A TOK Emotion Project by Jacob
F E A R
Psycho Stabbing
With one of the most famous sound effects of all time, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho was the first movie to do many things including killing the heroine early on in the movie. His disregard for the de facto rule of murdering the main character near the end caused the murder scene to be a complete surprise to its viewers. Made even more terrifying, the sound effect that went with the bloody, shower-murder in the Bayte's motel is now an iconic sound around the rule. When someone hears the screeching of the knife being stabbed downwards onto its victim, they associate it with this monumental murder scene.
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This sound was voted as the scariest movie sound for an understandable reason. Upon hearing this group of staccato notes, anybody who has seen this movie will begin to worry and automatically associate it with murder, removing their cognitive thought process, an important aspect in studying Psychology.
One Missed Call Ringtone
For many, some of the scariest noises or songs are those which should belong to a baby's toy but are used in demonic ways. This wonderful example is the ringtone which plays on the victims' phones. Upon answering, themselves screaming at the moment of their imminent and speedily approaching deaths.

The soon-to-be victims in this film try to put together strange puzzle pieces to figure out who is calling and for what reason. This reasoning skill soon vanishes with the realization that they were going to die. Their bodies soon fill with fear and impede their abilities to think rationally.

Because, as part of the cognitive level of analysis in Psychology, we associate little children with innocence and happiness, the juxtaposition of murder and a children's song causes deep feelings of fear and anticipation for the imminent.
Jaws Thumping
Along with the Psycho stabbing, the deep and quickening thumps marking Jaws's arrival is considered one of the most well-known and terrifying noises of all time. This movie caused its viewers to be terrified of entering the ocean for months after its showing in theaters. When a giant beast of prey like a shark begins making victims of ocean-goers, people realize that it is a real possibility. While filming this movie, the mechanical shark stopped working frequently. To avoid cancellation, Steven Spielberg used Hitchcock's method of representing the killer's presence with sound instead of showing them on camera.

Because Spielberg used techniques that he learned from Alfred Hitchcock, this movie, and specifically the sound effect, causes a huge amount of anticipation that something bad is coming. Coined by Hitchcock but used by many, sound is an incredibly effective tool in inciting fear in the viewers.