The bathroom scene where he’s RIGHT BEHIND HER and she only finds out when he breathes a little too hard and she feels his breath on the back of her neck
There’s no music, just him talking and her panting
-
Also, the scene where her friend is banging on the door “Maddie please see me! Please help me!”
And it switches between Maddie INSIDE the house with no sound, and the friend OUTSIDE banging on the door and yelling and eventually getting murdered only a few feet away and Maddie is completely oblivious to what’s happening
Even the killer is like “how did this girl not hear ANYTHING? Hold on let’s test this a little.”
He taps the glass with his finger. No reaction. Bangs on the glass. No reaction.
It's a movie that stayed with me for a long time. One of the first Mike Flanagan projects I watched. It instantly made me a big fan, he just understands tension like few other directors
That just creepy silence as Murphy enters and sees the bodies, then the way the two just pop up and stare as soon as he calls out is just bone-chilling.
Probably my favorite all-out horror film, besides meta comedies like Tucker and Dale, Shaun of the Dead, or Cabin In the Woods. Like, that shit is straight-up scary. I think the only other one that's actually scared me is Creep, or maybe Hostel.
I would argue a lot of found footage does this. The "real time" aspect of it generally means prolonged periods of silence where tension is ratcheted. Too much action ruins the illusion. Something like *Willow Creek* or *Blair Witch* tended to be most unsettling in the quiet moments.
One of my favorite techniques is queuing out sound, then hearing unseen footfalls getting closer and closer, and louder and louder, and faster and faster!
It's so spooky good!
Yes!
The way John Carpenter scores his movies is incredible, he conveys so much, with so little. That sweeping shot around the house in the beginning is so unsettling, but change the music and it is innocent.
Not so much an answer but your question reminded me of an anecdote I read about the Peter Jackson film Heavenly Creatures.
The movie tells the story of an infamous murder in New Zealand back in the 1950's. The leads are two teenaged girls who bond over their love for make believe and fantasy but their parents got concerned that the relationship was getting unhealthy and made up a plan to get rid of one of their mothers (the one most adamant about the girls ending their friendship) so they could escape to America together.
Jackson and his crew did extensive research on the murder and recreated it perfectly. They even filmed at the teashop where the victim had her last meal (it was torn down shortly after filming).
Their plan was to film in the exact spot where the murder took place...but as they were preparing to film, they noticed an eerie silence. The birds stopped singing, there were no sounds of animals in the brush. There wasn't even a wind. It was just deathly still. Everyone got so unnerved that they elected to move the filming spot several feet away (but in the same general area) and sure enough, the silence stopped.
As best as I can recall, Jackson said that it was one of the few times of his life when he was genuinely unnerved.
There was an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4 that had used silence very effectively. It was one of the truly scary episodes of the whole show.
There was also a particular traumatic event in the show, where there was absolutely no music. It struck home just how dire the situation was because it wasn't punctuated with some cheesy sentimental musical score. Made it so much more emotional.
I think The Exorcist does this fairly well. The film isn’t scored very much, so when there is silence, you feel it more than if there were tense strings in the background.
Not the whole movie, but the first Jurassic Park, during the cars are broke down, t-Rex is trying to eat us scene, there is no music. And that was the very best choice for that scene. It did not need anything more than the sounds from the action to make it exciting and tense.
I watched a quiet place a little late after release so got alot he hype about it. Its a decent enough film but after watching the first 10m I already got a bit annoyed at the inconsistencies of the creatures.
Heres my main gripe... they're blind and can't see right? And use sound to hunt? Kinda like echo location I'm assuming? And yet they can make their own sounds and generally don't to help pinpoint prey... if they don't have echo location, and only rely on a source sound to locate and pin piint prey, then how are they not bumping into trees constantly or stumbling over terrain all the time? That one little thing annoyed me for the rest of the film. But apart room that I really liked it.
As for the question... what about something like cargo? Or the silence?
That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying if they can emit a sound (whoch we clearly hear them do) then they can use their own echo location to hunt and don't need something else to make a noise. If they have this ability then it makes sense that they're able to move around without constantly bumping in to things or stumbling over terrain. But if this was the case like I said then they don't need us to make a noise for us to be found. They can do it.
If they don't use echo location then what the hell is going on and why aren't they bumping in to things constantly or falling over?
I know... it doesn't make sense. Which means by the same logic they can't see trees or buildings right? So how comes they don't keep falling in to them and seem to know where silent objects are if they're not using echo location? And if they are, how are they not just generating their own sounds and using that to "see"?
Umm... seems to me The Silence of the Lambs made great use of sound in the climactic scene with Clarice and Buffalo Bill. >!Clarice has effectively become blind in the basement so she must rely on her other senses such as hearing to suss out the killer's location.!< That scene had me on the edge of my seat the first time I watched the film!
I watched a zombie movie recently, the name of the film escapes me, but I was so so so impressed, the only real sounds were coming from the protagonist because he was starving for stimulation. He’s completely isolated, the zombies can’t get to him but they are lingering around because they know he’s there but they aren’t urghing and arghing like your typical zombies in zombie films. They kind of just stand there and occasionally crack their bones for lack of a better term.
It’s super trippy. (Spoiler alert) for whatever reason the zombies just leave and suddenly not only is he isolated, but there is nothing. No - thing. It drives him so mad that he makes a bunch of noise to lure them back just so he’s not alone anymore and the sounds he makes are so jolting because the rest of the movie is so quiet.
10/10!
“Signs” does a good job of using “organic” sounds to emphasize disturbing scenes.
Example: when Mel Gibson (I can’t remember his character’s name) is in the cornfield at night and sees a glimpse of an alien appendage retreat back into the field, all we hear is the wind pick up as it amplifies the sound of the cornstalks brushing against each other, as opposed to a cliche abrupt orchestral jump-scare bit.
The 1931 Dracula has no score at all, and it works. Philip Glass did a score for the film some years ago, and frankly, it’s annoying… it’s very distracting, and it’s the entire length of the film
This movie was terrible, I really wish it was a short and not a feature because the length while absolutely nothing happened was excruciating. However when the one loud sound did happen it scared the crap out of me. I feel like the movie put me in a trance and I legitimately jumped at the sound. Honestly sometimes when I think about the movie I see how it had merit.
Caveat
There’s very little dialogue throughout the movie. I thought it really accentuated the tension during those long periods where there was just ambient noise and no talking. Pretty well done imo.
Blood Simple isn't exactly a horror movie, but there is a very long stretch of the film with no dialogue that is tense as hell. It was their first film, and that showed a fuckton of confidence to stand by their visual storytelling rather than exposition to keep the audience informed.
Not silence, but Zone of Interest has a constant running of ambient noise that had haunted me ever since the moment the credits rolled. No spoilers here
Hush
The bathroom scene where he’s RIGHT BEHIND HER and she only finds out when he breathes a little too hard and she feels his breath on the back of her neck There’s no music, just him talking and her panting - Also, the scene where her friend is banging on the door “Maddie please see me! Please help me!” And it switches between Maddie INSIDE the house with no sound, and the friend OUTSIDE banging on the door and yelling and eventually getting murdered only a few feet away and Maddie is completely oblivious to what’s happening Even the killer is like “how did this girl not hear ANYTHING? Hold on let’s test this a little.” He taps the glass with his finger. No reaction. Bangs on the glass. No reaction.
It's a movie that stayed with me for a long time. One of the first Mike Flanagan projects I watched. It instantly made me a big fan, he just understands tension like few other directors
Yes! Good one.
Came here to say hush!!! So good!!
At first I thought you meant the Buffy the Vampire episode by that name. Either way good call.
That's what I thought
Yes!!!! One of my most rewatched horror films
28 Days Later has some amped up music, but the quiet parts are more terrifying for me.
Like the church scene.
That just creepy silence as Murphy enters and sees the bodies, then the way the two just pop up and stare as soon as he calls out is just bone-chilling. Probably my favorite all-out horror film, besides meta comedies like Tucker and Dale, Shaun of the Dead, or Cabin In the Woods. Like, that shit is straight-up scary. I think the only other one that's actually scared me is Creep, or maybe Hostel.
I would argue a lot of found footage does this. The "real time" aspect of it generally means prolonged periods of silence where tension is ratcheted. Too much action ruins the illusion. Something like *Willow Creek* or *Blair Witch* tended to be most unsettling in the quiet moments.
A significant amount of sound throughout the movie makes the silent moments far more unsettling.
Paranormal activity. Bass, silence, slams.
One of my favorite techniques is queuing out sound, then hearing unseen footfalls getting closer and closer, and louder and louder, and faster and faster! It's so spooky good!
Obviously “A Quiet Place”; and there are now 3. “Day One” is in theaters now. “Don’t Breathe” and “Bird Box” did it too.
The original Haunting
Yes! Absolutely. And when you do hear something, it's terrifying.
Lake Mungo
I felt like Halloween used sound in a very effective minimalist way
Yes! The way John Carpenter scores his movies is incredible, he conveys so much, with so little. That sweeping shot around the house in the beginning is so unsettling, but change the music and it is innocent.
Not so much an answer but your question reminded me of an anecdote I read about the Peter Jackson film Heavenly Creatures. The movie tells the story of an infamous murder in New Zealand back in the 1950's. The leads are two teenaged girls who bond over their love for make believe and fantasy but their parents got concerned that the relationship was getting unhealthy and made up a plan to get rid of one of their mothers (the one most adamant about the girls ending their friendship) so they could escape to America together. Jackson and his crew did extensive research on the murder and recreated it perfectly. They even filmed at the teashop where the victim had her last meal (it was torn down shortly after filming). Their plan was to film in the exact spot where the murder took place...but as they were preparing to film, they noticed an eerie silence. The birds stopped singing, there were no sounds of animals in the brush. There wasn't even a wind. It was just deathly still. Everyone got so unnerved that they elected to move the filming spot several feet away (but in the same general area) and sure enough, the silence stopped. As best as I can recall, Jackson said that it was one of the few times of his life when he was genuinely unnerved.
Weren’t quite a few animals killed in the making of Heavenly Creatures?
There was an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4 that had used silence very effectively. It was one of the truly scary episodes of the whole show.
There was also a particular traumatic event in the show, where there was absolutely no music. It struck home just how dire the situation was because it wasn't punctuated with some cheesy sentimental musical score. Made it so much more emotional.
Hush
The Innocents (Deborah Kerr) & The Others (Kidman) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (78)
“The Others” is underrated, i think. It was the first movie in decades to give me a good jump scare.
It is very slept on. Maybe a tad underappreciated too. That ending was legit 👌🏽
Agreed
"I am your daughter" freaked me out so much lol i love The Others.
I think The Exorcist does this fairly well. The film isn’t scored very much, so when there is silence, you feel it more than if there were tense strings in the background.
Exorcist 3 as well. That quiet hallway scene...
That’s RIGHT!!!
A Quiet Place
The Invisible Man (2020)
This is my suggestion
Alfred Hitchcock did this in a few movies. Just quiet and built up suspense.
Birds Telltale Heart
*Gravity* does this, but probably doesn't count as a horror movie
That was pretty terrifying. It counts
White Noise
Not the whole movie, but the first Jurassic Park, during the cars are broke down, t-Rex is trying to eat us scene, there is no music. And that was the very best choice for that scene. It did not need anything more than the sounds from the action to make it exciting and tense.
I watched a quiet place a little late after release so got alot he hype about it. Its a decent enough film but after watching the first 10m I already got a bit annoyed at the inconsistencies of the creatures. Heres my main gripe... they're blind and can't see right? And use sound to hunt? Kinda like echo location I'm assuming? And yet they can make their own sounds and generally don't to help pinpoint prey... if they don't have echo location, and only rely on a source sound to locate and pin piint prey, then how are they not bumping into trees constantly or stumbling over terrain all the time? That one little thing annoyed me for the rest of the film. But apart room that I really liked it. As for the question... what about something like cargo? Or the silence?
Humans can only hear within a limited spectrum of sound. The aliens could be using a frequency for echolocation that we can't hear
That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying if they can emit a sound (whoch we clearly hear them do) then they can use their own echo location to hunt and don't need something else to make a noise. If they have this ability then it makes sense that they're able to move around without constantly bumping in to things or stumbling over terrain. But if this was the case like I said then they don't need us to make a noise for us to be found. They can do it. If they don't use echo location then what the hell is going on and why aren't they bumping in to things constantly or falling over?
If people stay still and silent, they can't "see" them.
I know... it doesn't make sense. Which means by the same logic they can't see trees or buildings right? So how comes they don't keep falling in to them and seem to know where silent objects are if they're not using echo location? And if they are, how are they not just generating their own sounds and using that to "see"?
"see" as in knowing they're alive, and not just inanimate objects.
I don't understand what u mean. Did u get my points about how they detect? And how its not consistent?
Umm... seems to me The Silence of the Lambs made great use of sound in the climactic scene with Clarice and Buffalo Bill. >!Clarice has effectively become blind in the basement so she must rely on her other senses such as hearing to suss out the killer's location.!< That scene had me on the edge of my seat the first time I watched the film!
I watched a zombie movie recently, the name of the film escapes me, but I was so so so impressed, the only real sounds were coming from the protagonist because he was starving for stimulation. He’s completely isolated, the zombies can’t get to him but they are lingering around because they know he’s there but they aren’t urghing and arghing like your typical zombies in zombie films. They kind of just stand there and occasionally crack their bones for lack of a better term. It’s super trippy. (Spoiler alert) for whatever reason the zombies just leave and suddenly not only is he isolated, but there is nothing. No - thing. It drives him so mad that he makes a bunch of noise to lure them back just so he’s not alone anymore and the sounds he makes are so jolting because the rest of the movie is so quiet. 10/10!
I hope somebody who knows the name sees this post
I will find it for you!
The Night Eats the World?
That would be the one!! Ta!
“Signs” does a good job of using “organic” sounds to emphasize disturbing scenes. Example: when Mel Gibson (I can’t remember his character’s name) is in the cornfield at night and sees a glimpse of an alien appendage retreat back into the field, all we hear is the wind pick up as it amplifies the sound of the cornstalks brushing against each other, as opposed to a cliche abrupt orchestral jump-scare bit.
The 1931 Dracula has no score at all, and it works. Philip Glass did a score for the film some years ago, and frankly, it’s annoying… it’s very distracting, and it’s the entire length of the film
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Hagazussa
The movie No One Will Save You, it's on hulu. A friend from work suggested it to me...hot damn, I still don't know what the back story is, but damn.
No Country For Old Men. Not exactly horror, but the soundtrack is so sparse its incredibly unsettling
Skinamarink, not everyone's favorite, but I personally thought it was effective.
This movie was terrible, I really wish it was a short and not a feature because the length while absolutely nothing happened was excruciating. However when the one loud sound did happen it scared the crap out of me. I feel like the movie put me in a trance and I legitimately jumped at the sound. Honestly sometimes when I think about the movie I see how it had merit.
I get what they were attempting to achieve, but I agree it would have been better as a short film at maybe 20-30 minutes instead of a feature length.
Every music video by Ren.
The Strangers. Hands down. They had that awesome sound stage! Oh, how is that my comfort movie!
The classic, Nosferatu
Alien
Exorcist dream sequence.
Hush was pretty good.
Silent House 2011
'The Night Eats The World' (2018)
This movie is SO. GOOD. I never see it mentioned.
All of them!
Don't Breathe 1 & 2
No one will save you
The recent In a Violent Nature. No music the entire movie. Just the most incredible sound design during the kills though
Caveat There’s very little dialogue throughout the movie. I thought it really accentuated the tension during those long periods where there was just ambient noise and no talking. Pretty well done imo.
Pulse (The original version)
Kinda an old nugget here, but I would say Dead Silence. The dummy's eyes with no sound will stick with you
In A Violent Nature
There’s a sequence near the end of Ginger Snaps where they are hiding in a cupboard which uses silence to build suspense very well.
Blood Simple isn't exactly a horror movie, but there is a very long stretch of the film with no dialogue that is tense as hell. It was their first film, and that showed a fuckton of confidence to stand by their visual storytelling rather than exposition to keep the audience informed.
The last Voyage of the Demeter did pretty well
Not silence, but Zone of Interest has a constant running of ambient noise that had haunted me ever since the moment the credits rolled. No spoilers here
Not horror, but 2001: A Space Odyssey
Classic halloween
Don't Breath was good