10 Genius Suspense Tricks That Made Movies Great

10. Buzzing Bees Were Added To The Soundtrack To Evoke A Primal Fear - The Exorcist

William Friedkin's The Exorcist is one of the most intense and unnerving films ever made, in large part due to Friedkin's concerted efforts to agitate the audience's most base and primal instincts.

Though it's well known that the horror masterpiece features numerous "subliminal" flashes of the white-faced demon Captain Howdy, the director also experimented with the film's soundscape in order to leave audiences unconsciously off-kilter.

Friedkin had the faint sound of buzzing bees layered into many of the movie's earlier scenes, a sound which tends to trigger an innate fight-or-flight response in people who hear it, in turn leaving audiences in a state of heightened, semi-conscious anxiety.

Furthermore, Friedkin subtly added what he called "disturbing industrial sounds" into many of the scenes featuring the demon, further evoking a feeling of angst in viewers.

Given how firmly the film holds audiences in its grip, it's tough to argue with the director's unorthodox, off-the-wall methods.