10 Horror Films With Terrifying Sound Design
The horror films that made the most out of their sinister sound design.
Have you ever found yourself reaching for the volume button while watching a scary scene in a horror film? Or even muted said scene entirely? The suspense, dread, and atmosphere that had you racing to lower the volume in the first place is completely gone, replaced with voiceless images silently wandering in the dark. And that’s just not scary.
If you’ve ever noticed this, then you’ll have witnessed first-hand the importance of sound design in cinema.
The music, sound effects, ambiance, dialogue, every audial aspect of a film is what renowned film theorist Michel Chion describes as “added value” to give a deeper meaning to the images onscreen. This is true of all audio-visual media (including video games), but nowhere is this phenomenon best observed than in the horror genre.
From the eerie silences that proceed the inevitable loud sting of a jump scare to the dissonant strings that form a foreboding soundscape, all horror films utilise sound design in one way or another to heighten their fear factor. However, some films are better at this than others, with the sound design in some flicks being the main source of the terror.
10. The Ring (2002)
Remakes of horror films often pale in comparison to the original. This is especially true when it comes to western adaptations of J-horrors, with The Eye, One Missed Call, and 2020’s The Grudge all losing the sinister spark of their eastern counterparts. One exception to the rule, though, is Gore Verbinski’s The Ring.
The remake of Hideo Nakata’s J-horror classic Ringu, the American version follows the same general premise: a journalist (Naomi Watts) finds herself investigating a cursed VHS tape linked to a series of strange deaths. However, after watching the tape herself, she has only seven days to break the curse before she’s killed by the malevolent force behind it.
Like the original, the palpable sense of dread lies primarily within its selection of terrifying imagery and unsettling atmosphere, which is greatly amplified by the sound design.
Through adding the peircing screech of television static to the backdrop of Hans Zimmer’s unnerving score, The Ring easily crawls under the viewer's skin.
Throw in clever sound editing that’ll have you jumping out your skin every time a shrill ringing phone interrupts the eerie silence and you have some of the most effective sound design in horror history.