It’s time for my bi-weekly film history lesson, everyone! In 1951 a sound effect was used for the movie DISTANT DRUMS, and that sound effect has come to be known as the Wilhelm scream. It’s a stock scream that has been used in a ton of movies and television shows. Actor Sheb Wooley is said to be the source of the scream, and it’s become one of the best-known sound effects in cinema history. The scream had a revival of sorts when STAR WARS sound designer Ben Burtt track it down for his movie, and named it after Pvt. Wilhelm, a minor character in DISTANT DRUMS. Since then, it’s become an in-joke between sound designers, who seem to stick it in whenever they can. Since just about everything in the universe (and more) exists on YouTube, I’ve managed to find a compilation that gathers a bunch of examples of the Wilhelm scream and cobbles them together. After a while it just sounds ridiculous and hilarious. Check it out BELOW.
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