SOUNDS THAT TERRIFY

Evening Star, Issue 22460, 3 October 1936, Page 7

SOUNDS THAT TERRIFY

What are the 10 worst sounds in the world—tK© sounds that send shivers up and down the human spine? This is the question that caused an unusual kind Of research in the sound department of the Metro-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 drippmg of water; dry thumb rubbed on a plate-glass window pane; a file drawn across the edge of thin metai. Most of these arc 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 he classified into “ nightand “day” sounds, as far as alarm is concerned. A woman’s scream, for instance, is more effective as a thrlior in the dark than in the daytime. _ A _ ghostly whisper coming from an invisible source garners more thrills in the daylight. Sudden explosions of a gun, offstage, arc best in daylight, where one can sec the player’s reactions to them. They arc only good in the dark if the flash of the explosion can ho seen.