 Did you feel that? The tingle up your spine? You might think scary movies rely on gruesome violence or supernatural creatures, but the key to what makes scary films scary is sound design. A delicate art of recording, acquiring, and manipulating sounds is important in all subgenres of horror films. It acts as the puppet master that manipulates how you feel and when to feel it. So how can you use sound design to make your horror films scarier? Today we're going to be exploring what types of sounds frighten us, how you can use them, and then wrap it up with a little horror sequence of our own to see everything we learned in action. I'll also share how you can use artless, unlimited music and sound effects to elevate your sound design for your videos. When approaching sound design, there are two types of sounds we can use. Ones that happen in your scene that only your characters can hear, and ones that add suspense that only we, the viewers, can hear. These are called diagetic and non-diagetic sounds. Diagetic sounds are those that your characters can hear, the unnerving footsteps, the spine-chilling creaking doors, and the whispers that lurk in the dark. These sounds pull your audience in, making them feel like they're right there in the action. On artless, you can easily browse through realistic sounds to use by going through their filtering options. Non-diagetic sounds tap into our primal fears. They make your audience tense up when they hear familiar sounds in unfamiliar settings. Non-diagetic sounds, on the other hand, are those that your characters can't hear that are added in post-production. They could be ominous drones for an extra layer of tension, elements of the music designed to create a sense of panic, or simply one of these. You can use the ambience filter or special filter to find your perfect non-diagetic sound on an art list. Sounds can be used as motifs to make your audience feel uneasy and expect something to happen, whether it's diagetic or non-diagetic. But sound design doesn't mean just layering as many sounds as you can. As the master of suspense once said, there is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it. And nothing builds anticipation quite like silence. This is known as negative space in sound design and when used wisely, it can be as powerful as a blood-curdling scream, especially when your character's survival depends on staying quiet. Horror isn't just seen, it's heard. By carefully combining both diagetic and non-diagetic sounds, you can provoke the strongest emotional response from your audience. You can even create unique sounds that don't exist by layering them, reversing them, or pitching them down. We go through more on this on a blog article, so check it out if you want to know the most popular sounds to use and techniques that make your horror films even more terrifying. The best part about mastering sound design is that it doesn't require a Hollywood budget. Take a look at David F. Sanders' Lights Out, a short film shot at home with zero budget. He used silence along with well-placed sounds to turn it from the most ordinary setting into a nightmare. This led him to direct a feature-length version of the same film and now directing Hollywood movies such as Annabelle Creation. Your audience's imagination is a powerful tool and sound is the key to unlocking it. All it takes is a keen ear and having access to high-quality horror music and sound effects. No one's going to be scared if your ghost whispers sound like a muffled phone call. So check out Artlist and start downloading everything you need to edit your next horror film. Now let's roll our little horror sequence that featured everything that we covered today. But before we watch it, make sure to subscribe so that you don't miss our next video that empowers you as a creator. Alright, let's check it out.