Horror Sound Effects: 13 Scary Sound Libraries That'll Make Your Audience Scream And Shiver

Posted October 6, 2013 by Asbjoern Andersen in New sound effects libraries

Halloween is just around the corner, and the days are getting colder and darker here in Denmark.

So I dimmed the lights, sat down with a cup of the blackest coffee we have in the studio and picked out some of the libraries that would work particularly well for horror projects.

They’re great for those of you working on projects where you want to give your audience the chills – and perhaps make them jump a bit.

Oh, and at the end of this guide, I’ll tell you how you can make eight creepy horror sound effects yourself. But let’s start out with the 13 libraries first – here we go:

Eerie atmospheres

Drones & Mood Sound Effects Drones Play Track 40 sounds included $20

40 Two Minute Long Drones

Drones are essential for every sound designer and composer. Combine and layer Drones to add more depth, tension, and suspense to your track. Drones can act as a great background to any sci-fi scene and make your music more interesting.

Bonus:
This library includes the Suburb Rain SFX collection at no extra cost - featuring almost 50 minutes of rain recordings

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When you want to create an unsettling atmosphere, this library of 40 2-minute drones will come in handy – check out the demo and hear for yourself.

Shock Effects

Cinematic & Trailer Sound Effects Impact Collection Play Track 304 sounds included $40

The Impact Collection is a library of 304 impacts, whooshes, swells, static, rises and zaps all designed with Trailers and Promos in mind.

These sounds were designed using anything I could hit, bang, rumble and smash. In the process I destroyed a couple tools and put a healthy dent in a spare refrigerator, not to mention the smashing of dozens of plates as well as my neighbor’s leftover ceramic tiles.

After recording all of my source material I got to work on building pre-made impacts in various ways as well as adding a healthy dose of plug-in abuse. My Genelecs may never be the same! Thanks for listening.

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Want to shock your audience? This collection features more than 300 sounds that will help you do just that.

Creatures

When you need some otherworldly creature sounds, Russell Gorsky’s aptly titled ‘Creatures’ library could be just the ticket. It features a total of 242 growls, hisses, roars, screeches.

Gore

Gore Sound Effects Gore Toolkit HD Play Track 798 sounds included $85

A collection of over 530 96k/24bit HD Gore sound effects that comes with an additional 262 48k/24bit sounds! Come and get your body damage galore. Punches, bone, blood, intestines, goops, splats, flesh movement, chewing, tearing, snapping, breaking, blade sounds… It’s BLOODY CARNAGE!

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Need blood-dripping sounds? The Gore Toolkit HD gives you almost 800 sounds total to work with – including sounds of punches, bone, blood, intestines, goops, splats, flesh movement, chewing, tearing, snapping and breaking.

Strange sounds

Drones & Mood Sound Effects LiquidMetal – Waterphone Play Track 263 sounds included
Rated 5.00 out of 5
$71

The LiquidMetal – Waterphone SFX pack contains a lot of great material for your next deep impact horror project, when you need eerie, suspenseful and deep sounds that bring the fear out in you and your audience.

We hit, rattled, bowed, snaped and swashed the real Waterphone – a unique instrument – for really formidable sounds.

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The Waterphone is a unique instrument – and it emits some very eerie and unsettling sounds. The Soundcatcher managed to record the original Waterphone in this library featuring 263 sounds.

Alone in the dark

Drones & Mood Sound Effects Kyma Ambiences – vol.1 Play Track 56 sounds included, 112 mins total From: $49

Kyma Ambiences [USO003] is the third sound effects bundle created by Matteo Milani.

The generation of these “Artificial Reality Ambiences” starts entirely in Symbolic Sound Kyma from the processing of white and pink noise by filtering – in the time/spectral domains – and convolving these sources with custom FM, additive, formant and granular synthesis.   The composition’s resource of sound material is drawn solely from these processed stochastic sound elements: coloured noise is a raw material already full of life and can be sculpted into a variety of temporal forms, movements and textures.

The interaction with Kyma was typical of a composer who explored a device’s potential for sound transformation like a musical instrument. The goal was to obtain an organic and acoustic quality using only a restricted sound source, in order to evoke real spatial characteristics attached to each invented sound.

The “Kyma Ambiences vol.1” sound effects collection is published @ 96kHz (native) – and is also available as dual-layer separated “Elements”, suitable for recombinant stratification, varispeed and spatial positioning in the surround field (for a total of 112 files @ 96kHz).

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If you’re looking to instill a feeling of desolation and loneliness, Matteo Milani has generated some truly strange soundscapes for you in his Kyma Ambiences library – check out the demo.

Screams

Horror Sound Effects Scream Collection Play Track 441 sounds included $25

Introducing the Scream Collection (A Tribute To Wilhelm). This library pays homage to the infamous Wilhelm Scream first heard in the film Distant Drums as well as dozens, if not hundreds, of other films. This compilation includes 441 vocal effects ranging from startled gasps to all out screams.

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Blood-curdling screams are of course a vital part of any horror project.

And in Bruce Bueckert’s Scream library, you get no fewer than 441 vocal sound recordings (screams + many other strange vocal sounds) to work with.

Blades

Cold Weapon Sound Effects Blades Play Track 260 sounds included $30

Blades is a collection of 54 audio files containing a whopping 260 individual audio clips. This collection gives you sheath sounds, blade scrapes, clanks, hits, schings, and yes, even scissors snipping. Best of all, if you need 10 sword hits in the scene, you only have to import one or two tracks.

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When your project calls for a bit of knife-wielding, David Fienup’s library has you covered.
His Blades library gives you sheath sounds, blade scrapes, clanks, hits, schings, and yes, even scissors snipping (!). A total of 260 sounds are included.

Smashing and breaking

Destruction & Impact Sounds The Abandoned School Play Track 172 sounds included $52

We recorded an old abandoned school and gained a lot of nice and very unique sound fx for your next sounddesign project. You’ll get up to 1.26 GB / 172 mono & stereo files, tagged (for trouble free use in your loved data base program) and carefully mastered in 24Bit/96kHz.

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Chances are that there’ll be some destruction going on in your project – and this library features 172 audio recordings of things breaking, recorded with natural ambiences at an abandoned school.

Odd strings

Drones & Mood Sound Effects Desolated Strings & Wood Play Track 272 sounds included $79

The Soundcatcher is proud to announce a new sound design library called “Desolated Strings & Wood“. The found Markneunkirchen Zither from Wernitzgruen was in a very poor condition. I collected it and wrecked it like there was no tomorrow.

You´ll get 272 stereo files (1.48GB total), tagged for trouble-free use in your favorite database program and carefully mastered in 24Bit/96kHz.

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The zither is capable of making some really odd noises – and this library features 800+ sounds in 88 files of stringy weirdness. Hear some of the examples in the demo above.

Creepy resonances

Horror Sound Effects The Metal Shelf Play Track 134 sounds included $20

This library features recordings of a metal shelf being shaken, slammed, scraped, and other torturous things.

In this library, you’ll find metal slams, moans, squeals, shakes, taps, and sounds of rocks being poured over it.

There are lots of nice resonant sounds filled clangorous textures. Great for creating creepy tones for suspense and tension.

This library was recorded with a Barcus Berry Contact Mic going into a Barcus Berry 4000 preamp and a Sound Devices 702.

Bonus:
This library includes the Suburb Rain SFX collection at no extra cost - featuring almost 50 minutes of rain recordings

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Sound designer Russell Gorsky managed to get a surprising number of creepy, resonant noises out of an old metal shelf. It sounds a lot scarier than it looks!

Scary squeals

Farm & Horse Sound Effects Pigs FX Play Track 246 sounds included $54

Terrifying squeals, grunts, barks, and sneeze from adult pigs weighing up to 400 lbs, and ambiences from the stables. The second part is recordings of smaller pigs (80 lbs) on the day they were picked up by truck to go you know where! The pigs knew exactly what was going on, which is represented in the sounds recorded.

Needless to say, this library has been ear wrecking to put together, but the reward is 246 single files of pure pigs.

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Ah, pigs – these creatures can emit some pretty horrific sounds indeed. Sound designer Mikkel Nielsen spent days on a farm recording terrifying squeals and grunts + ambience from the stables. Check out the demo to hear what he brought back with him.

Need more sounds?

If you need more sounds for your project, be sure to check out the many other sound libraries on A Sound Effect – click below to continue exploring:

View all libraries

Hope you found something useful above! If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also create your own horrifying sound effects from scratch. Here are some ideas for doing just that, courtesy of David Filskov’s great list of sound effect ideas, and some clever sound designers:

How to create your own horror sounds

Bats flying

I used an umbrella opening and closing rapidly for the sound of bats flying one time… turned out great. I think I had to filter out some of the low frequency material, though.
-Tim Clarke

A pair of leather gloves flapped about is a good substitute for wings flapping when a bat takes off.
– Garry Taylor

Blood and guts being torn out

I know how to make a nice sound of blood and guts being torn out. Just make a milk pulp, put it into your mouth, and then try to say “Ghhhh”. Mix it with the end section of any water splash sample or add a sample where you’re moving out your hand from a bucket of water.
– Adam

Gore and squidge

Wet wash leather – fantastic for gore and squidge.
– Mark Estdale

Fruits! Especially tomatoes (for splatters) and potatoes (for wet crunchy sounds). Another classic is making a goo with eggs and dip rags and paper towels into them and play.
– Gustaf Grefberg

Rat shrieks

Pitched-up chickens.
– Ben Burtt

Up-pitched kittens. Especially the screechy ones.
– Gustaf Grefberg

Stone coffin opening

Slide off the top of a toilet tank.
– Ben Burtt

Spirits screaming

Dolphin and sea-lion cries, other animal screams and human vocalizations.
– Ben Burtt

Tentacles, sliding

Get a few day’s worth of stubble on your face. Go somewhere real quiet and record running your hand and arm under your chin – it mixes in nice with the hairs on your arm. Or as I just found out, get a mouse mat with a rubberized or cloth surface and rub that under your chin :-) To further this idea maybe put some shaving gel on and take a credit card and lightly rub it across? That way you get bristly with a bit of slime.
– Dave Sullivan

Having just eaten a bowl of macaroni and cheese shells, I have to say it’s the most convincing tentacle sound I’ve ever heard. It also made the bowl harder to finish :-)
– Jay Semerad

Vocalization of monster

Metal pressed against dry ice.
– Paul Arnold

Slide a straw up or down in a McDonald’s large drink plastic lid. Try pitching it down and stretching it – and voilá! McZilla.
– Max Hodges

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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:

Animal Sound Effects Collections Animal Hyperrealism Vol IV Play Track 2096 sounds included, 78 mins total $153

⏰ For a very limited time:
Add this library to the cart and enter ah4launch in the cart coupon field – to sprinkle an extra launch discount, on top of the current discount!

Animal Hyperrealism Vol IV is a sound library containing animal vocalisations, from real to designed creatures totaling more than 2000 individual sounds in 294 files. The sounds were recorded in zoos, and wildlife centers.

The asset list includes but is not limited to: hippos, hyenas, vultures, dwarf mongooses, elephants, African cranes, parrots, tigers, pigmy hippos, rhea ostriches, brown bears, pheasants, wildebeests, African wild dogs and many more. The content has been recorded at 192KHz with a Sanken CO100K, an Avisoft CMPA and a Sennheiser 8050 for center plus two Sennheiser MKH8040 for stereo image.

The resulting ultrasonic spectrum is rich and allows for truly extreme manipulation of the content.

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Cinematic & Trailer Sound Effects Four Elements – Elemental Magic Play Track 3050 sounds included, 251 mins total $149
Master the Art of Bending the Elemental Forces

Unleash the raw power of fire, water, earth, and air with this comprehensive 9 GB sound library featuring 3050 high-quality sound effects across 630 files. Whether you’re designing cinematic soundscapes or enhancing video games Four Elements delivers the tools you need to harness the energy of the natural world.

Construction Kit – 2443 Sounds

A treasure trove of raw, organic, and processed sounds including seamless loops divided into Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Explosion categories. Customize every detail with an extensive selection of sound components.
- Organic Fire: Campfire sizzles, torch whooshes, and flame bursts.
- Processed Fire: Distorted impacts and unique crackles.
- Organic Earth: Rock crashes, gravel scrapes, and heavy stone hits.
- Processed Earth: Stylized rumbles and granular textures.
- Organic Water: Ocean waves, hydrophone bubbles, and fluid splashes.
- Processed Water: Underwater whooshes and stylized liquid smashes.
- Organic Air: Bamboo swishes, cloth movements, and pressure bursts.
- Processed Air: Filtered gusts and dynamic noise sweeps.
- Explosion: Firework detonations, Butane bursts, and cinematic impacts.
Building Blocks – 416 Sounds

Game-ready sound layers featuring Impacts, Whooshes, and Textures as seamless loops. Elevate transitions and enhance atmospheres with loops and pre-designed sound layers.
- Fire: Explosive bursts, blazing infernos, and warm embers.
- Earth: Ground-shaking impacts, crumbling terrain, and heavy collisions.
- Water: Cascading waves, serene rivers, and underwater ambiences.
- Air: Whispering breezes, stormy turbulence, and slicing gusts.
Design Kit – 192 Sounds

A collection of ready-to-use sound effects divided into Attack, Bend, and Explosion categories for quick integration into your projects. Perfect for high-energy scenes and immersive storytelling.
- Fire: Crackling flames, fiery bursts, and roaring infernos.
- Earth: Crushing impacts, shifting ground, and massive land eruptions.
- Water: Splashes, fluid manipulations, and crashing tidal waves.
- Air: Slicing winds, swirling currents, and thunderous gusts.
Four Elements gives you complete creative control, blending organic recordings with processed sound layers to meet the demands of any project. Master the forces of nature with Four Elements. Let your creativity ignite.

Keywords:

Elements, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Wave, Water, Liquid, Rock, Cast, Stone, Pebble, Torch, Gas, Flame, Campfire, Sizzle, Burst, Scrape, Whoosh, Impact, Texture, Attack, Bend, Bending, Explosion, Processed, Surge, Quake, Hit, Flow, Burn, Ignite, Drop, Smack, Destruction, Rumble, Hiss, Blow, Wind, Cloth, Movement, Underwater, Bubble, Ocean, River, Lake, Firework, Firecracker, Bang, Blast, Detonation, Magic, Fantasy, Forces, Fire Magic, Water Magic, Earth Magic, Fire Air, Fire Effect, Fire Whoosh, Water Whoosh, Seamless Loop, Loop, Fire Cast, Water Cast, Earth Cast, Air Cast
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Firearms Sound Effects Metal Sweeteners – Gun Hyper-Realism Play Track 300+ sounds included $25

Metal Sweeteners / Gun Hyper-Realism contains hundreds of metal sounds to enhance your gun fights.

We recorded tons of different metallic objects like wrenches, cameras, stands, microphones,etc… to create different hits and textures for the Source Material kit, everything was recorded at 192 kHz with the famous Sennheiser MKH 8040/8050 microphones in order to capture all the harmonics up to 50-60 kHz. Then we layered/edited/pitched, crushed them to create the sounds in the Designed folder.

The “Source” folder contains 91 files and hundreds individual sounds divided into these categories:
– Hit
– Scrape
– Screw
– Rattle
– Mech
– Click
– Slide

The “Designed” folder contains 20 files and many more individual sounds, all created from the “Source Material”:
– Silenced/Suppressed shots
– Reload
– Bullets
– Mechanics
– Ejections

The “Synced” folder contains multiple groups of 8 layers + 3 silencers/suppressor, all sync’ed on some of the most common guns rate of fire :
– Ak 47
– M16
– Uzi
– MP5
– M60
– M4

All the sounds are 192 kHz / 24 bits, giving you all the process flexibility you need. Most importantly the files are embedded with exhaustive metadata compatible with Soundminer, Basehead, etc…

This library is perfect to spice up “boring” real life recordings, create a whole new futuristic weapon or just to give that ” Hyper Realistic ” feel to the project you’re working on.

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Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:

Animal Sound Effects Collections Animal Hyperrealism Vol IV Play Track 2096 sounds included, 78 mins total $153

⏰ For a very limited time:
Add this library to the cart and enter ah4launch in the cart coupon field – to sprinkle an extra launch discount, on top of the current discount!

Animal Hyperrealism Vol IV is a sound library containing animal vocalisations, from real to designed creatures totaling more than 2000 individual sounds in 294 files. The sounds were recorded in zoos, and wildlife centers.

The asset list includes but is not limited to: hippos, hyenas, vultures, dwarf mongooses, elephants, African cranes, parrots, tigers, pigmy hippos, rhea ostriches, brown bears, pheasants, wildebeests, African wild dogs and many more. The content has been recorded at 192KHz with a Sanken CO100K, an Avisoft CMPA and a Sennheiser 8050 for center plus two Sennheiser MKH8040 for stereo image.

The resulting ultrasonic spectrum is rich and allows for truly extreme manipulation of the content.

15 %

OFF

Add to cart
Weather Sound Effects Hyper Thunder Play Track 800+ sounds included $49.50
Hyper Thunder is a colossal collection of thunder and lightning, 100% crafted from the ground up using innovative synthesized technics and props recordings. Not a single real life thunder recording was used. using synthesis and props manipulation crafted to deliver impact far beyond natural recordings. Built entirely from innovative synthesis and props recordings, this library pushes the boundaries of weather sound design—perfect for when you need the raw energy of a storm dialed up to cinematic extremes.

Featuring over 800 files, Hyper Thunder spans everything from subtle distant rumbles and rolling thunder to razor-sharp lightning strikes and earth-shaking impacts. With both designed hits and source layers, you have full control—drop in ready-to-use power or sculpt your own stormscapes using the source recordings.

Created in collaboration with Bruits.Studio’s Vincent Fliniaux and Tibo Csuko—longtime SoundMorph contributors to acclaimed libraries like Robotic Lifeforms 2 and WATER— Hyper Thunder blends technical mastery with bold creativity.

Key Features
- 800+ files of synthesized thunder and lightning
- Both designed hits and source layers for full creative control
- Covers subtle distant rumbles through to massive cinematic impacts
- Crafted 100% from synthesis for a unique, larger-than-life sound
- Perfect for film, games, trailers, and any project needing storm power
- Created in collaboration with Bruits.Studio’s Vincent Fliniaux and Tibo Csuko (Robotic Lifeforms 2, WATER)
From atmospheric detail to explosive drama, Hyper Thunder gives you thunder and lightning that are bigger, subtler, and more versatile than nature itself.
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Animal Sound Effects Horses Vol. 3 Play Track 150 sounds included, 54 mins total $25

Capture every detail of the equine world with this massive library. Features gallops on every terrain, vocalizations from gentle breaths to terrified screams, and intricate harness and carriage sounds. Perfect for film, documentaries, and game audio requiring authentic horse SFX.

Horses Vol 3 is the definitive sound effects library for anyone needing high-quality, realistic horse sounds. This extensive collection of 150 files provides an unparalleled range of equine audio, covering locomotion, vocals, and historical contexts. Find everything from the subtle sounds of a single horse grazing and breathing to the overwhelming power of a full herd stampede. Specific highlights include gallops on dirt, grass, and sand; close-up vocalizations like whinnies, snorts, and panicked squeals; detailed Foley of horses milling and trotting; and immersive recordings of horse-drawn carriages and sleighs with harness rattles and hoof clops on cobblestones. Whether you’re scoring a western, a historical drama, a fantasy battle, or a documentary, this volume offers the perfect sound to bring your project to life.

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Air Sound Effects Cinematic Immersion 450 Epic SFX For Films & Games Play Track 450 sounds included, 46 mins total $50

A MEGA PACK of 450 handcrafted sound effects designed to take your projects beyond the ordinary. From sci-fi risers that stretch tension, to haunting horror stings, angelic swells, and mechanical whooshes that shake the air — every effect is built to elevate emotion and amplify impact. Inside the Mega Pack: 450 epic SFX – risers, stingers, drones, atmospheres & more. A rich blend of dark, magical, futuristic, and orchestral textures. Ideal for film trailers, video games, streaming, and immersive content. Sounds that add depth, drama, and cinematic scale instantly. Step into the world of sound that moves stories. Don’t just tell your story — let your audience feel every moment.

49 %

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Ambisonic Sound Effects Sirens Vol. 3 Play Track 100 sounds included, 41 mins total $25
Need to add urgency? Our siren library has you covered. Featuring police wails, ambulance highs/lows, historic air raid sirens, and epic sci-fi alerts. Ideal for action sequences, documentaries, and creating instant tension. Make some noise!

Turn up the tension with Sirens Vol 3 – your ultimate toolbox for audio emergencies. This isn’t your average siren library. We’ve packed 100 authentic sounds with everything you need to create heart-pounding moments.
What’s inside?
- The Classics: Get all the essential wails, yelps, and high-lows from real police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks.
- Global & Vintage Vibes: Spice things up with distinct European signals and epic vintage WWII air raid sirens for that historical feel.
- Next-Level Realism: It’s not just about the sound, it’s about the scene. Choose from close-up blasts, dynamic pass-bys (with that cool Doppler effect), and distant city ambiance blends.
- The Unique Stuff: Go beyond the ordinary with glitchy malfunctioning sirens, old-school hand-cranked sounds, electronic whoops, and a killer selection of sci-fi and fantasy alarms for your game or film.
Perfect for building: cinematic car chases, gritty urban environments, intense disaster scenes, and any project that needs a serious shot of adrenaline.

Stop searching and start creating. Find your perfect siren sound right here.
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Horror sound effects: 13 scary sound libraries that’ll make your audience scream and shiver

40 Two Minute Long Drones