How To Create Haunting Horror Sounds Effects For Interfaces (includes 15 Free SFX!)

Posted July 3, 2020 by Asbjoern Andersen in Sound design guides

Interested in learning how to design horror sound effects - particularly targeted towards horror-type interfaces? Check out this exclusive, in-depth A Sound Effect tutorial by Chase Steele - and get 15 free sound effects from the project too!

Video by Chase Steele

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How to make Haunting Horror Sound Effects for UI / interfaces (includes free sounds!)

Topics & playing times:

2:09 Example preview • 3:50 Design talk • 9:50 Vibes track • 28:15 Interface overview • 31:24 Bio/electrical • 40:05 Radium patches • 49:21 Servos • 50:44 Squirmy stuff • 52:22 Hand insert • 57:30 Rock/key device • 60:04 Wrap-up

Download a selection of sounds from this project here (updated link)

A big thanks to Chase Steele and Sound Spark LLC for exclusively hosting this video on A Sound Effect. Find the Sound Spark Youtube channel here, and meet Sound Spark on Twitter here.

Popular sound effects libraries from Sound Spark:
Hear some of the popular sound effects libraries from Sound Spark below –
and browse their full catalog here:

Gore Sound Effects Gore (SSP) Play Track 257 sounds included, 13 mins total $19.99
The Gore library contains 257 total sounds of squishes, smashes, squelches melee weapon attacks, zombies and more. All effects have been thoughtfully named and crafted into multiple variations making them extremely flexible and easy to use. This library will work well if you need ready to use sounds for your game or if you’re a sound editor needing some extra material for your latest project. Sounds are well rounded and simple enough to fit Sci-Fi, Horror, Fantasy and any other genre where you might need some blood and guts.

Sound types include:
- General Gore Attacks
- Melee Weaponry
- Basic Smashes, Hits and Slaps (Yeah Slaps).
- Squishes and Squelches
- Bonus Zombie Growls and Horror Ambience!
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Magic & Fantasy Sound Effects Magic Spells, Buffs and Attacks Play Track 507 sounds included $39.99

The Magic Spells, Buffs and Attacks library contains 507 total spell sounds. Each spell type has been thoughtfully named and crafted into multiple variations making them extremely flexible and easy to use. This library will work great for MMOs, RPGs and other fantasy style games. Of course, it will be great for film or any other form of media also! Many of these sounds are also well suited for Sci-Fi or Futuristic applications.

Bonus Reaktor Ensemble:

As if the sounds alone weren’t enough, we’re also including a special bonus in the form of a Native Instruments Reaktor Ensemble. We call it “The Mage”.. it is designed to allow you to take spell types, mash them together and create endless new iterations of material!

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Metal Sound Effects Metal Hits, Scrapes and Squeaks Play Track 689 sounds included, 22 Minutes mins total $29.99

The Metal Hits, Scrapes and Squeaks library contains a variety of small to medium sized metal props with each material type including multiple performance variations.

Props include objects such as sheet metal, sledgehammers, paint cans, metal buckets, metal grating, metal marbles, cups, pots and pans, dry ice (contributing squeaks and squeals), metal bars, metal stands, chains and more.

All recordings were made in a studio or iso booth environment to produce a very clean sounding library. The library works perfectly as a construction or foley kit. Files included were recorded at 24bit/96kHz.

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Cinematic & Trailer Sound Effects Whooshes Impacts and Transitions Play Track 127 sounds included $19.99
This library includes a series of cinematic and basic whoosh, movement and transition effects. It also includes a number of impactful drops.

What makes this library unique is the varied amount of content and processing techniques used to create the movement effects. Some effects are created totally organically, others manufactured with analog synths and others creatively processed from nothing other than atonal noise.

Another great quality of these effects is a natural doppler effect is often incorporated. This was done by re-recording some source elements and either moving the source or the mic itself.

A slim library, of 127 sounds – it feels much larger in the amount of varied content that it includes. This library is one I’ve personally used a lot and I’m very happy to bring it to you now!

Sound types include:
- Organic Whooshes
- Designed Transition Effects
- Tonal, Atonal and Noise asthetics
- Drops and Impacts
Get this in a bundle:This library is also included in the Forge Sound Design Toolkit Bundle
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More on horror sound:

Horror sound design guides:

• How to create horror sound effects that are truly scary (and gory!) – by Saro Sahihi
• The Guide To Sound Effects (features lots of tips for gore and horror) – compiled by David Filskov
• Creature Sound Design Insights from David Farmer, sound designer on The Hobbit & LOTR
• Sound for Scarehouses – A Q&A with Marc Straight

Behind the horror movie sound:

We’ve shared the story behind the sound for quite a few horror movies here on A Sound Effect – you can read them below:

• Behind the brutal sound of ‘Halloween’ – with Will Files and P.K. Hooker
• How the terrifying sounds of ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ were made – with Trevor Gates
• How the haunting sound of ‘The Nun’ was crafted – with Bill R. Dean and Ron Eng
• How ‘A Quiet Place’s essential sound was created – with Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
• Creating the dark, evil sounds of ‘Annabelle: Creation’ – with Bill R. Dean
• Creating the sound of fear for ‘It Comes at Night’ – with Damian Volpe and Robert Fernandez
• Behind the horrifying sound of ‘Alien: Covenant’ – with Oliver Tarney and Michael Fentum
• Behind the scary sounds of ‘Blair Witch’ – with Andy Hay
• How the creepy sound of ‘Lights Out’ was made – with Bill R. Dean
• Young UK filmmaker creates award-winning horror sound: Here it is – and here’s how he did it
• Creating the horrific sounds of ‘The Conjuring 2’ – with Joe Dzuban

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THE WORLD’S EASIEST WAY TO GET INDEPENDENT SOUND EFFECTS:

A Sound Effect gives you easy access to an absolutely huge sound effects catalog from a myriad of independent sound creators, all covered by one license agreement - a few highlights:

Game Audio Packs - Game Sound Effects Libraries Classic Old-School Retro Game Arcade Machine Play Track 280 sounds included $99.99
Are you looking for the most complete and one-of-a-kind RETRO GAME sound library, produced by experts in the genre, with maximum variety and flexibility? Then look no further and read on…

Create a retro masterpiece and a true immersion in classic 8-bit arcade gaming with this expertly handcrafted collection of 80s console sound effects, short tunes, and good old-school, bit-crushed sound samples. With nearly 850 drag-and-drop ready audio assets and around 30 minutes of pure 8-Bit epicness, cutting edge sonic quality of MODERNLY PRODUCED RETRO, this sound packet brings everything you’ll need to turn your old school 80’s vintage production or idea to life!

Send your players back in time with a huge variety of BEEPs and BLEEPs, object/item PICKUPs, POWERUPs, COIN COLLECT sounds, USER INTERFACE and other UI INTERACTION sound effects, human/creature/robot MOVEMENT sounds (FOOTSTEPs, PUNCH and HITs, JUMPs, FALLs, DROP and DAMAGE sounds), DIGITALIZED VOICES, VEHICLES, WEAPONS, BOMB EXPLOSIONs, LASER and MACHINE GUNs, and all other classic 8-bit arcade gaming, old school console sounds and tunes, and bit-crushed sound samples you’ll ever need.

With a dizzying selection of variant options, including LOOPS, DIFFERENT INTENSITY LEVELS, MULTIPLE LENGTHS, SIMPLIFIED and COMPLEX VERSIONS, FULL SEQUENCES, and many more, a whole world of possibilities is at your fingertips.

DOWNLOAD NOW and even get a selection of sounds from two of our bestsellers FOR FREE:

❤ MUSIC USER INTERFACE SOUNDS
Say goodbye to boring, dull, monotonous UI sounds and discover pitch-based and musical button clicks, swipes, notifications, and short retro game tunes for a unique interface experience. Drop them in your game and reward your users with the nicest interface audio out there… retro game style, of course :)

❤ CINEMATIC TRAILER SOUND EFFECTS
Would you like to add some AAA feel to your game or trailer? We have designed a whole world of trailer sounds with a retro 8-bit feel for you, but preserved the quality of modern Hollywood trailers in them! Add them to your marketing videos or even within your game, and grab attention the way only AAA developers were able to do until now, FOR FREE!

PERFECT FOR:
- Video Games
- Casino Slots
- Film / Animation
- Ads / Trailers
- YouTube videos
- Live Events
- Sound Design
…and all other audio-visual productions

KEY FEATURES:
- Huge variety of the finest modernly produced retro sounds and short tunes, suitable for any scene or situation in your game
- Carefully hand-crafted to suit multiple sub-genres (Platform, Puzzle, Arcade, Horror, Adventure, FPS, RPG, Slot Games, etc.)
- 840 Audio Files (280 original sound effects and music tunes)
- Included Formats: HD and SD WAV (96 kHz + 44.1 kHz / 24 Bit + 16 Bit) and HQ MP3 (320 Kbps)
- Ready to use – requires no editing, labeling or splicing. Categorized, organized and individually labeled files for maximum use efficiency
- Unpacked Size: 352MB
- Total Run Time: 27m 19s
- FREE Updates to higher versions, FOREVER!
GET RETRO GAME NOW and instantly join the sonic world of Tetris, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Galaga, Punch-Out, Super Mario Bros., Asteroids, Frogger, Double Dragon, 1942, Boulder Dash, Shinobi and other classics!
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Game Audio Packs - Game Sound Effects Libraries Retro Game Play Track 502 sounds included, 31 mins total $39.20

Go (game audio) retro with all the classic 8-bit Arcade Game sound effects! Retro Game is here to offer you the ultimate sonic stockpile to turn your old school 80’s vintage production or idea to life! Over 500 game ready audio assets, over 30 minutes of pure 8-Bit epic-ness!

20 %

OFF

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Game Audio Packs - Game Sound Effects Libraries Retro Games Play Track 656+ sounds included $15

Looking to add some retro game flavor to your project? The Retro Game library delivers a host of old-school, 8-bit sounding sound effects, including beeps, bleeps, explosions, footsteps, UI sounds, hit and damage sounds, jumps, status and weapon sounds. And they all sound like they came straight out of an old arcade game.

A total of 656 sounds are included, ready to add that retro feel to your next project.

50 %

OFF

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Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:

Sci-Fi Sound Effects Scifi_Synth Vehicle Play Track 390 sounds included $35

They are all created using synthesizers and fx effects, making them ideal for use in sci-fi spaceships. There are 96 files in total, over 390 sound effects, 48KHz, 24Bit, wav.Thank you very much for your support. I hope you will enjoy it.

22 %

OFF

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Magic & Fantasy Sound Effects MagicElement_Water Play Track 101 sounds included $10

MagicElement_Water
101 sound effects,Water magic,different speed,strength of the attack and hit.
48khz,24bit,stereo,using UCS metadata format.

33 %

OFF

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Environments & Ambiences Metallic Atmospheres Play Track 12+ sounds included $18

Metallic Atmospheres is a collection of designed ambiences crafted entirely from metallic source material. Our team recorded a wide variety of metal objects and surfaces, then applied advanced sound design techniques to transform them into evocative atmosphere tracks.

This diverse assortment captures an extensive range of textures and emotions, from eerie resonances and unsettling tonal beds to harsh industrial environments. Perfect for quickly establishing a dark, immersive mood, these sounds are ideally suited for sci-fi, horror, dystopian, and post-apocalyptic productions.

Every file has been meticulously edited for immediate use, so you can drag and drop them straight into your DAW timeline without extra cleanup. All sounds are delivered at 96kHz / 24-bit for maximum fidelity, giving you the flexibility to manipulate, stretch, and layer them further in your own designs. Each file has been tagged with UCS-compliant metadata, ensuring seamless integration into any professional sound effects workflow.

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Destruction & Impact Sounds Metallic Impacts Play Track 149+ sounds included $18

Metallic Impacts delivers a dynamic collection of strikes, crashes, and resonant hits created from a variety of metal objects. Each sound is provided in both raw and processed versions, giving you the choice between natural recordings for authentic realism or designed impacts for instant cinematic punch.

Designed with versatility in mind, these sounds are perfect for trailers, action sequences, combat design, or building tension in horror and sci-fi contexts. Every file has been precisely edited for immediate use, recorded and mastered at 96kHz / 24-bit to preserve detail and allow for extreme processing. All files include UCS-compliant metadata, ensuring they drop seamlessly into your sound effects workflow.

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Cinematic & Trailer Sound Effects Metallic Scrapes Play Track 113+ sounds included $18

Metallic Scrapes is a focused library of metal-on-metal movements, featuring a range of drags, scuffs, and surface scrapes. From short, subtle textures to longer, sustained scrapes, these sounds provide useful building blocks for adding grit, tension, or industrial detail to your projects.

Each sound is included in both raw and processed versions, giving you flexibility to choose between clean recordings for natural realism or designed variants that are ready to drop straight into your timeline.

While less dramatic than impacts or crashes, these textures are effective for layering into ambiences, creating transitional elements, or adding subtle tension in sci-fi, horror, or industrial contexts.

All files are carefully edited and delivered in 96kHz / 24-bit quality, complete with UCS-compliant metadata for fast and accurate search results in your sound effects workflow.

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