Research : The Importance Of Sound In Horror Films

Music in horror films scares us the audience because it builds suspense before the initial jump scare. It also allows the audience to know when the jump scare is about to happen, but not in all cases, sometimes the film producers pick the music up to build the sense of a jump scare but not actually doing so. This has an impact on the viewer because they prepare themselves for it and builds their heart beat. In some case they do take a minimum of 2 seconds after the music has stopped to do the jump scare, this is because the audience think that they have gotten away with it and there will be no jump scare in the end. Different musical instruments and noises create different emotional impacts, so a lot of their work is already done for them. Music has power to affect the visual field and the imagination of the audience.  Watching a film A film with just the diegetic sounds make a film not scary at all, this means that you only listen the the sounds that are in the scene itself, and not having the sound that has been edited in such as music, creaky sounds and many more.

Sound is often overlooked in films but it is often the single most important element in setting the mood for the scene. Music has the ability to set the tone for how events will unfold. Music may progressively build to signify that a dramatic event is about to happen or it may be upbeat to lighten the mood. Horror films rely heavily in sound clips to create a scary scene. One does not think about it but if one were to remove the sound from a horror film its fear factor would decrease dramatically. John Hubinette in his article “Music and Sound Effects in Horror Films” stated that music is more powerful in horror films than any other genre. The purpose of a horror film is to scare its viewer and the director tries to do that in all ways possible. Scenes in horror films are usually graphic and may contain images that are meant to scare or repel us from the movie and, coincidently, keep our attention so we do not look away. The story usually takes many twists and turns and the ending is always difficult to predict in order to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat.

Music plays a key role in a horror film because it immediately sets the tone. Before the actor says anything the audience knows what their fate is going to be based on the type of music that is playing in the background. The music sets the tone but it does not give away how events are going to unfold. The music must never distract from the scene but intensify the visuals so that the viewer experiences fear and anxiety on a much deeper level. There are several musical cues that indicate to the viewer what is going to unfold in the upcoming scene. A long eerie musical buildup suggests that a big event is just around the corner. A rapid sequence might suggest stress or panic, making the audience feel anxious.