The Wilhelm Scream

The Wilhelm Scream is a little piece of cinematic history that almost everybody knows, but almost no one knows they know. Confused? Understandably so. The Wilhelm Scream is an iconic sound effect used throughout a plethora of movies dating back to the 1950's.

The Wilhelm Scream

The scream itself was originally recorded for a Warner Bros. film called Distant Drums in 1951. In one particular scene from the film a group of soldiers are wading through a swamp when one of them is bitten and dragged underwater by an alligator. The unfortunate soldier's scream was recorded later then placed into the film during the editing process and with that one of the most legendary sound effects in cinema was born.

Distant Drums (1951)
















However, it was not until two years later that the scream itself was even named. The film The Charge At Feather River (1953) borrowed the Distant Drums sound effect for a particular scene when a soldier by the name of Pvt. Wilhelm is shot in the leg by an arrow. Although the scream was used twice more in the film, Pvt. Wilhelm's name would remain forever synonymous with it.

The Charge At Feather River (1953)



The Wilhlem Scream however did not rise to fame until the late 70's, when a man named Ben Burtt decided to dig it out. Burtt was hired by George Lucas to create the sound effects for his film Star Wars: A New Hope (1977). Though the scream was only featured once in the film it was later persistently used throughout the trilogy. Burtt then continued to use it for the Indiana Jones trilogy, further creating love for a sound effect that was rapidly becoming a piece of cinematic history.

His friend and fellow sound effect engineer Richard Anderson then carried on Burtt's tradition, using it in films such a Poltergeist (1982), Batman Returns (1992), Planet Of The Apes (2001), Agent Cody Banks (2003), and Madagascar (2005).

Because of Ben Burtt The Wilhelm Scream has long resided in the sound library at Sykwalker Sound. Other colleagues there including Gary Rydstrom and Chris Boyes have used it in films sch as Toy Story (1995), Hercules (1997), and Pirates Of The Caribbean (2003).

From humble beginnings to one of the most legendary sound effects in Hollywood, The Wilhelm Scream has delighted audiences for over 60 years now, having been used in over 200 movies. To this day it is unknown who the voice behind the scream, although some have guessed that actor Sheb Wooley may have been the original man. Nobody knows for sure, but whoever it was will forever responsible for the greatest sound effect in cinema.


I shall leave you with this. A compilation of some of The Wilhelm Screams finest appearances, including Lord Of The Rings, Kill Bill, and even Family Guy:








Written by Ash Davies