How to Make Music Sound Scary
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- Опубликовано: 25 авг 2016
- So this video was meant to be a response to Now You See It's "Why Jump Scares Suck"
• Why Jump Scares Suck
When I first started this channel I never thought that it would get to the size that it did, let alone have this video almost big as big as Now You See It's. The whole idea was that I was trying to emphasize the importance of the music in these kinds of tense situations (like demonstrating how you can created a tense situation with music alone), which was something I didn't see anyone else talking about. I seriously never thought it would get this big, let alone ever even have the potential of stepping on his toes.
So even though he's an enormous channel, I think it still really needs to be said, go send him some love, and some extra views, and please let him know I'm sorry.
• Why Jump Scares Suck
Also, the whole idea of a high sound and low sound at the same time with empty space in between them actually comes from my Composition Professor from college, so big shout outs to him! (I'm not sure if he wants to be credited by name or not soo...)
Original Upload Date: August 26, 2016
With Halloween and the scary movie season coming up, I figured it'd be worth demonstrating how you can use music to really add to a tense scene.
Link to Five Nights at Freddy's Video: • Video
Twitter: / sideways440
Twitch: / sideways440 
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Somehow the absence of a jumpscare was scarier than the jumpscare would've been.
thats so true
Yeah. You're waiting for something to happen, but it never does.
I think el Orfanato (the Orphanage, one of the few movies I found to be actually scary) has this wonderfully, but also scares that come out of almost nowhere.
I think in both cases that's better. With good tense build up a jump scare mostly feels like a release.
It makes me feel like I'm paranoid ;-;
Henry Ambrose because after the video my body is expecting it but is now afraid of when it will come. It's like jumpscare blue balls.
"Jumpscare blue balls" Do you mind me borrowing that expression? Because it's fucking funny AND relatable
fnaf is scary, the fanbase is scarier.
the babadook however, sucked.
Frame by Frame fuck off
The Babadook to me is the most disturbing movie ever made. You could just stare at something in the movie and feel very very uncomfortable. The movie also doesn't rely on jump scares. Plus, it is not only a horror film, but it also has a mind to it. It's also a psychological movie and digs deep down into what depression can do to you and what it feels like. In a way, The Babadook is also a metaphorical movie and should not be taken literally in all ways.
Baba...dook...Dook...DOOOOK
Lt. Will yeah... very trye
*video ends*
Me: *still waiting for the jumpscare*
Is there such a thing as unresolved jumpscare anxiety?
Hoop Monster if there is, I’m feeling it
Hoop Monster boo
Hoop Monster yes
Absolutely. It's the cousin to the _Shave and a Haircut_ phenomenon displayed in Who Framed Rodger Rabbit: Your brain recognizes the set-up, and so is waiting for the payoff. Anxiety, at it's core, is your brain mistaking otherwise normal life as the set-up to a negative pay-off, and constantly trying to be ready for that pay-off that isn't coming, being more and more sure of it the longer they pay-off takes to arrive.
I wouldn't know I had a creepy thumbnail pop up and I was expecting something so when nothing happened for a second then a spooky face popped up I jump scared myself
It's strange, 'Creepy Baby Music' has now become so common, that I assume something bad is going to happen if here it. It does not represent innocent niceness anymore, it represents diabolicalness and trickery now. So now there's this wierd dissonance when I hear (and probably you too) innocent lullaby music used in an innocent manner turns something creepy, and I expect something bad to happen. So like Reading Rainbow, strangely becomes nightmarish. This is also probably a part of why 'Teletubbies' is nightmarish as well. Combine horrifying visuals, and 'Creepy Baby Music.' Even though it was an accident, it stumbled it's way into creepiness.
Is that the same thing as soundtrack dissonance?
My lil sister is even teriffied of old Disney music for that reason because it sounds too happy to be genuinely true or something ?
that is why at the beginning of IT you can hear kids singing a lulluby with eerie music in the background, because not only is the "creepy baby music" thing but it also relates to the whole story with the kids being kidnapped and eaten alive
It is the fear of over innocence
@@leoalper4530 On a related note (haha) it's often because of the film "IT" that so many people are scared of clowns. Clowns, which originally were intended to be innocent and entertaining are now considered scary.
At the end, slowly backing away from the screen
Danielle Law I exit full screen mode
i muted the volume and looked through my slightly parted fingers
And turning down volume
I went down to the comments half a screen
me too lmao
"Don't you trust me?"
hooly shit. That was a great video.
I'm still waiting for the jumpscare, even after the video ended.
Orphanchocolate Ikr, it made me question myself there. 😂
Same
Dont believe anyone, not even youself
+david K Turn around.....
High music also supposedly emulates the screams and distress of our young which would explain why we become instantly alert when we hear it
You said ‘the crickets stop chirping’ and I literally tensed up
"I promised no jump scares"
"Don't you trust me"
*Tai Lopez ad plays*
...
Roshan Rai 😂
Roshan Rai KNOWLEGE
NAWLEJJ
Here in my garage
Dank Dank holding my wiener
Starts video: "How to make music scary"
Ends video: "Because in the woods, you always hear the danger before you see it"
That's even more creepier than jumpscares
That's even more creepier than jumpscares
It's so much worse, because I need glasses but I love music, meaning I would. I also live near a forrest so frick the guy that made this I'm gonna hear spooks from that cricket for weeks
Me: **hates horror movies**
Also me: **still clicks on the video**
Me inevitably: **dies at **0:35****
Imagine Obi-Wan watching that
I've always known about the disembodied head, but I've never seen it. Basically my innards tried to wriggle out of me.
@@user-oe5gv4sm3z At least Obi-Wan helped him lose half his weight.
@@danielawesome36 oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooof
What movie is it?
"the things that can eat you are going to be bigger than you"
*mosquitoes*
Well, actually-
@@laultimarebanada One mosquito, okay, no. Alaskan State Bird mosquitoes? You bet your buttons, because that's all that'll be left after they suck you dry.
"High sounds = not scary."
Deadliest animal on the planet: O RLY?
@@devinmorse9112 If you're referring to mosquitoes, I'm pretty sure they're not considered predators and I'm also pretty sure it's not the mosquito that kills people but the diseases and microorganisms they carry :P
@@MerelvandenHurk You're right, not predators -- occasional parasites? Thanks for that. As for everyone calling mosquitoes the deadliest animal, you have a point, although I get where they're coming from, as mosquitoes are the vector.
Wall-e is my favourite horror film
Yep
I don’t know man..it might be too scary for me..
It made me shit my pants so badly ;-;
*FILM THEORY INTENSIFIES*
Auto terrified me as a kid
*"don't you trust me?"*
"No!"
and then nothing happens but the video ending. rip i should've trusted you
What do you mean that jumpscare at the end made me shit myself dude!!!
There was a guy trying to sell me something at the end😂 thought that was pretty scary
That jumpscare at 0:35 caught me off guard at and now I’m waiting for Darth Maul with hair to interrupt my dreams
yo, why don't more horror films have anti-jumpscares? Like with a regular jumpscare, you got the buildup and you get all tense and worked up and them BAM scary thing but it's okay it's gone now haha nice release ey?
But like
if there isn't a jumpscare, there's no release. It's just
tense.
uncomfortable.
Sure, you don't need to be tense all the time. But just going from real tense spooky "oh god something gonna happen" scene straight into next scene where everything is fine is just gonna feel like
deeply uncomfortable
XD
Horror thrillers. Keep you on the suspense and then nothing happens. Or like... Psychological thrillers, but I dunno
The best jumpscares are the ones where it builds you up, there's the BAM moment but nothing actually happens (character opens door and there's nothing there for example) and then a second or two later it pops up, after you've relaxed and thought nothing was going to happen.
so...the happening?
Not a horror movie but horror game, Lost in Vivo does this anD I HATE IT.
S O M U C H.
I was "balls to the wall" ready for that jumpscare I thought was going to happen at the end. You, good sir, have just earned a sub.
YOU LIED TO ME!!!
TELL ME DAHMIT ARE THERE JUMP SCARES OR NOT
got jumpscared by text
@@user-fd9rq7tp9g WHAT TO DO
"I promised no more jumpscares. Don't you trust me?"
No, because this is RUclips.
How make music sound scary?
Sideways: Dies Irae☠
😂
Yes, like Star Wars and Home Alone.
Mahler 2 and hunchback of Notre dame?
Not scary, to invoke the feeling of death or loss. It's not meant to invoke fear.
I promised no more jump scares.
Don’t you trust me?
me: NO
*Ad starts playing*
Me: AHHHHHHHH
thank god i have an ad blocker
COMMERCIALISM!
@@misseli1 Truly frightening!
😂🤣
I sht myself at the end
mainly cuz I'm on the toilet right now but hey it counts
Shakiah Johnson
Lol
Shakiah Johnson yeet
YOOOO ME TOO
WOW that's fucking funny.
Bro.. 😭
How to make Music sound Scary
Reverse it...
Soooo basically Missy Elliot get's it?
True-
Scary sound Music make to How
K, what's next?
Oh, like !aaaH-aH ,yawA eM ekaT oT gnimoC er'yehT?
300th like. You're welcome.
"Because in the forest, you're gonna hear the danger before you see it" GEE THANKS FOR THAT TERRIFYING THOUGHT NOW IM NOT GONNA GO TO SLEEP HOW DARE YOU!
"Don't you trust me?"
No, stranger on the Internet, I do not
I felt so relieved when there was actually really no jumpscare at the end :D
This is so interesting, I think I'm gonna analyse whenever I will see a scary movie :D
WonderWeirdo you lied to me
No he didn't
Hakej that was a test to all people reading comments before watching
hahahaha nice one. I really did pause and looked through the comments
WonderWeirdo Agreed
i full on had to take my headphones off at the end there to prepare myself. Jesus that was terrifying. Really good video!
Ben Buttle IKR! xD Just kinda ripped them off like "Noooooo~. Get the fuck outta my ear!"
That's exactly what he was going for XD
Top scientists around the world are trying to figure out what the fuck you just said
Bunny ?
Inglish much?
Everybody’s saying how the advert at the end scared them.
My advert was how to be happy *bruh*
Mine was a baby ad
Mine never appeared xD
@@laultimarebanada same
Mad Guy same
Mine was an Apple ad
“I promised no more jump scares”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“Which tie says only pay for what you need with liberty mutual?”
"We're triggering the primal 'something is not okay' response"
Hey I don't need help with that, my panic disorder does it for me automatically!
The video got me so paranoid that, after checking all the comments to see anything about jumpscares in the video, I still couldn't watch it till the last second for fear of it just being one of those cases where everyone tags along and pretend there was no scare.
There's no jumpscare lol
right? he effectively scared us the end by screwing with us. that was solid.
Yeah, another part of that was that there was an add at the end so I was holding my breath the whole time so when it turned out the video was just over, it was a huge relief.
“Don’t you trust me?”
**DOMINOS AD**
That jumpscare at the end got me good!
I almost smashed my computer
I pissed all over my walls
200th like
I got so scared I ran into Tibet, climbed the summit of Kilimanjaro, contemplated life, returned home, retired and died surrounded by my loved ones.
Butter of Sorrow KiLiMaNjArO iS iN aFrIcA sOmEwHeRe
Awww.. You were able to get Darth Maul to be in the thumbnail.
(Joke)
6 Vault 6 Boy 6 i like how you had to specify so you don't piss off the idiots
Omg every time I watch insidious my friend calls him a mix between Darth Maul and Mr tumnus haha
Tanja Tanja Pretty Piss off.
Tanja Tanja K
KK
Tanja Tanja Dude....
"promise no more jump scares" *takes of headphones* *exits fullscreen* *slowly backs away from monitor*
Tommy McSwagMuffin *off*
There’s a difference...
LMAO i did the exact same thing
Lmao I turned my phone all the way down to 1 notch 🤣
Tommy McSwagMuffin yeeesssss
“I promised no more Jumpscares.”
“Don’t you trust me?”
*NO!*
“Jumpscares tend to suck”
- *Darth Vader*
music i find scary is when it has that kind of reversed sound to it and just sounds weird
I know what you mean
Ch33ki H4ka can give us example
It just sounds very unnatural, just something our brain can't really place.
Those records from Sinister had reeeally unsettling music. Still feel uncomfortable when listening to them.
The intro to the song Hell Awaits by Slayer is a perfect example of that. Super creepy.
Had to turn down my volume for the last few seconds, just in case.
Same tbh
and look away yeah haha
The only films I can think of that have kind of done this are The Shining, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Dark Knight. Most horror films use repetition, like Halloween uses the 5/4 beat in its theme to put the audience on edge, and repeats it to reflect the insanity of its killer. I love melodic horror, but I wish there was more experimental stuff that actually scared the audience and complemented the film. Chainsaw Massacre uses banging metal to replicate the sound you would hear in a slaughterhouse, and every other sequel has not done that and suffered for it. Maybe horror would be horrifying if it stopped with the goddamn jump scares.
horror movies are so boring now a days every thing seems so cookie cutter and easy to produce
*"TIPTOE, THROUGH THE WINDOW, BY THE WINDOW, THAT IS WHERE I'LL BE."*
Very scary music apparently.
Ah, very cool Insidious reference!
That tone at the end gave me chills all over omfg
That's kinda the whole point of the fucking video....
way to be a dick
DankSlamBerry - No, I'm pointing out the obvious
TiggrrZ Uh oh. Looks like TiggrrZ is TriggrrZ.
***** That made no sense but ok.
but Insidious was riddled with high pitch sharp painicy violin scores and it was scary as fuck
Ryan Brooks the sounds were related to the threat with good buildup. Instead of wasting the jumpscare on a false alarm, James Wan often effectively uses them to create the creepy atmosphere. Would love to hear a more elaborate analysis from someone more knowledgeable though.
I was surprised he didn't go into how little things make high noises. and they make even higher noises if they're panic'd or possibly getting eaten by whatever the deep noise is. Actually you could probably do a lower high pitch first (fight) and then have it go quiet, (flight) and then whimper/panic high (failed flight) to maximize this.
... I wonder if you could take that set up and redeem it... by like mixing the fight pitch with the panic pitch and then silencing the low noise, (or take it higher first?) and then bringing the high sound to normalicy while giving it a exhausted but victorious ('I can't believe we I just did that and lived') breathing beat... like something that you'd animate with twinkling stars.
That sounds cool I should get a music editing program.
WildNinjacat That's actually a really interesting point I hadn't considered, but now I think about every time my cats have played with a mouse before killing it, and the panicked squeaks are pretty harrowing.
In my film history class, I often refer to the fact that INSIDIOUS made use of "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" and managed to make the most "un scary" imaginable music scary in it's context. I bet someone "dared" the director/producer/composer to figure out how to make the most silly song imaginable... scary. I play the song to the class and then play the film clips where it is used to show them. I can't imagine how anyone thought that would work in a scary movie, but it does. INSIDIOUS by the way had the highest "profit" of any movie that year. (Ratio of income to the expense of making the movie... Return on Investment)
Rikoeip same
How to make jump-scares scary, don’t add the jump scare, just the anxiety of it
I re-watched No Country For Old Men, and realized they don't use music at ALL. Which is so incredibly difficult to pull off, because I was tense the whole time! They used a faint noise in the background I believe, but honestly that was already enough to make me tremble. The silence is what made everything so damn scary. Like the killer was there, YOU were there, and he was waiting for you behind a door.
Thanks for the good explanation!
I thought "pffft there's no way i'll be scared, music can't really be that scary, and besides, I've had the whole video to mentally prepare" and then I got terrified.
AYO I WANTED TO LEARN ABOUT MUSIC NOT GET FUCKING COOKED
When it said “don’t let you trust me?” my lights flickered
how nice of you to keep your promises :)
"dont you trust me?"
-no...
then my kitty meows
and I throw my phone and break the screen
This is my favorite comment on this entire video
the replay button gave me a jump scare
Giygas' music is a prime example of that creepy stuff you were talking about.
HOLY SHIT PLEASE NO
"So the way you want to do this is play a really high sound and a really low sound at the same time, and nothing else."
That explains why duets and trios without a violist terrifies me!
... Or maybe it's just because I am a violist and we're usually booted out of string groups :'(
What was that sound at the end? Low one's obviously contrabass, but what's the high one? I'm guessing violin harmonics, but I'm not sure.
Anyway, another fantastic video from my new favourite channel! Keep up the great work!
Yeah DB, and the other was a solo soprano sample from EWQL with some reverb that I tinkered with.
Thanks for the support!
Most likely a string
I think it's a kind of whistle
Praise the Sun
fuck your sun you and all the other bitch ass host-friendly ruined invasions
the sun blocks out dark beings like you.
*Praise the Sun*
P.T. Silent Hills is a perfect example of how to use music and sound effects leading to a big jumpscare
"Don't you trust me?"
Me: "no..."
*video ends*
Me: Oh...
I was actually more creeped out when the video ended for a split second because I was expecting a jump scare so hard
Interesting theory, I would love to experiment with this in my films.
To answer your last question, yes I didn't trust you, lol.
ShuriBear i ducked out before it even got to the question lol
I did!
That ending was so much more effective then an actual jumpscare.
“I promised no more jumpscares.
Don’t you trust me?”
STATEFARM AD PLAYS
A jump scare at the end would have been perfect. I was 100% prepared for one
but doesnt it make it better? all that buildup and then...nothing! it confuses you, you expect it so much that the creepy feeling lingers even after you click away, because you still expect something scary to happen. effective buildup
yes sir. I shit my pants.
That suspense though
Well I had the thumbnail pop up so that kind of counts.
that for real freaked me pout and I was alone in my room aswell
I was so expecting a jumpscare at the end... It's even more terrifying that there wasn't one.
"I promised no more jumpscares"
"Don't you trust me?"
**MASSIVELY LOUD AD**
During college I had a friend that was hosting a Halloween... "chill" room, I guess? A kinda horror-themed reclining room. Something with a kinda spooky atmosphere, but relaxing enough you could still just drink coffee and talk with friends.
He wanted to try and get the right sountrack playing in the background to fit the mood. He'd decided on some old jazz song he liked, and asked me for help on how to make it "scarier" since I was taking a sound-design class at the time (not my major, but incredibly interesting. Very fun). So he starts playing the song for me, and I immediately say it's too fast. No one is going to find a bop scary at 96 beats per minute. So I instantly had it set to 80% of its original speed.
And... that was exactly what he wanted. Personally I think we could have done a bit more with it, but he was satisfied. The song was still present, but distorted enough to not "feel" right to a listener. The words were drawn out and the pitch had lowered to the point of not sounding normal, but it was still juuuuust recognizable enough that it could fade into the background if you let it.
A tangential anecdote, but the video made me remember a fun little moment.
At the end of the video, I lowered my volume and turned away a little bit😂
Marcus Pintor haha I did too
it wasn't technically a jumpscare, but my favorite "Oh God" moment in Alien was when Ripley assumes she is free of the monster and relaxes, and us as viewers can only watch in horror as the thing slowly crawls out of a crook in the escape pod. The music in that moment was completely blissful and gave a sense of relief, and that's the first time in my experience of cinema where the music completely lied to the viewer with no indication to danger.
4:45 I wanted a jumpscare while writing this comment my window swung open scared the shit out of me
"High sounds come from harmless things"
Mountain lion: am I a joke to you
Don't add a jump scare add a really loud moan
Is no one gonna talk about
"Small things"
*"your genitalia"*
Maybe your mom want to talk about it
And that's what a dickwhistle is.
"Lulabys are played on high pitched instruments." Bavarian-Bohemian Brass Band Tuba Players be like: Hold my beer!
*End of video
JUMPSCARE EXPECTED
that certainly was an earned jumpscare at the end
Papa Knosp fuck
Papa Knosp you might've saved my life or lied to me but I love you
Call me Daddy he lied 😂
that final sound actually reminded me of the evil dead presence sound
Holy shit when 4:20 dropped I was making food at midnight in somewhat darkness and I just peaced tf out Idc bout my sandwich I ain't getting eaten by no monster today
Imagine a horror movie with a super suspenseful scene that seems to lead up to a jumpscare, but the jumpscare never comes and the suspenseful scene just continues.
I love the music of "Spirited away". It has a part in it when Chihiro goes to see Yubaba, the music is playing some notes on a piano really high and the same notes really low. The effect is amazing, you really feel discomfort and scared.
The lack of a jumpscare was more scary than an actual one. Now I'm still on edge, assuming something will still happen.
3:30 "play a really high sound and a really low sound, and nothing else"
You made me realise that's what Strauss did in his opera Salomé. In the scene "The Dance of the Seven Veils" you have this very low background music (of what I think are mostly strings and brass instruments) and an incredibly ominous high-pitched woodwind melody playing over it. That piece alone is a masterpiece of psychological horror even though I don't really like the rest of the opera
Well I got jumpscared by a noosa yogurt at the end
Love the end of the video. You had me on edge. I even brought the video up full screen to see if a jumpscare might get me. LOL
You deserve more subs and views. Keep uploading!
I'm in my room alone in the dark at 3 am and I regret clicking this video.
If high sounds are comforting, explain the Halloween theme
Psycho be like 😊😊🤗😇
Louis Jones GNKJCSSGJN
What movie was that where it showed that creepy red thing behind that guy
RaD RoB insidious
jin's carrot Ok thx
Episode I - The Phantom Menace
rly fucking lost it
HAHAHA I thought so! The Phantom Menace LOL
GREAT VIDEO
hey thats you
Rocket Powered Sound
Its time
to sound design
i agree!
Thank you for this information. I found it informative since it gives me some more creative ideas on how to create dreadful, suspenseful or dark type of songs/ost tracks. You really helped me out.
An ad didn't jumpscare me, the thumbnail popped up again with a replay button. 1000x scarier than an ad
I scrolled down at 4:30 I got terrified so fast xD
Jesus Tap Dancing Christ what movie was that clip from in the beginning?
insidious
Thank you!
"tap dancing christ" you just can't be serious you just said that
+Bart Buur Such a shitty movie.
And by "shitty" I obviously mean "great, but it made me shit my pants".
Vince Rinehart star wars the phantom menace. no kidding it was insidious
"Don't you trust me?" Well, not when you ask like that, I don't.
I would argue that (what I personally call) the 'pulse' effect can have a major impact on building tension and an unsettling atmosphere as well. This involves the music rising and falling rhythmically, following a steady tempo or beat, either sharply like a heartbeat or slowly like the undulating motions of breath. To build atmosphere, it works best when it's slow. I don't really watch horror movies, but this kind of music has been used to great effect in some of my favourite horror video games (Mikko Tarmia is my personal top tier example).
Regarding the psychology of it, there are a few reasons I can think of. One is that it creates the sense of something being 'alive'. A slow, steady beat sounds a lot like the heart; quiet, rhythmic swells of sound or rising and falling notes sound like breathing. If the music sounds alive, we feel a physiological connection to the horror experience. Either it tricks us into feeling as if our own bodies are reacting to the tension, or we start to believe there's another living presence in the experience (like the monster or enemy).
Another reason is that a beat can serve to build tension all on its own, like a metronome or a ticking clock. It builds a sense of urgency, the need for/expectancy of progression. Something bad could happen on any beat.
Just found this channel yesterday. Love is the only word that comes to mind for this stuff
Awesome video as usual! You're actually really good at explaining things for people who do not know music from a technical point of view. Hello from New Zealand.
Thanks for the ending. Like instantly dropped my volume. Awesome job and the music before the end shot that fear right through me. Great video.
Yo, this was a gnarly video. I'm glad to have come across your channel!
I kinda scared myself when I saw the mask guy on the thumb nail
Atheist Priest
Bruh you have the same thumbnail I used to have
What movie is it from?
Insidious
Yeah I found out by research yesterday lol
lmao that guy in the thumbnail looks like darth maul
it's his dad, darth tattoo
Toasty lol wtf
Awesome! This was the perfect effect needed for our "Shining" moment in our video "BZB Express Swarm's CA's Capital for Audiovisual Invasion." Had fun using it and gave you credit as well. Thanks!
The end music really gave me the chills, great work. :)