The Wilhelm scream. Can it die already?

I've always hated it, because no one screams like that, and every time I hear it, it ruins the story since I know it's just an overly used sound effect.

I hate all other overly used sound effect though, I mean how few cats, dogs, kids, babies, screams is it really possible to record!!?
 
It used to be cute, fun. Now it instantly pulls me out of the movie/show and both me and my girlfriend roll our eyes.

Leave it for comedies and kids cartoons at this point, leave it out of everything else.
 
I still use it, but I always filter, pitch shift and mangle it until it's all but unrecognizeable. I'll post an example later.

I don't mind it too much even when it's obvious, except for egregious overusage like the first season of "Primeval". Multiple times per episode. Really obnoxious, that was.

The one that gets me nowadays is a common female scream needle drop (the Wilhelmina?) I think it's from either the BMG or the Hollywood edge library, but it's in everything. Here's one I just stumbled across: REMAINS - ComicCon Teaser Trailer - YouTube
 
We were watching return of the king the other day and it is used 3 times within 1 minute during a battle. It completely took me out of it. Normally if I hear it once in a movie its not bad. Using it multiple times is like saying the punchline of a joke over and over and no one in the room is laughing.

Yeah, I hadn't heard that one. It shows up twice in TTT, but I'm pretty sure only once in ROTK. I'm not sure it shows up in FOTR at all.

I am 99.99999% sure it only happens once in each of these movies.
 
In TTT, there's a Wilhelm when an elf is thrown from the battlement at Helm's Deep.
In ROTK, there's one when a Dragon drops an elf from high in the air, and another when Legolas dispatches an Oliphant rider.

There are none in FOTR.
 
I agree. I think it's overstayed its welcome and actually distracts from current films.

I'm for team "Let it die already".
 
Fine, go suck the fun out of it.

Why do you have to focus on it so much?

It's a brief second in a film.

And those that have only now discovered it now would miss out.

I only recently informed my daughter of it and now she gets a kick out of hearing it.

Don't take away the fun for others because YOUR tolerance is gone.

You enjoyed it for years, please allow others to do the same.


I wouldn't worry Mic.

Nobody who posted in here has any influence in Hollywood to dictate when it is used or not :lol
 
Necro post!!

While watching the Simpsons just now my three years old heard the Wilhelm scream and made the connection to the storm troopers. He's offically one of us...one of us....one of us.

:)
 
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