Psycho Strings: Difference between revisions

 

{{examples}}

* The entire shower scene is parodied in ''[[Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei]]'', strings and all. It only serves to make Fuura Kafuka even creepier, too—while the stabber changes between every shot (Bruce Lee, Freddy Krueger, and the [[Drunken Master]] to name a few), it's ''Kafuka'' we see dashing around the corner out of the bathroom.

* Used in the first episode of ''[[The Slayers]]'' when the Black Dragon attacks.

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5HtzrlcbYo#2m00s Played nearly shot-by-shot] in an episode of [[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!]] complete with the strings. (skip to the 2-minute mark)

 

* ''[[Finding Nemo]]'', when Darla arrives.

* Used famously in ([[Trope Namer|duh]]) ''[[Psycho]]''. Alfred Hitchcock supposedly wanted the murder scene to be totally silent, but film composer [[Bernard Herrmann]] had a better idea.

** And the very same strings are used whenever ''[[Carrie]]'' uses her telekinetic powers.

* Used in ''[[Daddy Day Care]]'' when Max "[[Toilet Humor|misses]]".

 

* Pick any episode of ''[[Lost]]''.

** The whole soundtrack, really.

** As does {{spoiler|Davros}}, which is actually a re-arrangement of the Midnight monster's theme.

** The Weeping Angels' [[Leitmotif]] is nothing '''but''' Psycho Strings.

* In ''[[Pee-wee's Playhouse]]'': "I'm going door to door, to make you this incredible offer..." (AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! Ha ha!)

* The [[Crowning Music of Awesome|ridiculously awesome]] extended version of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er-T5FjRc40 Lord Zedd's Theme] from ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]''.

* ''[[American Horror Story]]'' uses the ''actual'' Psycho Strings as {{spoiler|Maria is stabbed in the back to death}} at the end of the flashback in 'Home Invasion'.

 

* Parts of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia".

* The opening of Krzystof Penderecki's ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfBVYhyXU8o Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima]'' (written in 1960) may be an inspiration: all fifty-two string players are instructed to play "the highest note on the instrument" as loudly as possible, producing a very harsh and grating high-pitched tone cluster which sounds a bit like a scream. (Its relation to the subject matter is actually purely incidental; Penderecki originally intended to call the piece simply ''8'37"'', but figured a memorial to the victims of American nuclear bombs would be more likely to be accepted by the government of Poland as more in line with their Social Realist artistic policies.)

* The Soviet composer [[Dmitri Shostakovich]] was fond of using these for [[Getting Crap Past the Radar|political commentary]]. For instance, the [[Executive Meddling|Party-mandated]] Fifth Symphony's grandiose, triumphant finale is rather undermined by the string section sawing away in the background, rendering the whole thing rather hollow, creepy, and artificial. [[Stealth Parody|Not that anybody important noticed.]]

 

* Not surprisingly, this was included in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP0jtQxbEpM Sycho Sid's entrance music].

 

* Used in many songs in ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (theatre)|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]'', "Epiphany" in particular.

* The [[Reduced Shakespeare Company]] uses Psycho Strings as the music cue for Hamlet stabbing Polonius.

* Richard Strauss's opera ''[[Salome]]'' uses an effect of this sort as Salome is listening for Jokanaan's death cry. The short sharp sound, made by double basses playing far higher than their usual range, is meant, according to the composer's footnote, to "resemble the stifled moans and groans of a woman."

 

* ''[[Grim Fandango]]'': Used a few times, including when Chepito reveals the Demons of the Deep.

* Used often in the ''[[First Encounter Assault Recon|F.E.A.R.]]'' games whenever Alma appears, along with other scare events. At least one soundtrack piece uses a waterphone.

* [[Pokémon Black and White|Gothitelle]] uses it as it's [[Battle Cry]].

 

* The shower scene gets parodied in [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0608.html this] ''[[Order of the Stick]]'' strip, with the Psycho Strings represented as sound effects.

 

* ''[[Ren and Stimpy]]'': In the episode "Stimpy's Fan Club" we see an insane Ren contemplate strangling a sleeping Stimpy. It's after he says the line "Just...one...''twist''!" when the Psycho Strings start to come into play.

** Also used in the episode "Haunted House" when Stimpy's taking a shower, in homage to ''[[Psycho]]''.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Score and Music Tropes]]

[[Category:Sound FX Tropes]]