SOUND IN THRILLERS

Plot summary
The Torrances make a visit to the Overlook Hotel, in the isolated highlands
of Colorado where father and husband, Jack is required to fulfil his role as
caretaker. The one thing that wife Wendy and son Danny will be saved by
will be The Shining.
Analysis of various elements of the soundscape
At first, general dialogue is exchanged between Jack and Wendy and a
subtle, echoic, resonant sound is held in the background. Shortly after, a
sort of trickling sound scratches its way
into the soft ambience in which the two
characters are in. That is until Jack asks the
question: What are you doing down
here? At this point, a build-up of the
trickling squeaky sounds begins to form a
climax this would stand as the
cacophonic underscore of this sequence.
This creates an atmosphere of unease and
uncertainty.
A zooming in close-up shot of Danny
appears at the same time Jack further digs into their conversation; as he
speaks, Danny foresees a
room of blood. His voice
becomes
distorted
and
harrowing, painting a more
disturbed picture of the
character whose mind is
influenced
by
dark
premonitions.
During
the
delivery of his line, the
expression
of
fear
and
confusion was set on Dannys face, which could also
trigger the audience to think the same way as him.
In addition to the previous point, Jacks disturbed voice only begins
when the close-up shot of Danny appears on screen, suggesting that
Danny is being affected by their conversation, its concerning him; Jacks
conversation is perhaps startling him in the psychological sense.
Analysis of the soundtrack/score
The overall tone of the score (or main underscore) is quite unpleasant, in
the sense that the noises and sounds used create an uncomfortable
atmosphere for both the characters and the audience. High-pitched
squeaks, scratches and trickles are all examples of sounds that people
dont traditionally enjoy hearing. The use of non-diegetic sound can also
cause confusion as to where the sound is coming from, adding to the
discomfort of situation. There is quite an uneven rhythmic pace in the
underscore; sharp, syncopated and staccato-like sounds appear at
unexpected points of the scene, which can also imply that random events
could occur during the film.