Wilhelm Scream
A stock sound effect of a man screaming that has been used in over 400 films and television shows.
In depth
First used in 1951, it has become an inside joke among sound editors. It is often used when a character falls from a great height or is thrown by an explosion.
Example
“You can hear the Wilhelm Scream when a Stormtrooper falls down a shaft in 'Star Wars'.”
Origin and history
The scream was originally recorded for the 1951 Western 'Distant Drums' but is named after Private Wilhelm, a character in 'The Charge at Feather River' (1953), where the same recording was reused. Sound designer Ben Burtt rediscovered the effect in the Warner Bros. archives while working on 'Star Wars' in the 1970s and began inserting it into his projects as a signature — a habit that other sound editors picked up, eventually pushing the cue into hundreds of films across genres.
Why filmmakers use it
The Wilhelm Scream is one of cinema's most recognizable Easter eggs and a kind of secret handshake between sound editors. Its persistence shows how sound libraries become cultural artifacts in their own right. The scream is now so familiar that contemporary sound designers sometimes deliberately avoid it to prevent breaking immersion, while others continue using it as a tribute to film history.
More examples in cinema
- The Indiana Jones franchise contains Wilhelm Screams in nearly every entry, often during fight scenes.
- Pixar films from 'Toy Story' onward have included the scream in moments of comedic peril.