The Sound of Suspense: an analysis of music in Alfred Hitchcock films

Music plays a very important role in cinema. In many films by acclaimed director, Alfred Hitchcock, the soundtrack is as important as the film itself. Often called the “Master of Suspense, ” Hitchcock is also known for creating scenes that keep the audience at the edge of their seats. This project investigated the specific musical techniques used to evoke a feeling of suspense in films by Alfred Hitchcock. Six films which represent a 30-year span of Hitchcock’s career were used in the analysis. Scenes that contained moments of suspense were identified and the music for each of these scenes was analyzed (N=13). The analysis indicates that silence was used most often during moments of suspense in Alfred Hitchcock films. Silence was represented in various forms: abrupt silence within a musical sound track, total lack of musical soundtrack, and complete silence. Findings support Weis ’ (1982) argument for the importance of silence as both a formal and thematic element throughout Hithchock’s films. Results also suggest that silence is effective in creating a feeling of suspense