Sound Deconstruction: The Counjuring

The Conjuring Film Opening - Sound

When the production company "Warner Brothers." appears on screen there is non diegetic background music which is quite high key and played with brass instruments. This continues through the "New Line Cinema" production company logo however it increases dramatically in volume making an attempt to frighten their audience. This develops into a black screen with the sound of people talking.

There are two people talking, a man and a woman. The woman's  mode of address appears frightened and worried about something whereas the man's mode of address is calm and collected. A quiet non-diegetic shutter sound allows an image of a doll's face to appear on screen subtly reducing the horror aspect on the audiences.

There is a diegetic creaking sound as the characters open the door. This is very stereotypical of horror films; having a creaking door as it builds tension as to what is waiting on the other side. This is followed by a series of small subtle diegetic sounds such as wind, floorboards creaking and paper rustling. All of these sounds, when put together into one sequence become very scary and eery.

When the characters discover the doll sitting in the doorway, the parallel non-diegetic sound begins again. This time however, it is slow and very quiet, building tension and suspense for the audience. This is paired with some very high pitched screeches and bell sounds to keep the audience on their toes and aware of what is going on.

As the shots of the paintings appear on screen, there is a sound of someone hitting the keys on a piano repeatedly as the picture changes each time. This adds the shock horror effect to the scene, giving the audience a slight jump every time the image changes.