SOUND IN HORROR

Sound in horror.

Sound in the movie genre of horror is something that is extremely important as not only does it set the scene for the viewer but it also:

1.  Sets the mood for the scene - this can be done by playing happy music when for example: When the son gets brought out of a coma (Insidious 2010) or shown by playing loud unsettling music when something bad is about to take place for example: in Alfred Hitchcocks very famous scene where a woman is getting murdered in the shower (Phsycho 1960) 
2. It can occasionally suggest how a situation is going to unfold for example: when the whole audio cuts out when its a long shot of the Valak (Conjuring 2 2016)
3. Certain sounds can be used to trigger fear in the audience. This is also the case in the previous scene used. Moments after the audio is cut out for a few seconds you hear a very human-like gentle cry while remaining on the longshot of the Valak (Conjuring 2 2016).

Scientists have found that many of the emotionally provoking scenes of some of the most famous horror movies are enhanced with a sound score that exposes the human mind to an aversion to "non-linear" (non-linear being when sound or music becomes too loud for the normal range of instruments) sounds, used a lot in the animal kingdom to cause fear. A lot of the time, horror movie music will be made from animal noises of distress as it is known to subconsciously cause distress in the human brain.

Much like the mind feeling disorientated when the 180-degree rule is broken, it could be argued that the audio version of the 180-degree rule is the changing of pitches and tones of sounds causing the viewer to feel on edge and tense.

All in all, horror movies wouldn't be anywhere near as scary as they are if they did not have the music they have.