What is the most iconic movie sound effect?

Roars, hums, screams and thunderclaps that audiences recognise with their eyes shut. A few were made out of household junk.

1. 1
   Lightsaber hum

   The buzzing Jedi weapon sound Ben Burtt made from old projector motors and TV interference.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Chewbacca's roar

   The Wookiee's growl, mixed from bears, walruses, lions and badgers for Star Wars.
   731pts
3. 3
   Psycho shower strings

   Bernard Herrmann's stabbing violins from the 1960 shower scene, a sound as much as a score.
   577pts
4. 4
   Jurassic Park T. rex roar

   Gary Rydstrom's 1993 roar for the T. rex, built from recordings of real animals.
   577pts
5. 5
   DeLorean time jump

   The crackle and sonic boom of the time machine hitting 88 mph in Back to the Future.
   500pts
6. 6
   Transformers transformation

   The clattering mechanical shuffle of a robot changing shape, from the Transformers films.
   409pts
7. 7
   Godzilla's roar

   The 1954 kaiju roar made by dragging a resin-coated glove along a double bass string.
   409pts
8. 8
   THX Deep Note

   The swelling cinema-trailer chord that tells audiences the sound system is about to get loud.
   409pts
9. 9
   Predator clicking

   The alien hunter's rattling clicks from Predator (1987).
   409pts
10. 10
    Darth Vader's breathing

    The mechanical breath of Star Wars' villain, recorded through a scuba regulator.
    300pts
11. 11
    Castle thunder

    A 1931 thunderclap recorded for Frankenstein that became Hollywood's default storm.
    300pts
12. 12
    Xenomorph hiss

    The shrieking hiss of the creature in the Alien films.
    300pts
13. 13
    Tarzan yell

    Johnny Weissmuller's jungle call from the 1930s Tarzan films.
    0pts

Comments