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 ...

The world is full of sounds, and sound can affect us greatly. Some sounds are pleasant, like the laughter of a small child or a babbling brook in a peaceful forest. Other sounds are unpleasant, like ...

Stop. Listen. That’s all you have to do. There are so many people that feel the only way to feel alive is to fill the world with noise. They associate noise with life and silence with death. However, ...

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 ...

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for “Longlegs,” now playing in theaters. When “Longlegs” sound designer and editor Eugenio Battaglia first spoke with director Osgood Perkins about the ...

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 ...

It’s a dark and stormy night. Outside, the wind is howling. Rain is beginning to tap steadily at the window. You decide it’s the perfect setting to watch a scary movie. Armed with a bowl of popcorn, ...

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 ...

There are certain sounds that drive us batty. For many people, it's nails on a chalkboard. For me, it's the squeaking sound of styrofoam. What causes this reaction? —Brepark, via the Straight Dope ...

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 ...