Wilhelm Scream

For those of you who have never heard of the Wilhelm Scream, this is a brief explanation from Wikipedia

The Wilhelm scream is a film and television stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the film Distant Drums.[1] The effect gained new popularity (its use often becoming an in-joke) after it was used in Star Wars and many other blockbuster films as well as television programs and video games.[2] The scream is often used when someone is shot, falls from a great height, or is thrown from an explosion.
The sound is named for Private Wilhelm, a character in The Charge at Feather River, a 1953 western in which the character is shot with an arrow. This was believed to be the third movie to use the sound effect and its first use from the Warner Brothers stock sound library

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdbYsoEasio

I am beginning to notice this soundbite being used in more and more movies and I'm beginning to wonder if there is some strange stipulation that it must be used, or else it's just some inside joke that all editors use.

Just watching the Fantastic Four and noticed they used it at least twice in a five minute period.

Mickeroo

Pretty sure its kind of an in-joke at this stage. Heard one in Captain America too.

I give a smug little giggle everytime I hear it :pac:

Same here - any time I hear it I laugh a bit. It really is quite amazing how often it gets used.

Fishooks12

James Blake has a song called the Wilhelm Scream

It's right good too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bu-yysgr2M

dr gonzo

Theres another one i notice quite a lot which is luke skywalkers scream from Empire. That might not be the original one but i hear it all the time.

RobertFoster

There's a couple I notice more than the Wilhelm Scream, namely the squeeky closing gate/metal door, and "five-george-kay" over police radios.

Goldstein

There's an "explosion" noise too I've been hearing everywhere for years. It was in the last level of the video game Doom II but it's in so many other things, usually when something explodes.

16, 21... seconds in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mokakNlWsxU

The Maverick

RobertFoster wrote: »

There's a couple I notice more than the Wilhelm Scream, namely the squeeky closing gate/metal door, and "five-george-kay" over police radios.

Does a woman's voice say that? I hear it as something like "We got a 10-7-1-3", though I could be mixing it up with another one. You're right though, it crops up in everything from films, tv shows, video games and even ads.

niallon

Goldstein wrote: »

There's an "explosion" noise too I've been hearing everywhere for years. It was in the last level of the video game Doom II but it's in so many other things, usually when something explodes.

Sounds quite like the shoulder cannon from Predator to me

mickgotsick

There's a great band called A Wilhelm Scream, not really adding to the thread but sure that's just the way it is.

http://www.awilhelmscream.com/

Dotrel

I'm generally unimpressed if anyone other than Ben Burtt uses it.

RobertFoster

The Maverick wrote: »

Does a woman's voice say that? I hear it as something like "We got a 10-7-1-3", though I could be mixing it up with another one. You're right though, it crops up in everything from films, tv shows, video games and even ads.

It's both male and female, but I notice the female one more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afnR1C7HTh8

(15 seconds in)

I can't seem to find the door/gate one I'm thinking of on YouTube, but this one is common too.

The King of Moo

There's a sound of kids laughing that I first noticed in the intro to the great Diddy Kong Racing on the N64 many moons ago (0:06 - 0:11).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce_l_YX_MUg

Since then, I hear it all the time, not only in films but in ads and TV programmes.

dr gonzo

RobertFoster wrote: »

and "five-george-kay" over police radios.

Theres another police rado chatter that i hear all the time in films. First noticed it in a game called rave ejay as a sample you can choose.

It goes something like 23 5-1-6. Very weird that they reuse these things so frequently.

Galvasean

My favourite stock noise/scream is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49sPDziuO84

Goldstein

Galvasean wrote: »

My favourite stock noise/scream is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49sPDziuO84

haha, brilliant! I know a tie-fighter when I hear one.

dr gonzo

Galvasean wrote: »

My favourite stock noise/scream is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49sPDziuO84

Ahh! This is the Star Wars one i was talking about.

o1s1n

When I first heard of the Wilhelm scream, I was actually trying to google that tie fighter one to see if I was mad or if it was in fact used in almost everything. As I've heard it in so many things I thought there had to be something written about it somewhere.

I absolutely hate it. Overused and annoying beyond belief.

Duggy747

Titanic's one had me crying laughing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHXRyTwsTQc

Galvasean

Goldstein wrote: »

haha, brilliant! I know a tie-fighter when I hear one.

I think my favourite use of it is in Showdown In Little Tokyo. Basically Dolph Lundgren is fighting a sumo wrestler underwater and stabs him with a knife underwater, resulting in the GEEAAAAAAAAARGGH!!!!!!!!! scream UNDERWATER!
It's exactly 45 minutes in for anyone who has the DVD.

Skerries

I notice the Tie Fighter Scream TM more than the Wilhelm scream
and the giggling child laughing as well really bugs me