The sound of evil: How the sound design of Hereditary manifests the unseen and triggers fear

This article examines the soundtrack and score for Ari Aster’s 2018 film Hereditary, illustrating how the sound design heightens the film’s emotional and psychological impact by delivering unseen elements of the narrative auditorily and through its inclusion of sonic elements that can directly affect audience members physiologically. Hereditary’s narrative is strongly supported by musician Colin Stetson’s evocative score, which relies heavily upon his ability to coax unusual sounds from reed instruments by using uncommon fingerings, accompanying vocalizations, percussive key striking and circular breathing. After a brief synopsis and examination of the film’s themes, the article delves into particular elements that make Hereditary’s soundscape so effective, including the Shepard tone, infrasound, subliminal and corporeal sounds, and the use of silence, exploring in-depth how the sound design supports and enriches the film by building tension, enhancing dread, triggering fear and delivering unseen narrative information in a shorthand way. The article also has a wider application in that it discusses how the critical-yet under-theorized element of sound design is crucial to horror entertainments’ ability to create affect in a variety of ways and shows how the sonic components used in Hereditary have a demonstrated efficacy as shown by their use in a wide variety of horror films and thrillers.