Sound in Horror

Barbarian Sound Studio.

This 2012 horror film directed by Peter Strickland left me very unsatisfied with its ending. I had many questions when the film was over. What did it all mean? Was he starring in his own film? Was he actually Italian the whole time? What was going on the whole time?

The film, as confusing as it is, utilises beautiful cinematography and explores experimentation with sound. The film follows a sound engineer who travels to Italy to help work on a horror film. Sounds are manipulated throughout the film using both dietetic and non-dietetic noises. Peter Strickland uses the combination of sound and imagery to throw audiences off the idea of what is real and what isn’t. Strickland also emphasises intense moments with his use of silence.

Sound is definitely considered to be one of the most important elements of horror films. Sound or lack there of, can create tensions and suspense as well as being utilised as motifs within the film. Often in horror films the sound of music that is being played indicates to audiences the fate/or situation a character is in. In Alien, the 1979 we hear that very eerie ringing noise when the monster is near or one of the characters finds themselves in danger. In Hitchock’s 1960 Psycho, high-pitched music is used in the infamous shower scene where Marion is murdered.

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(Psycho 1960)

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