You knew the moment you heard the “da dum, da dum” in “Jaws” that something bad was going to happen. And who could forget Janet Leigh’s bloodcurdling shower-scene scream in “Pyscho”? Filmmakers learned early that cinematic soundtracks can elicit powerful emotions, and now researchers may have figured out why a horror flick’s score can make your skin crawl.
The distorted and chaotic sounds in movies seem to mimic the cries that wild animals may have used for millions of years, says study co-author Daniel Blumstein, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Recommended Stories
Print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account
Digital subscriber? Click here to login/register your account.