Sound within Thrillers: Analysis of 'The Silence of the Lambs'

The Silence of the Lambs

In the following essay I will explore how sound is used to affect the audience. 

The sequence starts with the main protagonist (Jodie Foster)  waiting outside a door, before she breaks through it. Whilst this happens there is diegetic music playing, the song playing is ‘Real Men’ by the Savage Republic. The music is asynchronous with the action because it is has a faster pace than the action occurring on-screen; additionally the song contains an upbeat rhythm which contrasts the slow and dark nature of the scene. Furthermore, it can be argued whether the music playing is parallel or contrapuntal; the music is of a rock/punk genre the punk genre connotes elements of danger, aggression and darkness, which could reflect the films thriller genre. However, the fast drumbeats and electric guitar heard conjures a sense of excitement and liveliness which juxtapose the tension in the scene.

When she enters the room she finds a rotting corpse in a bathtub, at this point non-diegetic high pitched chimes can be heard. This heightens the eerie atmosphere because it is contrapuntal and we associate chimes and delicate instruments with children’s nursery rhymes. It also is an effective way of marking the moment and indicate to the audience that they have discovered something.

After discovering the body the lights in the room suddenly turn off and the diegetic rock/punk music playing stops as well. The room is pitch black and there is no sound. It is effective not to use sound at this moment because the audience have no visual or aural awareness of what is happening or going to happen in the scene, which builds on the tension. 

All of a sudden, we hear the high pitched sound of the night-vision goggles turning on, the sound itself is man-made and unnatural thus emphasising the creepy atmosphere of the scene. At this point we hear the ambient sound of water dripping and the main protagonists heavy breathing.


By bringing these two diegetic elements together it places the viewer in a position of isolation and fear. While the main character walks around and makes her way through the room her breathing becomes heavier and faster; this synchronises with the growing tension in the scene. Even though she is walking at the same speed her quicker breaths increases the pace of the scene, and enhances the suspense. 

At 1:21, a non-diegetic soundtrack fades in, it becomes louder as the killer gets closer to the protagonist. The soundtrack is ‘Magic Flute’ by Mozart, the use of orchestral/opera music is effective in creating a dramatic tone to the scene. The low bass notes create a macabre feeling, especially as the killer move closer to the main character. The soundtrack grows more intense when the killer reaches with his hand out to the protagonists. The slow pace of the song is synchronous and parallel to the action of the scene because the killers movements are quite slow and the scene is emotionally intense and dark, literally and metaphorically. When the killer gets much closer, higher pitched string instruments begin to play which make the scenes ambience stressful; it also mirrors the nerve-racking moments before the impending encounter, between the protagonist and antagonist.

At 1:46, the killer pulls out a gun behind the main character, the soundtrack remains constant and the instruments keep on the same high notes. This amplifies and sustains the tension. Consequently, the killer goes on to cock the revolver, the sound of the guns hammer cocking , at 1:51, is extremely loud and slowed down. This maintains the tension and builds the climax because the audience is forced to slow down and acknowledge the pivotal moment; it lets the moment sink in.


The protagonist, turns around and fires her gun repeatedly, the rounds are fired at extremely fast rates which contrast the slow movement of the entire scene; this disorients the audience because of the sudden sound effects of gunshots.






Whilst firing the gun the protagonist shoots a window, the diegetic sound of glass breaking contributes to the chaotic intensity of the moment. 

The protagonist falls on the ground, and tries to reload her gun, whilst doing so we can hear the clanking sound of bullets dropping on the floor. The diegetic sound of the bullets hitting the floor, give insight into the characters emotional state, she has dropped the bullets because she is shocked and afraid. 

Diegetic and non-diegetic sound in the sequence was effectively used in creating an emotional connection between the audience and characters. The soundtracks used helped in showing and emphasising the characters mental and emotional state. The sounds used in the sequence helped establishing the genre of the clip as a thriller.

Click below to watch the clip