Sound in Thrillers

In Thriller films, music is used to create tension and suspense within the audience and make them feel scared and frightened. The music helps to build up a climax when approaching a scary bit of the film. Within Thriller movies the general sounds used are dark,eerie and mysterious. This is because they help coincide with whats going on in the scene and reinforce the mood that is being presented. The music usually begins slow paced whilst gradually speeding up helping create tension and lead to a climax. When music is played beneath a scene and used to help create mood, this is called underscoring.

In certain films sound is used to create tension and intrigue the audience. Of all the renowned directors and filmmakers who use sound in their films to create suspense, Alfred Hitchcock is at the top of the pile. One film of his that is particularly good at creating a gripping scene through the use of sound is in the famous 'Psycho'. At the beginning of the clip there is no music and we can just hear diegetic sounds, such as the door and shower. The lack of sound is on purpose, it is done to create a false sense of security as it just seems like an ordinary scene there is no quiet crescendo music, instead just the basic noises we see in the scene. Also, this lack of sound is also incorporated into the scene to catch us off guard as the audience are not expecting to witness a murder scene.


Later on in the scene we are given a high angle shot where the audience can see the shower curtain, at first it's just normal but slowly we see a shadow appear on the other side of the curtain. As the figures shadow becomes more prominent the camera zooms in on the curtain. Then suddenly the curtain is drawn back and we are faced with a figure holding a knife, however the sense of mystery is still maintained as we cannot see his face. Simultaneous to this a non diegetic violin screech is heard deafening the audience creating shock and nervousness to the viewer. In addition, as the violin is being played the lead role played by actress Vera Miles turns around violently as a piercing scream is heard. This combination of a non diegetic screech and a diegetic scream are used to create a fierce and panicking scene in which we experience the character being brutally stabbed to death. This sound conforms perfectly with the crime/psychological thriller genre conventions as it uses loud and high pitch sounds to create an intense sequence. These sounds are both reinforced by the use of jump cuts to add to the frantic feel of the scene. There is no ambient sound in the sequence and the only dialogue heard is the scream of the scared women.

Another thriller movie in which sound is used to create tension is in Skyfall, a typical action thriller. In this James Bond installment female character Eve is plunged into an extremely dramatic and tense scene where she must shoot a criminal whose in a fist fight with Bond and she must not hit James. Immediately when we are thrown into the scene there is a fast paced, loud and intense underscore which emphasizes the severity of whats going on in the scene. The sound in the sequence can be described as synchronous sound as it matches what is going on in the scene. Furthermore, the fast jump cuts and quick dialogue adds to the frantic atmosphere in the sequence. As the clip goes on the fight scene continues, the music speeds up and the dialogue intensifies building up tension and putting the audience on the edge of their seat eager to know the outcome. In addition, a new diegetic sound is introduced, the train's horn. This accompanied by the shot of the tunnel creates a sense of urgency as Eve must take the shot. As there are lots of different types of sound playing in this clip at the same time with the dialogue, the train, the fighting and the music the audience becomes captivated and the tension rises.

Later on in the scene when Eve takes the shot there is a moment of silence. The music stops and all we can hear is the echoing sound of a bullet, the camera turns and takes it's focus on the expression of Eve. The audience never actually see's the face of who is shot creating a sense of mystery, however the viewer makes an assumption that it was Bond due to the halt of the music and the silence of dialogue. The fast and loud crescendo underscore followed by the deafening silence and eeriness of a bullet being fired creates for an abrupt end to the scene.