Now, I want you to watch this compilation…and listen closely. I’m not gonna tell you what to listen for, I think you’ll notice what ties all the clips together. (And the audio has not been monkeyed with at all.) We’ll talk about it after the jump.
Did you hear it? That sound that you heard in all of those film clips is referred to lovingly as The Wilhelm Scream, and it’s a terrific piece of sound editor arcana. The short version: the Wilhelm Scream was recorded for a ’50s Western, popped up in a handful of movies in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, was adopted by George Lucas’ sound man Ben Burtt (who put the Scream in each Star Wars and Indiana Jones flick), and then dropped into more than 150 other movies since.
And here’s the long version:
That’s the end of today’s lesson, kids. Now, go out there and do some good.
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I’m sure I will unconsciously listen for the Wilhelm scream in all future actions films.
Wow – that was kind of cool. The scream reminded me of the sound made by that “Don’t taze me, bro” guy after the po-po zapped him.
Thats awesome!!!
NPR’s On the Media did a great story on the Wilhelm scream a while back, and they replay it every once in a while. Definitely worth checking out.
Excellent! I love this worthless trivia stuff. Now, like Silv, I’ll be listening for it.
Ahhhhhooooo!!!!!
There’s a scene with Han Solo trying to fake out a Storm Trooper. When does that happen in any of the Star Wars movies?
That was awesome!
I’m not 100% sure, since I haven’t seen it in 30 years, but I believe the Han Solo scene appears in the one and only Star Wars Holiday Special.
does anyone else absolutely hate the wilhelm scream?
Yeah, I don’t much care for the Wilhelm. It bothered me most in “Lord of the Rings” ’cause, dude, I don’t think an elf would make that sound.
Is Wilhelm still alive? Does he or his heirs get paid fot the scream? That’s the one thing we don’t hear enough of in late October, screaming.
Yup, recognized it right away. I hear that scream about 942 times a day when my son plays Lego Star Wars.
This made me laugh so hard.
To Babs: It wasn’t the (HOT) elf making that sound. It was the Haradrim (the bad guy falling off the oliphant).
To Galadriel: Actually, I’m referring to one of Haldir’s gang at Helm’s Deep – one of the first to be taken out by the Uruk-Hai. I’m all “oh hell no, an elf would not make such an ungainly sound”.
Here’s the NPR story on the Wilhelm that timtheviking2 mentioned. You need a Real Audio player to listen to it.
http://www.onthemedia.org/yore/transcripts/transcripts_123005_wilhelm.html
Babs, sorry I didn’t make it that far into the clip. Dang, that’s a shame! Someone send a letter to Peter Jackson!
furry_tom: by any chance did your Daniel Radcliffe stick doll make that sound too when it fell off the Hippogriff?
Best use of the Wilhelm Scream: Kill Bill. It just seems to fit with the over-the-topness of that movie.
Worst use: Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story. Um, Buzz would NOT make that noise. In my mindhole, he’d fall silently or make a long, drawn out aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
Heck, I can scream better than that.
But seriously, it’s funny how critical we can become after having the ’scream’ pointed out to us in all those movie clips. It begins to sound a bit lame. I agree with the guy who said it should have been kept secret. It has now lost it’s mystic now that it has been revealed in just about every movie we’ve ever seen. It’s like watching a sitcom with the laugh track. It becomes magnified when you focus on it.
Well, isn’t that GREAT! Now I’ll be concentrating on hearing that stupid scream everytime I’m in front of a screen! I need to call my therapist now.
Anyone listen to the band A Wilhelm Scream? They’re one of today’s best underground punk bands.
I love stock sound effects
I used to watch Arthur all the time on PBS and the baby only had like three sounds that they used over and over again, and now anytime I hear a baby cry or laugh or coo in a movie I know it’s the same damn sound.
This reminds me of that anecdote in “Say Anything” about her screaming on the plane.
Gee, EW finally figures out what most Lucasfilm fans have known since the early 90’s…better late than never.
Pathetic.
Isn’t there another famous female scream that gets used in movies over and over?
I love that scream. I can’t even watch the clip here at work but I know it very well. It makes me happy every time I hear it in a movie.
I knew that sound editors used the same scream over and over- you kind of can’t watch a lot of movies and not notice the same scream- but I didn’t know any of the details. Thanks!
thats like in spongebob, where, whenever something bad ar explosive/dangerous, what have you, theres this voice who always screams ‘my leg!’ with the same sound and everything, no matter who the person *well, in this case fish* is.
The best use of the Wilhelm Scream I have ever heard is in the film “Eagle vs Shark” (a New Zealand film starring Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords). In one scene, the characters are playing a Mortal Kombat-style video game, and the scream is used when someone pulls his opponent’s head off. Normally, I find the scream a bit distracting and out-of-place, but it fits perfecctly in as a video game sound effect.
Wow, I didn’t know there was a name for it. So what’s the name of the stock “crowd gasp” audio that gets used every single time a group of people are surprised in a movie or TV show?
“Anyone listen to the band A Wilhelm Scream?” I’d never heard of them Eric. Want to provide a link? (See Darth, this is why this is worth discussing. You find out about things like underground music groups.)
I know the comment is five months old but, dude…. if you’re lurking… and I know you probably are… I gotta ask… Darth Nihilus, are you the comic book guy from the Simpsons come to life???!! That is without doubt the most Dorked out comment I’ve ever seen on a public forum!! Right on!! You made my day.