Talk:Wilhelm scream

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[edit] "There is it again"

Heard it again on a Family Guy episode "Long John Peter" (2008) Midways throught the maddness Peter decides to become a pirate and in the process of pilfering an Englishmans car loaded with crates of tea and spices (???), the cannon mounted to Peter's car accidently shoots through a utility pole and the guy working atop it "aaaAHHHHHHhh" his way to the bottom. I laughed my head off. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.190.100.6 (talk) 05:19, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] "Used naturally"

What does it mean for the scream to be "used naturally", e.g. film sound cognoscenti are particularly impressed when it is used naturally ? --Yath 03:02, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)

--- Totally excellent entry! --Wetman 02:44, 1 Jan 2005 (UTC)

The whole quote goes "but film sound cognoscenti are particularly impressed when it is used naturally in films such as A Star Is Born (with Judy Garland) and A Goofy Movie" (at least now, when I'm writing this), which I'd guess is due to the fact that the sound carries an overt aura of despair and fear, it is considered a nice feat when being used in light comedies without sounding forced. Quentin Tarantino had a weird joke in his Reservoir Dogs movie, where one of the main characters happened to push another guy while running away from a failed attempt of bank robbery. It sounded very explicit and out of place and, although deliberate, I guess that is the opposite of used naturally. 85.226.122.222 18:03, 4 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Okay...

I didn't hear a tarzan yell "during in" Star Wars: Episode III. --A.J. 03:22, 25 May 2005 (UTC)

It's heard during the battle above Coruscant. One of the cannons in the Republic battle ships explodes and you hear a clone trooper emit the Wilhelm Scream.

Dragons light the tarzan yell is in the battle of the wookie planet when a wookie swings onto a droid tank like thing Viperix 00:04, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] 1951?

I might be wrong but did it not appear a LOT in the original, 1933 version of King Kong?

[edit] Alligators?

From this article: "In a tribute to its origins, the clip was used in the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when the villain Mola Ram was, in fact, eaten by alligators."

From Crocodile: "The larger species of crocodiles can be very dangerous to humans. The Saltwater and Nile Crocodiles are the most dangerous, killing hundreds of people each year in parts of South-East Asia and Africa. American Alligators, and possibly the endangered Black Caiman, are also dangerous to humans."

Since the Indiana Jones movie is set to India, it's very unlikely that Mola Ram were eaten by alligators, since the dangerous aligators eat people in America. Jraregris 08:16, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

Is this an article about Indiana Jones movie errors? 66.109.99.18 23:18, 27 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sound link addition

I've found this link to a download of a .wav file of the wilhelm scream: [1] Would wikipedia get in any copyright trouble merely for linking to it? I'm aware there's already a link to a site hosting the scream but it's in Real Audio format, which isn't as commonly used/available as a wave file. We should link to a format the majority of wikipedia readers will be able to access. I'll replace the RealAudio link with the .wav link in a few days if no one objects. -Kasreyn 00:52, 30 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Appearance in Doom

no object makes this sound in Doom, and the sound effect of dying monsters is the same, no matter where and how they die. But I recall there's a sound effect similar to the Wilhelm scream, if not indeed the same, in Wolfenstein 3D .. I think the soldiers in the white uniform make this sound. Please change this! Because I'm not going to bother to learn how to. 19:30, 14 February 2006 (UTC)

I agree. I'm a huge Doom fan and I've never heard this in the game before or any references to it. I can't remember this in Wolfenstein 3D either, but I don't have it and it has been a long time since I last played it. I've removed it. - Drahcir 00:41, 15 February 2006 (UTC)
Definitely. I used to edit DOOM Pwad files for fun after school. I've listened to every sound file in the game, and the Wilhelm scream is not among them. -Kasreyn 06:55, 15 February 2006 (UTC)
I believe the game you're thinking of is Star Wars: Dark Forces, a "Doom clone" produced by LucasArts. IIRC, the sound is used when the player falls a great distance to their death. Travisseitler 01:52, 8 September 2006 (UTC)
No, Kyle emits another stock scream. Evil Egg (talk) 21:21, 6 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Request clip

Could Wikipedia get a sound clip of this? Iamvered 02:21, 20 April 2006 (UTC)

We don't need one. The first link under "External Links" is a direct link to a .wav file of the sound effect. Already taken care of. Kasreyn 02:15, 21 April 2006 (UTC)

The .wav file does not consist solely of a voice, but includes a thumping sound. Is that actually part of the sound effect, or is this a mix reflecting one particular usage? Richard K. Carson 05:43, 1 May 2006 (UTC)

The sound effect is just the scream. The thumping is something else from the media which this particular instance of the scream is from, and is not audible when the scream is used elsewhere. Rob T Firefly 05:24, 9 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Command and conquer

This "scream" is not used in any of the Command and Conquer series, though similar sounding screams are heard that appear in other media (such as the original Unreal game)

[edit] Merge? List of media using the Wilhelm scream

What is the point of the list of uses on this page when a page already exists that provides a much more thorough list here? Why don't we just delete the list on this page and provide a link to the other page? Kakashi-sensei 22:44, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

I agree, The page above which is linked to in this article has a more complete list of films and other media with the scream. The list on this page should be taken off and just leave the link in place. Anyone have a problem with that? Viperix 00:04, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
What happened to the "List of media using the Wilhelm scream" page? It seems like an excellent reference for Wikipedia to have. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.194.156.15 (talk) 18:12, 19 October 2007 (UTC)
It was WP:AFDed unfortunately Viperix 03:06, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Bummer. It was a useful reference when explaining the significance of the scream to somebody. Doesn't make much sense to delete it.dougmc (talk) 21:26, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

The Movie Franchises section seems redundant, as the contained movies are provided in the usage list itself. Perhaps it should be deleted. --Leirith (talk) 04:31, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Difference

Hardly can find a difference from any scream and this kind of scream. May be a more continous "aaa" but not much for do any difference. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 200.112.11.95 (talk • contribs)

Really? I think its pretty distinctive. I remember hearing it when I was a kid (in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies) and being mildly confused as to why Stormtroopers sounded the same as Nazis. :) EVula // talk // ☯ // 19:22, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Female "Wilhelm"?

There's a female scream that's been used in a ton of films and tv shows, but I can't seem to find anything about that scream. It's a high-pitched scream that kinda goes "AAAAHH..AH" (a normal length scream followed by a short scream). The Grinch (with Jim Carrey) was on ABC tonight and I heard the female scream I'm talking about in that. I've also heard it in the movie "Hackers", when they do a quick cut to a clip from a black-and-white movie of a woman being strangled. I've heard it a million other times as well. Does anyone have any info on the female scream? meateebon 04:43, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

No clue, never heard it. I don't have either of those movies on DVD, so I can't easily check on it. EVula // talk // ☯ // 05:42, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
I know exactly what you mean. It is definitely a female voice It goes "AAAAAAAA AAh AAh," and during the first grouping the tone drops three times, and then remains the same for the following two short-screams. If you ever see a cheapo gadget that uses a scream sound (think hallowen) I bet you that's it. I have also heard it on more than one occasion in tv, commercials, and even a movie or two.

You can hear the first scream without the two trailing sounds in The Last King of Scotland during the fight in the hospital (just before the line "this is a hospital, you get your men out now")

I clicked on this article thinking it was the female version as well. If anyone has any info on that, I'd like to read about where it came from, which project it originally appeared in, etc. Alanlastufka 17:19, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

I too am curious about that scream, I hear it in so many movies, and it's very distinctive. I hope someone can find it. Eldaran 01:20, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Ok, It's been two months, but I happened to be watching Heroes and sure enough there was the "female wilhelm." Anyone know anything about this? I swear I hear it everywhere: http://plaza.ufl.edu/findley/Female%20Wilhelm.wav Eldaran 22:02, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

It was also used in an episode of The Lone Gunmen and I believe in The Butterfly Effect.--Wraithdart 00:09, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

It's also been used by Prince on the album "The Gold Experience" in the opening track "P Control". I've been womdering about this scream ever since I heard that album in 1995... Is it really so that nobody knows the origin of this one? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.159.138.231 (talk) 23:12, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] The Boba Fett Scream

Until recently, I thought the Wilhelm Scream was the scream Boba Fett makes when he falls into the Sarlac. I’ve also heard it in many other places, the two that I can remember being: the Star Wars video game Dark Forces (the Doom-like first-person-shooter game) when the player character falls out the window of the space station, and the opening credits to the sketch comedy Truthhorse.

The reason I thought this was the Wilhelm Scream was that it said so in an issue of a Star Wars magazine dedicated solely to Boba Fett. Several weeks ago a friend showed me a short film on the net about the Wilhelm Scream that’s from the old Western and I was surprised that it wasn’t the TIE-fighter-engine-ish “YYYEEEAAARRRGGGHHH” scream I thought it would be.

What do you call that scream? Felicity4711 23:04, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

Are you referring to this one? --Quess 05:35, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

Quess...I have been wondering forever where that sound effect came from. I was trying to research it and found this entry for Wilhelm and was disappointed when I heard it and it was not what I was looking for. I thought at once that it was from something in Mortal Kombat (either game or movie or soundtrack) but can't find anything about that. If you can find anything out about it, PLEASE update. Nilicain 08:27, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

It is used in the game Starcraft, when you click on the Academy, one of the Terran buildings.--Wraithdart (talk) 00:38, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Wilhelm Screams

According to http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm/, "six short pained screams were recorded in a single take", some or all of which have been or are now used as stock screams. The article currently assumes there is only one version of the scream, so it may be useful to update it to reflect this information. That site provides audio files of takes 1, 3, and 4:

http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm/wilhelmtk1.html
http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm/wilhelmtk3.html
http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm/wilhelmtk4.html

Take 4 is the "classic" Wilhelm Scream, while the other two are somewhat less distinctive.

Ruyn 02:56, 5 July 2007 (UTC)


[edit] See Also

There is a human sound I miss in the See Also section. In many of the Looney Tunes cartoons, there is a strange sound the characters can sometimes make. It was also used by one of the villains in the live actiom movie The Goonies. Someone who knows what I'm referring to? 193.217.193.62 02:22, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Are you talking about this one? --Quess 08:26, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] List of movies

This section is a mess, I cleaned it up somewhat, but it really needs some organizing or even maybe eliminated. Ruffnerr 00:41, 20 October 2007 (UTC)


  • I agree it was a mess, I cleaned it up a lot. Added info and put the format back the way it was.
The format is By decade first and then alphabetical. Each movie has a little blurb about where the sound effect is located and I tried to keep the blurbs one line short. If the Effect is in the movie but has no blurb the date the movie was released is there. If it has a blurb then no date is needed since if someone really wants to know the release date, all they have to do is click the link. Not all of the links will work right, but I will work on them.
The format:
  • Movie title (the scream is located, blah blah...)
Easy enough. Finally, One can list information on here using source based research, WP:OR from primary sources. Easily verifiable. Viperix 19:29, 5 November 2007 (UTC)

Good Job! Ruffnerr (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 22:02, 17 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Time Stamp Proof

It has been confirmed to not be in numerous films that keep popping up. If you think you find the scream in one of these media then, in the spirit of consensus, write a timestamp here in this section and if someone confirms your timestamp then we can re add the media. Viperix 19:50, 5 November 2007 (UTC)


Some of the above (such as Aaahh real monsters, Broken Arrow, Dark Forces, Robot Chicken, and StarCraft) had a similar scream, which some call the "Youraagh", others call the "Academy scream", and is occasionally known as "Weird scream from Broken Arrow". --Ryanasaurus0077 (talk) 01:37, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] usage rights

There should be a section about who owns the copyright and what kind of usage license is required for (non-)commercial applications, etc. Does anyone know this info? 68.107.83.19 (talk) 05:16, 10 December 2007 (UTC)

  • First, new comments go at the bottom of talk pages. Second, no one owns the copyright, and I am guessing no license since its used in many non commercial applications. This is an old sound effect. Viperix (talk) 21:04, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Suggestion

You know what would be neat? If there was a professionally written article out there we could link to that 'spells out' the sound for us without speakers. I know, if a wiki-editor types in 'It sounds like 'Yaaaaarggh' ' it'd be deleted for being Original Research (Dun dun duuun). But I can wish for some sound editor to spell it out. And a pony. I want a pony. Lots42 (talk) 12:57, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] The list

What's this I hear about the list being deleted over and over again? I thought we were learning something from those lists? Or do I have to recreate the Wilhelm scream category (with an admin's permission, of course)? --Ryanasaurus0077 (talk) 22:39, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

As you can see from the history User:Ryulong and User:Can't sleep, clown will eat me Both seem to think the previous AFD for another article (list of media using the wilhelm scream) also applies to this article. Although that article was deleted for being a Directory. Obvois to me is that this is a parent article and is less complete without the list. The policies quoted by Ryulong do not really apply, especially when one reads WP:PSTS closely enough and sees that As a primary resource the movies themselves are the references. Finally I guess he did not read WP:IINFO before quoting it, since the list obvoisly does not fit into anything there. I think once they lose interest there will no longer be a problem. So I guess I will wait a week or so, and recreate the list here at that time. 24.161.131.22 (talk) 22:27, 12 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Need Verification

This discussion page needs a repository of titles where the scream is suspected but not yet verified. I recommend we do it here.

I just watched Logan's Run and I am pretty positive I heard the Wilhelm during the gun battle after Logan's interrogation. This occurred between 1:52 and 1:53 into the movie (using the time counter from Netflix online movie service which I was watching). Can someone verify? Keebler71 (talk) 03:06, 11 February 2008 (UTC)
This isn't needed at all. It's really not important to list every movie the scream appears in... it's overlisted already. Some guy (talk) 07:30, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Cat

Somebody should mention the ubiquitous cat noise. 74.77.114.251 (talk) 01:00, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Creaky hinge?

There's a creaky gate/hinge/whatever sound effect that is used in a lot of movies, but it's not listed in the common sound-effect cliches in this article. I'm wondering if there is an article about it, I have no idea what the name would be. I know I've heard it all over the place, but the most recent movie that keeps coming to mind is Planet Terror (in which it occurs twice). Some guy 18:17, 5 August 2007 (UTC)

Addendum: It was also in Rush Hour 3, when a metal gate was being opened. Some guy 19:50, 15 August 2007 (UTC)
Also heard in a very recent Altoids commercial, when they open the access hatch to unjam the 'copy machine'. Some guy (talk) 04:30, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Original Research

This article was lacking in sources to begin with, but I added the {{OR}} tag after seeing this edit summary: [2].

Wikipedia is not a publisher of original thought, films should only be listed here if a reliable source says they contain the scream, not WP editors. Bazzargh (talk) 14:03, 16 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Let's come to consensus on "The List"

What would one need to place as citations to prevent the usage list from being deleted? I found the list both informative and amusing, and although I can't personally verify that each reference is in fact a Wilhelm scream, I can believe that an honest person watched the movies in the list, and recognized the very characteristic sound and placed an addition to the list following his find.

It seems an overt abuse of opinion to simply remove the whole list as a violation of "citation needed." On the other hand, I can also understand the need for reliable sources in an encylopaedic article. In this case, it seems that short of contacting the sound editing crew for each movie in the list, there is no way to verifiably determine whether each instance is, in fact, the genuine Wilhelm. If the list is going to be disallowed, the external link with the list should stay (with the caveat that the list is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate).

GoldStripes (talk) 17:23, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

  • You would need reliable independent sources which attest that the Wilhelm scream is notably used in that item. We deleted the list article as failing verifiability, the only way to fix that is with robust sourcing. Simply re-adding it here does not fix the problem: unsourced content is fair game for removal, always, everywhere. Guy (Help!) 11:24, 4 May 2008 (UTC)
    • That's it! I'm going to have to recreate the List of media with the Wilhelm scream category (with an admin's permission, of course) if this edit war keeps raging over whether or not the list should be kept! Now kiss and make up! --Ryanasaurus007 (talk) 01:56, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
  • That's perverse - it's removed from the article as unsourced, so you're going to re-create the deleted unsourced list instead? How does that fix the problem? The way to fix it is to source it. Guy (Help!) 11:08, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

I am removing three items from the list as I can find no proof that these movies even exist:

  • The Magic School Bus returns to the Movie (1997) After rafiki says STOP! littlefoot Tries to Stop and went in a Train and Dorthy Ann Runs Away and Littlefoot Crashes through the window
  • Pokemon: Sora's Grand Adventure Movie (2002)
  • Pokemon: Ash Ketchum meets Bugs Bunny (2005)

I can find no entries for them on IMDB, and searches on Google turn up no results indicating that these movies exist. In addition, the characters Rafiki and Littlefoot referred to in the "Magic Schoolbus" movie are from other animated movies (Lion King and Land Before Time, respectively). If someone else can provide proof the movies exist and that the scream's in them, then let's add them back in. --Sakanaya (talk) 07:39, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

I think this list should be taken to someone's userspace and off this page until it can be sourced properly, as right now this is nothing more than a vandal magnet. Spell4yr (talk) 13:33, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] The Audio Link

The Audio link confuses me greatly. It tells me I do not have the right software to run it, yet I can listen to any Youtube audio file I choose. Very strange. Is there a Wilhelm on Youtube to be linked to? Lots42 (talk) 01:21, 6 June 2008 (UTC)