Psychological Affects of Sound in Horror Productions (12/8-12/12)

   Production companies and script writers tend to utilize psychology within horror films. Sounds tends to carry frightening affects when used properly, and directors who work in association with composers take advantage of this feature in order to scare audiences even more with auditory facets as well as visual. To achieve proper atmosphere and tone evocation, score composers and sound managers must consider how hearing a certain pitch will be received by the viewership. V Renee reflects upon the most terrifying sounds in horror film history: "...the cawing from The Birds...the screeching violins from Psycho..."
   So why do sounds make us scared? Stylistic affects such as repetition of background beat and sound motifs create ominous atmospheres as well as a signal for foreshadowing. The article states that "The 'It's Okay to Be Smart' episode explains that there are two ways that sounds can be scary: by being sudden, or by generating a "frightful" tone. And sound causes an interesting reaction in the brain in terms of fear that is quite different from the reaction the brain experiences from seeing something scary." From an evolutionary perspective, humans retain sound faster than the brain processes sight. So, in primitive situations sound acted as defense from predators and potential danger (this can be reflected in the behavior of animals today as most maintain acute auditory senses to keep aware of their surroundings.) Accordingly to psychological studies conducted by the APA (American Psychology Association), the "fight-or-flight" response is more highly triggered by sound.
   Horror films tend to use "nonlinear sounds" that include rapid frequencies, nonstandard harmonies, loud pitches, noise, and cacophony (with sound from dialogue). These types of sounds commonly utilized in films such as Paranormal Activity, Psycho, and Bates Motel, are made by the theremin and trautonium (early electronic musical instruments controlled without physical contact), which are better known as Shepard Tone, a sound consisting of a superposition of sine waves separated by octaves, which gives the illusion that the tone is getting increasingly lower or higher.

This YouTube link explains this in extensive detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5qf9O6c20o.

Sound psychology is such an important aspect of horror movies. I find it interesting how pivotal it is to create the perfectly suspenseful sound. As I've learned from personal experience, many viewers tend to cover their eyes in fear of what is to be visually displayed, so sound must be subsidiary sense to complement the other when it is missing. Researchers have also found that audiences are much less scared when watching horror films without sound since the brain is not producing the message that signals your cognitive processes to prepare for danger.

Renee, V. (2013, November 1). The Sound of Horror: Why Hearing Stuff is Scarier Than Actually Seeing

     Stuff. Retrieved December 11, 2014, from nofilmschool.com website: https://www.youtube.com/

     watch?v=w5qf9O6c20o