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Futuristic Theremin Wail: Difference between revisions

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Futuristic Theremin Wail (view source)

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* ''[[The Lost Weekend]]'', about a alcoholic's weekend-long binge.
* ''[[The Day the Earth Stood Still]]'' is one of its most famous uses.
* Used in Tim Burton's bio-pic ''[[Ed Wood (Filmfilm)|Ed Wood]]'', to recreate the theme music from ''[[Plan 9 From Outer Space (Film)|Plan 9 Fromfrom Outer Space]]''.
* Used to represent altered reality in ''[[eXistenZ]]'' and ''[[The Machinist]]''.
* And in countless Horror and Science Fiction B-movies between 1945 and 1960. In those times, if it wailed, it was usually a theremin.
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== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* The opening to ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'' doesn't use one, but evokes the sound. The musicians in this case actually cobbled some parts from the technical department and ''built'' a synthesizer to simulate it.
* The melody of the theme of ''[[Star Trek: theThe Original Series (TV)|Star Trek the Original Series]]'' was actually never played on a theremin. A soprano singer emulated its signature sound.
* The ''[[Midsomer Murders]]'' theme and underscore uses it, to great, creepy effect.
* The theme music to ''[[Dark Shadows (TV series)|Dark Shadows]]'' does, as well.
* Sheldon Cooper from ''[[The Big Bang Theory (TV)|The Big Bang Theory]]'' plays the theremin. Badly.
* Harry Lubin, composer for ''[[One Step Beyond]]'' and the second season of ''[[The Outer Limits (TV)|The Outer Limits]]'' (TOS), used the theremin extensively in his sscores for both series.
 
== [[Music]] ==
* [[The Beach Boys (Music)|The Beach Boys]]' "Good Vibrations" features a Tannerin (aka an Electro-Theremin, basically a theremin with ''mechanical'' controls for pitch and volume) in the chorus.
* "Whole Lotta Love" by [[Led Zeppelin (Music)|Led Zeppelin]].
* The '60s psychedelic band Lothar and the Hand People was known for using the theremin.
* The punk-reggae band The Dingees featured a guest thereminist on two tracks from ''The Crucial Conspiracy'', "Summertime" and "We Rot the Voodoo". It fit well with the album's sci-fi [[Conspiracy Theorist]] themes.
* [[Converge (Music)|Converge]] used this extensively on their ''Jane Doe'' album, to genuinely heart-stopping effect.
* "Velouria" by the Pixies.
* The Hungarian space rock band Omega has always loved the theremin, and it shows up in multiple songs.
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== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[Destroy All Humans!]]'' uses it to evoke the 1950s alien invasion films which it parodies.
* ''[[The Movies]]'' uses a theremin sound as the stock sound effect for handling a [[Sci Fi]] script.
* ''[[Vampire Bloodlines]]'' has a theremin playing all the way through Dr. Grout's (a batshit insane leader of an equally insane vampiric clan) mansion.
* In episode 3 of ''[[Homestar Runner|Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People]]'', Homsar plays the theremin in Strong Bad's band D-Ö-I. A ''giant'' theremin, that he plays by levitating and moving his whole body up and down
* ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]] 2's'' final zone has a very long, theremin-heavy theme tune, the [[Wasted Song|last vestige]] of a [[Dummied Out]] level.
** The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjFMSsKUjLY Egg Carrier] theme in ''[[Sonic Adventure (Video Game)|Sonic Adventure]]'' also uses it, starting at 0:45.
* Liberally used in the soundtrack for ''[[Banjo -Kazooie]]'' and its sequels. The levels where it shows up are meant to evoke the feeling of a classic horror [[B-Movie]], [[Atlantis]] and an alien terrarium.
* A pocket theremin is a usable weapon in ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]''.
* ''[[Descent]] 3'' uses a theremin-style synth for its [[Recurring Riff|main theme]], as well as for the pentatonic Asian riff heard in Level 4.
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* ''[[Ray Storm]]'' uses it in the [[Nightmare Fuel|infamously nightmarish]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvk7qx1v4OI "Molecular Clock"] boss music.
== [[Web Original]] ==
* A theremin makes a last-minute appearance in the ending sequence of ''[[Dr. HorriblesHorrible's Sing -Along Blog]]'', re-doing the opening theme.
 
== [[Web Comics]] ==
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== [[Western Animation]] ==
* I.R. Baboon plays a Theremin in one episode of ''[[Cow and Chicken (Animation)|I Am Weasel]]'', which somehow keeps causing earthquakes.
* In an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', they hear what they think is a ghost haunting their attic. On their way up to investigate, the obligatory spooky theremin music starts playing. Homer [[Left the Background Music On|hears the music]] and is not happy about the ghost getting ahold of his theremin.
** Despite being often featured on the soundtrack, it wasn't until the 2011 ''Treehouse of Horror'' episode that an actual theremin was used. (Before that, it was emulated by a synthesizer)
* Used in an episode of ''[[American Dad (Animation)|American Dad]]''. While flashing back to the day he met Roger at Area 51, the theremin plays in the background. Stan could [[Left the Background Music On|apparently hear it]] as he stops and says he's going to check the room its coming from.
* In a post-revival episode of ''[[Futurama (Animation)|Futurama]]'', Bender dies and takes on a ghostly existence. When the characters call a séance to exorcise the ghost, cue the creepy Theremin track, but when the [[Establishing Shot]] ends, [[Left the Background Music On|it is Zoidberg playing it to his coleagues]].
 
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