The root cause of the eeriness in spooky tunes.
In the realm of music, few compositions have left as lasting an impression on audiences as Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D-minor." However, it wasn't until its use in films like "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and "Tales from the Crypt" that the piece gained its reputation for being particularly scary. But what is it about certain melodies that send shivers down our spines?
This question has intrigued music theorists and scientists alike, who have delved deep into the world of music to uncover why certain combinations of notes can be so unsettling. One such combination is the tritone, two notes that are three whole steps apart (like F and B), which was known as diabolus in musica (devil in music) in the Middle Ages.
In a 2012 article for Time, Patience Haggin explored the science behind why scary music is scary. She delved into the work of evolutionary biologist Daniel Blumstein, who suggested that our response to "scary" sounds is biological and that composers and movie soundtrack producers have been tapping into instinctual emotional responses when they create spooky music.
Jessica Stoller-Conrad, writing for NPR in the same year, delved deeper into the specifics of what makes music sound scary. She highlighted the study "Sounds scary? Lack of habituation following the presentation of novel sounds," published in Public Library of Science-One in 2011, which found that nonlinear sound, similar to the harsh, screeching, unpredictable sounds made by distressed baby animals, can cause emotional distress in humans.
This phenomenon is not exclusive to classical music or modern compositions. In horror movies, it is recommended to pay attention to the nonlinear noises in the soundtrack, as they may be intentionally designed to manipulate our animal emotional instincts. Soundtrack engineers have been using actual animal cries and screeching to provoke horror in audiences since as early as 1933's "King Kong."
Researchers have examined more than 100 movie soundtracks across four genres (horror, drama, adventure, and war) and found that nonlinear sound is prevalent in scenes meant to evoke fear and negative emotions. Blumstein's research further supports this, finding that nonlinear chaotic noise, which is discordant, disturbing, and harsh to human ears, is an important part of scenes meant to stir up fear and negative feelings in movies.
The use of such techniques in film scores is not a new phenomenon. Michael Richard Plowman, for instance, created spooky music for the 1920 silent film version of "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde." The composer for "Tales from the Crypt" remains undiscovered in the provided results.
In conclusion, the science behind scary music is a fascinating field that continues to intrigue and captivate both musicians and audiences alike. From the tritone in Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D-minor" to the nonlinear sounds in modern horror movie soundtracks, the art of creating music that sends shivers down our spines is a testament to the power of music to evoke strong emotional responses.
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