SOUNDS THAT TERRIFY.

Western Star, 6 October 1936, Page 3

SOUNDS THAT TERRIFY.

What are the 10 worst sounds in the world—the sounds that send shivers up and down the human spine 1 This is the question that caused au unusual kind of research in the sound department of the Metrq-Goldwyn-Mayer studios at Hollywood, the ultimate aim being to collect all the terrifying sound effects possible..

Ultimately the following were selected: —Slate pencil drawn across a slate with a squeak; the rattle of a rattlesnake; ambulance siren coupled with tyre noises on a rainy street; wheels of an elevated train rounding a sharp curve; coyote's howl in the dark; flapping window shade on a tempestuous night; tearing rubber of a skidding motor car; incessant dripping of water; dry thumb rubbed on a plate-galss window pane; a file drawn across the edge of thin metal. Most of these are effective because they set the teeth on edge and therefore, when suddenly put into a picture at a tense dramatic moment, heighten that moment a hundredfold.

Alarming sounds can be classified into "night" and '-'day" sounds, as far as alarm is concerned. A woman's scream, for instance, is more effective as a thriller in the dark than in the daytime. A ghostly whisper coming from an invisible source garners more thrill in the daylight. Sudden explosions of a gun, offstage, are best in daylight, where one can see the player's reaction to them. They are only good in the dark if the flash of the explosion can be seen.