{"id":99236,"date":"2025-10-23T12:13:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T16:13:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/?post_type=cu_story&p=99236"},"modified":"2025-10-23T14:48:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T18:48:21","slug":"frightful-films-conjure-terror-quiet","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/frightful-films-conjure-terror-quiet\/","title":{"rendered":"Creepy Cicadas, Ticking Clocks and Jump Scares: How Frightful Films Conjure Terror out of Quiet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Creepy Cicadas, Ticking Clocks and Jump Scares: How Frightful Films Conjure Terror out of Quiet\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

This story contains spoilers about the movie ‘Weapons.<\/em>‘<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we approach the scariest time of year<\/a>, we need to make sure our home screens are in good working order for horror films, in particular the volume control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s true that some effects of the horror genre<\/a> are based on sounds that are popularly linked to danger \u2014 but let’s not forget the contrasting silences that are necessary for jump scares to have their full impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just in feature films where the sonic device of “un-sound” works: horror trailers<\/a> are filled with unexpected crashes out of stillness<\/a> and all-too-brief fragments that beg questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skilled directors and sound designers can frighten us in myriad ways, and sometimes through less in this all-too-noisy world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Space and emptiness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In this year’s contender<\/a> for best horror picture, Weapons<\/em>, director Zach Cregger wanted the sound team to adopt an understated approach to express a “sense of space and emptiness<\/a>” for the movie\u2019s locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He nevertheless deploys jump scares of varying intensity in diverse contexts, several of them involving the sudden appearance of the head of the witch Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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