When you think back through the history of horror film, alongside the great visuals you’ll likely think of some of the wonderful use of sound. Whether it’s unforgettable themes from Jaws or Saw, iconic monster sound effects from the likes of Predator and Alien or even the chilling silence of A Quiet Place, movies perhaps have something up on ‘paper fiction’ by being able to feed sound directly to their audience.
With that said, it’s worth keeping in mind that sound does remain a weapon in the arsenal of any horror writer – and one that can still be deployed to great effect. While we so often lean towards the visual first, trying to create a strong image in the mind of the reader, the description of noise both foreground and background in the genre can make an enormous difference to the reader. So, in today’s piece, we’re going to dig deep into the auditory and show how we can add the sound of fear
