Diagetic Sound in Horror Films - Seyi

Use of screams - e.g. Amityville Horror

• In order to show fear, an effective method of conveying it must be used, screaming is a prime example
• A person screams when put in a situation where they fear something or are in danger and wish to notify someone and in most horror films someone is in danger and they wish to notify someone so screams are extremely useful
• Screams differ between genders, stereotypically women are the ones who scream in comparison to men, this is utilised extremely well in this film as the screams are mainly female, by doing so you get a high pitched shriek due to the fact that they are women, this shriek cuts through the air so much more than a males scream so the viewer will either be scared by it or alerted to it faster as it catches your attention quicker.
• Also, the scream can make the person seem more helpless which indicates that they are going to die, due to the situation you can see on screen e.g. a girl screaming in the presence of the person who is going to kill them.

Use of Gore - e.g. Flesh eating etc.

• Films such as zombie films e.g. Resident Evil where lots of gore is present, a squelchy sound generally occurs for things such as flesh eating or bloody flesh dropping.
• This is a subtle thing within horror films however it has a great effect overall within a scene
• In some cases it can be used to show you that someone has been wounded etc. however in some it can be used to show the extent of someones damage as that noise cannot be made without a liquid and in this case it is blood.

Use of Villains/Monsters 

• The sound that monsters create must create fear in not only the actors ears but also ours
• Factors such as growls etc. can create suspense and give us an indication into what the victim is dealing with, sometimes if the film is trying to show a mutated form of a common creature e.g. a mutant spider it will often make any noise that a spider is known to make, however, if the creature is relatively unknown or made up e.g. an alien improvisation must be used however it gives the director the chance to exaggerate and create a bigger effect
• If in certain cases it is not a monster but a villain e.g. a serial killer, the person must sound deranged in their speech and sounds created by movement such as dragging feet.