The Importance Of Sound:

Sound plays a very important place in horror films. It creates the tension within the audience because it shows a build up which is conveys that something is about to happen.
There are two different types of sound in a movie. These are diegetic sound which is when the characters can hear it and non-diegetic sound which the characters cannot hear. They both fit into the category of technical codes.
In the horror film 'The Shining-Here's Johnny' the sound builds up as the female character attempts too get out of the window. When Johnny puts his head through the whole in the door and says 'Here's Johnny' there is tension building music in the background which portrays that something bad is about too happen.

The film 'Twilight Zone-A Face In The Window' is filled with pure silence at the beginning when the male character is trying to sleep and the music gradually builds up to the point when he opens the blind... which is when something bad happens.

'Poltergeist-They're Here' begins with silence and gradually builds up the music like something bad is about too occur. This is much like the horror movie 'A Face In The Window.'

'Jaws-Get Out Of The Water' begins with couples and happy families having normal conversation on the beach whilst screaming children are playing in the sea. A man starts to shout his dog who went into the water and then he sees blood. The tension building music has came in by this point which indicates that something bad is about too happen.


'Psycho-Shower Scene' is a horror film in which the sound plays a vital part. The orchestra turns to complete silence, followed by screeching violins and then... the shower drizzle.


Synchronous sound effects are synchronized or matched sound with what is being viewed on the screen. For example if their was a character playing the piano, then the sounds coming out of the piano would be enhanced and projected. Synchronous sound effects contribute to how realistic the film is portrayed as which also helps create a specific atmosphere.
Asynchronous sound effects are not matched with a visible source of sound featured on the screen. They provide emotional nuance. For example the background music could be sirens coming from an ambulance but the image could be showing two people having a fight and the foreground sound would be of the screen aswell. This helps to create a realistic atmosphere of the film as it conveys the background noise to be a city. However the sirens could also convey that one of the people is going to get seriously injured and need help from an ambulance.