The Wilhelm Remix!
Filed under: Fandom
Like many longtime cinema junkies, I was familiar with the "Wilhelm Scream" long before I even knew what it was called. And, yes, you've heard it too. Probably 659 times, actually. Next to that one really unconvincing 'guy hitting the ground' sound effect that's been recycled for decades, the Wilhelm Scream is probably the most oft-used aural gimmick. Originally recorded for the 1951 western Distant Drums, the silly scream became a favorite of sound designers in the mid-'70s (four-time Oscar winner Ben Burtt is the guy who brought The Scream back to life), and has since been heard in dozens of movies in which grown men fall to the ground in terror and/or agony. It's been in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Toy Story, all six Star Wars movies, two of the Lord of the Rings flicks, and probably a hundred more. And now you can hear what the heck I'm talking about by watching/hearing this Wilhelm Compilation that's been posted at YouTube. Neato.
[Thanks to Movie City News for the YouTube link.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-14-2006 @ 8:38PM
Peter said...
This morning I randomly stumbled onto the wikipedia for the Wilhelm Scream, which was the first I had ever heard of the actual title, and now this is my second exposure to it today? Quit tracking what I'm doing, Cinematical!
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8-14-2006 @ 9:25PM
Scott Weinberg said...
We're watching you, Pete.
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8-15-2006 @ 5:28AM
Lance Mazmanian said...
There are certain vintage pistol and rifle effects that I can understand marching through time like Wilhelm has...but Wilhelm himself?
Seems incredible that a generic, obscure scream of this nature could withstand all the years. Definitely a sound-guy thing, and a fun one.
Probably the best single use is the Stormtrooper chasm fall.
Cheers!
L.
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8-15-2006 @ 3:20PM
The Jeremy said...
I'm really tired of it. Once you are familiar with how it sounds, you can pinpoint it when you hear it again, thereby taking you completely out of whatever movie, television series, or commercial it makes its way into. It is no longer an easter egg, but a total annoyance, and as such, I really wish Ben Burtt would lose his full-on robot chubby over it.
Maybe an enterprising mixmaster can destroy the vile "Wilhelm Scream" once and for all by mixing it together with the also overused (to infinity) "Amen Break" thereby banishing both into a cosmic void of deafening silence.
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