This Is How Normal Smiles Are Made Intimidating In Horror Films

Have you ever watched a horror film that features, say, innocent young children and found yourself freaked out by how they smile? Me too.

It’s so strange. Of course, the best horrors are ones that intimidate and scare you. Ones that keep you on your toes and unable to trust any character but at the end of the day, you’re scared of the way a child is smiling and that is weird, right?

Well, it turns out, there is some real science behind why we are a bit freaked out and thankfully, we’re not bad people. Just easily swayed by certain filmmaking choices! That is not a crime!

A new study published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology has found that scary music can alter how people interpret human facial expressions, making even the sweet faces of children seem sinister.

PsyPost explains: “Human interaction relies heavily on reading facial expressions to evaluate whether someone poses a threat or offers safety. Background sounds often establish an emotional context that influences how subsequent information is processed, a phenomenon known as affective priming…

“Horror film soundtracks are constructed to evoke anxiety through rapid volume changes, jarring pitches, and acoustic patterns that mimic human cries. These fear-inducing sounds tend to trigger subcortical brain regions that monitor the environment for danger.”

The Kennedy Center explains how rhythm can mimic perceived threats to build tension in films, saying: “A heartbeat, ticking clock, footsteps, a galloping horse—these are familiar sounds a composer may echo in the beat of a song. By changing the pace—speeding up the rhythm or slowing it down—the composer sends a signal that can put listeners on the edge of their seats.

“Accelerating tempo (speed of music) might suggest a chase or the heavy breathing of a frightened character. Slowing down the beat might indicate lurking evil or a fading heartbeat. Using an unsteady beat often hints that something is out of whack or out of control. Bringing back a steady rhythm helps ease the tension.”

It makes sense, doesn’t it? For those of us that regularly watch horror films, we’ll recognise the feelings of threat, goosebumps and even our heartbeat racing as the sound gradually builds. In fact, I have experienced this so vividly that I now can’t watch horrors in the cinema because it’s a little too intense for me.

Brown Hooper, podcast editor at New Scientist said to the BBC back in 2016: “The music in horror movies reminds us subconsciously of primordial times,
“Non-linear sounds like Psycho’s violin ‘stingers’ mimic the sound of animals in distress; they trigger our fear of being chased by dangerous predators. Things that feel harsh and unfamiliar manipulate us emotionally.”