Sound: Psychological Horror
All psychological horrors use both diegetic and non diegetic sound, however in terms of adding suspense to a scene some sounds are exaggerated or minimal dialogue is used to emphasise that one sound.
All psychological horrors use both diegetic and non diegetic sound, however in terms of adding suspense to a scene some sounds are exaggerated or minimal dialogue is used to emphasise that one sound.
Flesh
In terms of a "flesh" sound, many do not realise how exaggerated it is especially in horror movies as an overall. Horror movies specialise in a lot of gruesome deaths throughout a film and the sound of a body falling to the ground is dramatised as well as being exaggerated due to non diegetic sound. In this case, it's likely that a large piece of raw meat was dropped on a hard, flat surface in a recording sound. In horror films the use of gore is sometimes a major role in a film however they make sure that it's subjective therefore the audience would be able to hear it rather than see it, this is why the sound of flesh is exaggerated thus giving off a bigger impact to the audience.
An example of this would be ghost ship, when the wire cuts through each character and they fall to the floor, the sound is extremely exaggerated as if this were to happen in reality a harder, less squelch like sound would be produced as the body falls to the floor.
Leaves
When filming outside, (e.g. a forest) the sound of the crunching of leaves seems to be emphasised on as the character gets further towards their destination. Emphasis is drawn towards it by the dialogue between characters being extremely minimal. This would be classified as diegetic sound as it's something that the audience can see as well as hear. When using dry leaves as a sound effect it's usually used as a sound bridge from one scene to the other, with an immediate halt to the footsteps this can create tension within the audience, where as fading them out will give a lighter and less sudden feel.
Footsteps
Additionally the use of footsteps add tension to a film as it highlights the antagonist getting closer or the protagonist getting closer to a certain place of symbolism within the film. When the sound effect of footsteps is used, there is either minimal or no dialogue at all. If the footsteps are the main representation within a scene then the sound of the footsteps may have been pre recorded and then applied in sync with the scene during the editing process.
Discordant music
Discordant music is clearly going to be non diegetic sound as there wouldn't be an orchestra or musician on screen. Discordant music sets the feel and atmosphere of a scene, without it the audience would be in oblivion about how to feel and lack an idea of what to expect. The use of discordant music within a horror film uses instruments to an advantage to produce and imitate sounds of certain objects, such as a chainsaw - Texas Chainsaw Massacre uses an electric guitar to imitate the sound of the chainsaw.
Overall, the exaggerating and emphasising of sounds plays a large role in a psychological horror as it adds to the impact the shock factor has on the audience, especially if it's spontaneous. However, when using discordant music it's important to note that it has to be scored as well as created allowing changes to be made.
An example of this would be ghost ship, when the wire cuts through each character and they fall to the floor, the sound is extremely exaggerated as if this were to happen in reality a harder, less squelch like sound would be produced as the body falls to the floor.
Leaves
When filming outside, (e.g. a forest) the sound of the crunching of leaves seems to be emphasised on as the character gets further towards their destination. Emphasis is drawn towards it by the dialogue between characters being extremely minimal. This would be classified as diegetic sound as it's something that the audience can see as well as hear. When using dry leaves as a sound effect it's usually used as a sound bridge from one scene to the other, with an immediate halt to the footsteps this can create tension within the audience, where as fading them out will give a lighter and less sudden feel.
Footsteps
Additionally the use of footsteps add tension to a film as it highlights the antagonist getting closer or the protagonist getting closer to a certain place of symbolism within the film. When the sound effect of footsteps is used, there is either minimal or no dialogue at all. If the footsteps are the main representation within a scene then the sound of the footsteps may have been pre recorded and then applied in sync with the scene during the editing process.
Discordant music
Discordant music is clearly going to be non diegetic sound as there wouldn't be an orchestra or musician on screen. Discordant music sets the feel and atmosphere of a scene, without it the audience would be in oblivion about how to feel and lack an idea of what to expect. The use of discordant music within a horror film uses instruments to an advantage to produce and imitate sounds of certain objects, such as a chainsaw - Texas Chainsaw Massacre uses an electric guitar to imitate the sound of the chainsaw.
Overall, the exaggerating and emphasising of sounds plays a large role in a psychological horror as it adds to the impact the shock factor has on the audience, especially if it's spontaneous. However, when using discordant music it's important to note that it has to be scored as well as created allowing changes to be made.
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