this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2026
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I don’t really care about Star Wars

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[–] bluesheep@sh.itjust.works 14 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (3 children)

The Wilhelm scream is not, and never was, a funny inside joke. When you're watching an intense action scene and suddenly you hear this high pitched and often way to loudly mixed scream it instantly ruins the immersion.

Any movie that adds it is instantly ruined for me. I can somewhat excuse older movies since it wasn't that wildly used yet but any contemporary director/audio engineer adding it really needs to get the idea out of their head that it's funny/clever/subtle. Cause it's not.

[–] hereiamagain@sh.itjust.works 6 points 6 days ago

I'm mixed on this. If it's a serious movie, then I agree wholeheartedly. It's not funny and it breaks my immersion.

But if it's a more relaxed or even funny movie? Bring it on, the more subtle the better, I love hearing it, always gives me a chuckle when I'm in a chuckling mood.

[–] Canopyflyer@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Completely agree... There is exactly one scene where the Wilhelm scream is appropriate and that's it.

That's because the officer falling is Ben Burt, the sound designer for Star Wars and many other movies, who made the scream his signature. (Although he didn't originate it.)

[–] hereiamagain@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

That doesn't clock as the traditional Wilhelm scream to me.

I'm not trying to say you're wrong, I don't know much about this. I'm just saying if I were watching this with zero context, I wouldn't recognize it as being the Wilhelm scream. Whereas normally I hear it in every movie it's in, pretty clearly.

[–] Canopyflyer@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

Now that you mention it, the scream in that clip is similar but a bit different. Good catch.

The main point I was trying to make was that the person getting knocked off and falling is the person who made it popular. Personally, I hate the Wilhelm scream. It's way over used and really doesn't add anything to the scene it's in.

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Like most inside jokes, it was better before the internet.

Now it's the The Narwhal Bacons At Midnight of the industry.