Sound is essential in horror films - and to explore how horror sound is made, the mechanisms behind it and just what makes it so effective, sound designer Mikael Vanninen has released an extraordinary 1-hour documentary called The Sound of Horror.
In the documentary, he looks at everything from how our hearing reacts to silence, infrasound and jumpscares, to folk horror, the musical history behind the tritone, the Dies irae and much more. He then takes a deep-dive into classic horror films, sorted by decade, and looks at what makes them work from a sound perspective.
I’m seriously impressed with Mikael Vanninen’s work here, and if you have any interest in sound design and horror sound - and what makes it work - this is a must-watch documentary in my book:
Early BirdNOVA by Mattia Cellotto is coming soon!Become an Early Bird and get 3 SFX libraries (worth $125 total!), FREE with your NOVA orderBECOME AN EARLY BIRD →The Sound of Horror - watch it below:
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About Mikael Vanninen: Tampere-based sound designer and composer behind MiV Audio, making sound for games, film, TV and commercials and teaching sound design at TAMK. See more on his YouTube channel.
Behind the sound of the films and franchises in the documentary
The sound of BackroomsMono found footage, exaggerated foley - and why there are camel screams in the sound of Backrooms
The gory sound of Saw XAdam Stein and David Rose on the sound design for the death traps in Saw X
The horrifying sound of Alien: CovenantBehind the scenes on the sound for the 2017 film in the Alien franchise
The sound of The Exorcist: BelieverRich Bologna on creating the supernatural sound of David Gordon Green’s filmHorror libraries on sale
Looking for specific horror sounds? Try a search here
There are more than 600 horror sound libraries in our catalog, so search for the exact sounds you’re after, from creaking ropes and whispers to monster growls & gore.
Horror sound how-tos
Horror sound stories
The sound of Lee Cronin’s The MummyPeter Albrechtsen, Gabriel Gutiérrez, and Garret Farrell on the film’s skin-crawling sound
The sound of UndertoneDavid Gertsman and Jon Lawless on the sound of what’s been called “the scariest film you’ll ever hear”
The grisly sound of Scream 7Tom Ozanich and Jon Greasley on how the film’s heart-pounding sound was made
The sound of FrankensteinNelson Ferreira and Nathan Robitaille on sound for Guillermo del Toro’s fantastical style
