The Shining

How does Kubrick create suspense using music/ sound?

In my opinion, there are many factors that contribute to Kubrick's ability to create suspense in The Shining. The element that caught my attention the most, however, was the use of music and sound to create a sense of anxiety and anticipation of what will soon happen.

In this film, music, as well as sound, is used as a device to create anxiety. By the time about one quarter of the movie is finished, the audience knows that every time a high-pitched sound that drowns out the rest of the movie is heard, Danny is about to foretell something terrifying that will happen in the future. Because the audience automatically associates this sound with what we've already seen Danny foretell (blood down the hall and creepy sisters holding hands,) it automatically fears what Danny will see. Generally, Kubrick also tends to use deeper pitches and minor tones in the musical pieces of the film to create the mood of the movie. Since even the opening credits, the audience hears a (in my opinion) horrifying soundtrack, which indicates that this will indeed be a horror film.