10 Ridiculously Overused Movie Sound Effects

8. The Diddy Laugh

I have included a clip of the Diddy Laugh being used in Starcraft 2 simply because that is the clearest sample of the clip available, but it has been used in commercials and movies fairly regularly over the years, and every time I hear it, it just grates on me. The sound effect is simply an obnoxious child's laughter, dragging on for an interminable amount of time, yet that hasn't stopped it being used in the likes of Taken (during the opening credits as we see clips of Bryan Mills' daughter's birthday, though the sound is slightly muffled), and The Bourne Identity (used to compliment a shot of a theme park in the background). In addition, it's been used in TV shows like Sherlock, Nathan Barley and Midsummer Murders. The sound actually originated from the video game Diddy Kong Racing (hence the name) all the way back in 1997, and has persistently haunted my dreams ever since. Whenever I hear it, the hairs stand up on my neck.