spielberg [7]
In conclusion, music and sound are one of the most important aspect when it comes to horror films. Music/sound have capacity to create suspense behind the scenes and to leave the viewers at the edge of their seat when watching a horror film. This aspect of horror film production is able to create hooks for the viewers and overall maintain the flow and continuity of the film.
References
[1] Deaville, J. and Malkinson, A. “A Laugh a Second? Music and Sound in Comedy Trailers” Music, Sound, and the Moving Image, 8 (2), pp.121-140. 2014.
[2] Shehan, E. “ Sound, Screams, and the Score: An Exploration of Sound in Classic Horror Slashers” : The Carleton Graduate Journal of Art and Culture (5).
[3] HITCHCOCK, A., LEIGH, J., PERKINS, A., & BLOCH, R. ”Psycho.” Shamley Productions. 1960.
[4] Haider, A. “ What Makes a Great Horror Movie Soundtrack?” BBC Culture [Available on-line] https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20161031-what-makes-a-great-horror-movie-soundtrack (accessed 28/2/2021). 2016.
[5] HILL, D., CARPENTER, J., PLEASENCE, D., CURTIS, J. L., SOLES, P. J., & LOOMIS, N. “Halloween.” 2007.
[6] Kane, T. “The 8 Most Iconic Horror Theme Songs” [Available on-line]. https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-8-most-iconic-horror-theme-songs/ (accessed 28/2/2021). 2013.
[7] ZANUCK, R. D., et al. “Jaws.” Universal City, CA, Universal. 2005.
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