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The greatest sound effect ever made – The Wilhelm Scream

You’ve all heard it. A bad guy gets hit; he screams. Someone falls off a cliff; he screams. Someone goes through a window; he screams. And you know you’ve heard it before yet you just can’t put your finger on it. Well my friends, you’re not crazy. You’ve just heard the Wilhelm Scream.

It is probably the most memorable sound effect in the history of American movies. People may not know the name but they sure as heck recognize it when they hear it. In fact, for our last two D&D sessions, the PCs have pushed people off high ledges and every time I used the effect.

So if you have a computer or an mp3 player at the gaming table and someone falls off a cliff or gets killed, I recommend using the Wilhelm Scream. You and your players will get a kick out of it.

Download – Wilhelm Scream

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Posted in: Humor, RPG

6 Responses to “The greatest sound effect ever made – The Wilhelm Scream”

Reis October 27th, 2008 at 9:05 AM

Oh my god! I’ve always noticed that scream (especially in the Indiana Jones movies) and always wondered if I was crazy. I pictured some Hollywood sound guy that just liked using the same scream over and over again. Is this where the band “The Wilhelm Scream” got their name? Thank you for clearing up a mystery for me!

Reis´s last blog post..Classic Halloween Costumes! Day 27

reveal October 27th, 2008 at 9:20 AM

@Reis – Glad I could help.

Zachary October 27th, 2008 at 9:23 AM

Brilliant!

Zachary´s last blog post..An Ideal Paladin

Mad Brew October 27th, 2008 at 12:12 PM

I went to a Sci-Fi convention last year, InConjunction, in Indianapolis. While I was attending an event called “The 10 Worst Horror Shows Ever”, they did a tribute to the Wilhelm Scream where I am pretty sure they played this clip.

It was funny then and it’s funny now.

Mad Brew´s last blog post..Mad Menagerie: Keymaster

Random News Table for October 27th | UncleBear October 28th, 2008 at 6:17 PM

[...] The greatest sound effect ever made – The Wilhelm Scream | RPGCentric You’ve all heard it. A bad guy gets hit; he screams. Someone falls off a cliff; he screams. Someone goes through a window; he screams. And you know you’ve heard it before yet you just can’t put your finger on it. Well my friends, you’re not crazy. You’ve just heard the Wilhelm Scream. [...]