From the double-bass pulse that signals the presence of the giant shark in "Jaws," to the shrieking strings that slice along with Norman Bates' knife in "Psycho's" famous shower scene, horror films ...

With Halloween around the corner, we asked Peter Brown, sound editor behind the movie Paranormal Activity to share his secret behind scary sound effects. Now it's time for our regular segment Words ...

The iconic shower scene in Psycho was originally supposed to play out without music. Instead composer Bernard Herrmann created “The Murder”: as the killing transpires, violins shriek and scream along ...

Hiding under a pillow during a horror movie can be an effective strategy for filtering the most brutal moments in a film. But often, even behind tightly closed eyes, you can't escape the suspense, ...

Long before radio became mainstream entertainment, Edgar Allen Poe was already writing for the airwaves. Throughout the last decade of his life, his poetry and prose bristled with words and phrasing ...

Researchers have shown that humans perceive approaching sounds differently than we perceive receding sounds. We overestimate how quickly the sound approaching us is moving (Neuhoff, 2001). There is ...

Picture this: A girl walks alone down a long, creaky hallway. The lights are off, her pace is slow, and she’s inching towards the shadows. What sort of music is playing in the background? Almost ...

You know the sound: It's eerie and echoing, and it makes the little hairs on your arms stand up immediately. So many horror movies use it to create a chilling atmosphere, and even some reality shows ...

Note: This piece is better heard than read. To hear this review and the specific musical moments it references, listen at the audio link. Mark Korven specializes in making scary sounds. Lately, though ...

If you want to know what it sounds like to root around in someone’s chest cavity without the bloody mess, a grapefruit will do just fine. Tear, compress, and squish it in your hands. With a little ...

The dark corridor ahead is empty. A lamp is lit, breaking up the gloom. There is nothing here, only creaking floorboards. Then why do you feel like this? Like your heart has grown three times in size ...