In preparation for Halloween I have been watching a lot of cult horror films (Suspiria, Dead Alive, Evil Dead, etc.) and have been noticing that absent the sound track, the movies wouldn't be nearly as frightening. I remember being little and when a scary part of a movie was about to come on I would always cover my ears instead of my eyes. It's amazing how sound can provoke certain emotions. Is it a societal code that has trained us to know what "eerie" or "scary" is suppose to sound like? Why do we associate dissonant sound with unpleasant emotions and major chords with positive words like "happy"? When was it that human nature began to label it's soundtrack with qualities like that?
Since medieval times people have related the sound of the tritone to the devil, but are we conditioned to associate sounds with emotions? Is it something we are innately born with or a product of our society? I guess all I can say is that for everyone who is a wimp, like me, covering your ears when the movie gets too scary is a great way to feel a little more comfortable with watching horror films.
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