The Voice in Horror (and the horror in Voice)

[Fearonsarms]

Originally Posted by viv

Insidious looks great - totally going to get the blue-ray. Cheers IP.

Insidious is brill so I'll second that rec :)

[viv]

Watched Insidious last night. Good film. Interesting in that voice tends to be the consistent affect across two dimensions (whereas appearance is not). The first introduction to another world is via a voice emanating from the baby monitor, and later the only connection left to the 'real' world is the voices - the voice of the wife reaching, echoing into the further.

I must admit, I felt the depiction of the spirits went too far at times. The fight scene in the first seance and the bed scramble with the fire faced man later on were needless. The less a film depicts the object of fear the better imo - which is why films like Exorcist and The Shining work so well - there is a manifestation but no depiction of the actual threat....

[metternich1815]

The Blair Witch Project's most terrifying scenes involved voices. For instance, children laughing in the woods or the constant screams in the house. These are why I consider this film to be the scariest of all time. Probably under the second category that you mentioned.

[viv]

I would've thought that laughter or screams in the woods or in the house would be the third category - spectral acousmatic voice - the presence of a voice with no perceivable source - an unknown source.

This is pretty much the most common horror trope for me tbh, and ubiquitous in shooter/horror/suspense games such as resident evil, silent hill and doom. The acousmatic grunting, snorting or shrieking haunts the gamer - raising the tension - due to a present presence of unknown location and unknown proximity. There - but where?

Suspiria Blue Ray arrived today so will probably be posting about that too soon. Also Dead Silence by James Wan looks interesting - seems to fall squarely into the second category (relocated voices) - expect it pivots around the power of ventriloquisitic horror in the same vain as Magic, Dead of Night etc....

[metternich1815]

I realized I said it in the wrong category after I posted the comment. It wold probably go into the third category.

[viv]

I think it is really interesting when a formulation of voice shifts from one category to the other - and opens up a horror or a realisation..... I'd say The Wizard in Wizard of Oz shifts from acousmatic (category 3) to relocated - from nowhere to a body (category 2).

Can't really think of many more..

[Ice Pik]

Yeah the second part of of insidious was kinda cheesy.

Another movie maybe would be Hellraiser. The voice and noises the cenobites make to me really speak pure evil.
quotes -"No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering."

Lead Cenobite: The box... you opened it, we came.
Kirsty Cotton: It's just a puzzle box!
Lead Cenobite: Oh no, it is a means to summon us.
Kirsty Cotton: Who are you?
Lead Cenobite: Explorers... in the further regions of experience. Demons to some, angels to others.
Kirsty Cotton: It was a mistake! I didn't... I didn't mean to open it! It was a mistake! You can... GO TO HELL!
Female Cenobite: We can't. Not alone.
Lead Cenobite: You solved the box, we came. Now you must come with us, taste our pleasures.
Lead Cenobite: Please! Go away and leave me alone!
Lead Cenobite: Oh, no tears please. It's a waste of good suffering!
Kirsty Cotton: Wait! Wait! Please, please wait!
Lead Cenobite: No time for argument.
Kirsty Cotton: You've done this before, right?
Lead Cenobite: Many, many times.
Kirsty Cotton: To... to a man called Frank Cotton?
Female Cenobite: Oh, yes.
Kirsty Cotton: He escaped you!
Lead Cenobite: Nobody escapes us!
Kirsty Cotton: He did! I've seen him, I've seen him! He's alive!
Lead Cenobite: Supposing he had escaped us, what has that to do with you?
Kirsty Cotton: I... I can... I can lead you to him and you... you can take him back instead of me!
Female Cenobite: Perhaps we prefer YOU!
Lead Cenobite: I want to hear him confess, himself. Then maybe... maybe...
Female Cenobite: But if you cheat us...
Lead Cenobite: We'll tear your soul apart!

not really sure if that will help

[Armada Volya]

I like the laughter Steve Geoffrey does in Fright Night (1985)

[viv]

thanks - I'll have to check out Hellraiser and Fright Night. I watched the others today - an exemplary scene is the one where the childs voice remains the constant as the body shifts from child to old woman and back again - great scene.

[viv]

Guys, I've seen loads of great horror films recently. Mama, The Posessed, The Unborn - all really good.

I also finished typing up my blogs of the tropes

you can find the last one here:
http://notesfromthevomitorium.blogsp...sounds-of.html

Still need to check out Hellraiser....