Research: the importance of sound in horror movies

Music is very important to a horror film as it sets the mood and the tone to the movie, and can be used to increase the tension in the movie. And to build up suspense so if a jump scare occurs it would boost the fear factor of the movie. Horror films hugely rely on sound clips to make a scary scene. If someone was to remove the sound out of a scary movie it would dramatically drop the fear factor, as the music builds up the suspense and helps create a tense atmosphere. As it makes the audience think that something is about to happen. Then when something does happen for instance a jump scare occurs, then the music may stop and go dead silence just as the jump scare happens. This would make the audience scared as they would think that something is about to happen, then the demon or something pops up on the screen. Without music in horror films they wouldn't be as scary as they wouldn't be  such a build up in tension, as it could just seem as a person is just looking around a dark room and then something pops up at the screen. It doesn't have the same affect as the character is looking around and the music intensifies, then the music suddenly stops which would make the audience put their head behind a pillow because they know something is going to happen.  Then the demon jumps normally with a very loud scream which occurs at the same time, which causes people to jump or scream. Music is especially important in jaws as the famous music that is shown when the shark is about to attack someone, is what builds up the suspense as the shark gets closer and closer the music intensifies; then the shark attacks. Without the music it looks like a shot of the ocean and a surfer from beneath the board, then a shark attacks the boarder ;so there is no suspence or tension created at all and the film isn't remotely scary.


Diegetic sound
Diegetic sound is any sound that's presented as originated from source within the film's world. It can be heard on and off screen and they consist of:

• Voices of characters
• sounds made by objects in the film
• music represent as coming from instruments

In paranormal activity the demon in makes a lot of noises by using objects, for example it growls by moving a vase and dragging it along a wooden table very quickly; as it cannot speak. So to be able to this someone will be standing in different room to them and, doing that certain move with the vase to make that noise to make the audience think that someone is actually doing it. The voice of characters is the most important bit of any movie as it is the dialect, and real life conversations that set the tone of the movie. Also the screams that the characters do when they encounter a jump scare is what scares the audience the most. In horror films there are certain noises made by instruments such as screeches made by violins, which send shivers down the spine of the audience and make them think that something is right. There is also a instruments called water phone and the Theremin and its these instruments which make the iconic horror noises, like the screeches and inhuman like quivers.

Non diegetic sound

Non diegetic sound is sound whose source is neither visible on the screen, nor has been implied to be present in the action.  This can consist of:

• Narrator's commentary
• sound affects which is added for the dramatic effect
• mood music

Narrator's commentary may occur if the horror film is about a character's paranormal experiences so now and again, over the top of the movie there will be the character's voice over the action on the screen to explain what happened. And in some movie they may have commentary from people who actually experienced what happens in the movie, in real life which normally happens in movies that are based on real life events and true stories. Sound affects may be added to create more of an ambiguous affect. For example if a character's screen may be edited and intensified to make it louder, and to create more of a fear factor and to get more of a reaction out of the audience. Also there may be mood music added to create a more atmospheric tension, so it would make the audience feel like the are actually experiencing that scene. And it will also increase the suspension which will make the audience know that something is actually happen, which would make the movie scarier.