Terror Tracks - Music, Sound and Horror Cinema - Philip Hayward
“Like Razors through Flesh”: Hellraiser’s Sound Design and Music
Terror Tracks - Music, Sound and Horror Cinema - Philip Hayward
Karen Collins [+]
University of Waterloo
Description
Sound design in recent decades has developed beyond the creation of real sounds in film, to a whole aesthetic in itself, in part through the use of sound as metaphor. Particularly in science-fiction and horror films, sound design and how it functions with the underscore has become a crucial aspect in the creation of fear and horror in cinema. To illustrate this idea, this chapter will explore the sound design and music of the Hellraiser films: Hellraiser (Clive Barker, 1987), Hellbound: Hellraiser II (Tony Randel, 1988), Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (Anthony Hickox, 1992), Hellraiser IV: Bloodline (Kevin Yagher, 1996), Hellraiser V: Inferno (Scott Derrickson, 2000), Hellraiser. VI: Hellseeker (Rick Bota, 2002), Hellraiser VII: Deader (Rick Bota, 2005) and Hellraiser VIII: Hellworld (Rick Bota, 2005).The conclusion is that sound design is no longer just for real sounds, or the creation of a realistic world, but is becoming more of a creative aspect of film-making. As with the musical functions in film, the sound serves to heighten our fear and psychologically disturb us. In particular, the very physical aspect of sound in the films is influential in disturbing the viewer.