The Wilhelm Scream

We can thank the genius of Ben Burt for the original and iconic sound effects of the Star Wars saga. Even the most casual fan can recognize the buzz of a lightsaber, the blast of a laser rifle, or the roar of the Tie Fighter flying by.

However, there is another sound effect in the films that Ben Burt did not create himself, but rather inserted as an homage to his childhood love of sound effects. As a kid he listened to and studied the audio of countless movies, many of them Westerns. He noticed that the same sound effects, including a particular scream, was used many different movies.

As a young sound editor, he inserted the scream into A New Hope (a stormtrooper falls off a ledge just before Luke and Leia swing across the chasm in the Death Star). The scream makes an appearance in every Star Wars film, as well as every Indiana Jones film, and a bunch of other places. You will never forget this scream after watching this compilation of Wilhelm Screams in movies on You Tube!

You can learn more about the history of the scream and Ben Burt's involvement in its use by following these links.