I decided to analyse this scene from Ari Aster’s Hereditary to analyse. It is in the climax of the film, and and is one of its most unsettling moments in the context of its entirety. I chose this scene as it is rich with sound design that fills many purposes. My aim here is to explore the sound through concepts such as synchronycity, acousmatic, diegesis, empathetic/anempathetic, and audiovisual illusion/contract.
The scene starts with an uneasy drone, which is accompanied by washed out percussive string sounds as the camera pans up to show peter and Annie in the background, hiding from him. Her silence creates an acousmatic effect as though we can see her visually, the lack of sound enhances her unnatural state. As it cuts to Steve’s body, a new tone is introduced to the present chord, adding to the suspense, as well as high pitched atonal noises being introduced to the background string layer. This empathetic sound evolves as new elements are introduced, becoming louder and more present as anxiety-inducing visuals are also introduced.
The first diegetic sound heard in the scene is peter’s panicked breathing accompanied by the crackling sound of the fire. The fire’s sound introduces a sense of unease as there is no consistent rhythm to the random pops and crackles. This sound also serves an important function in terms of added value: it reminds the audience of Steve’s fiery death, evoking that horrifying visual through sound alone and reinforcing the trauma Peter has just experienced. The camera then slowly pans to the doorway behind Peter as he turns around and notices one of the cult members standing naked in the doorway. As he stares at this unnerving visual the drone is accompanied by an atonal string arpeggio which grows in volume and urgency. This empathetic sound mirrors Peter’s spiralling anxiety and confusion, pulling the audience into his emotional state.
This non-diagetic soundscape cuts sharply as a knock is heard, with Peter spinning around to find the source of the sound. All that can be heard is the diagetic room ambience and crackling of the fire as the camera quickly pans up to show that annie is no longer in the corner she previously was hiding. The silence builds anticipation, heightening the audience’s awareness of her absence and the imminent threat.
Suddenly the score is re-introduced as Annie appears closer to Peter starts sprinting at him. Here the score is more rhythmic and has a sense of urgency to it, it has overlapping diagetic elements such as Peter’s panicked footsteps, screams, and doors banging. The score remains empathetic, adding value to the panic present in the scene.
Peter escapes up the ladder to the attic, and the score eases in volume for a second but maintains it’s anxious state, showing that Peter is only briefly safe from his mother. The Diagetic sound however continues, with peter begging Annie to stop, and her banging on the trapdoor. The camera cuts to show Annie suspended upside down banging her head against the trapdoor, and shortly after it cuts back to Peter the banging stops altogether as well as the score, leaving only the sound of Peter’s heavy breathing present. The score being so tied to the visuals creates the audio-visual illusion that the non-diagetic sounds are part of the surrounding environment.
As peter pants heavily, the sounds of flies buzzing are introduced, accompanied by a low frequency drone, reminiscent of the fire downstairs, and sawing sounds. The flies allude to decay and death, while the sawing sound hints at the events of the rest of the scene.
Together, these elements of the score place the audience in an environment that feels truly horrifying.
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