# Is There A Name For This Horror/Suspense/Shock Sound Effect? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-horror-suspense-shock-sound-effect/712727 "2015-02-15T16:21:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-horror-suspense-shock-sound-effect/712727/1 "2015-02-15T16:21:13Z")
A series of three notes, the first two are short, the third is elongated. You would hear it in, say, a cheesy soap opera or horror movie (or, more likely, a spoof of same), to indicate a shocking or horrifying revelation. “The phone call is coming from within the house!” [cue effect] “The murderer is… my evil twin!” [cue effect] You get it. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-horror-suspense-shock-sound-effect/712727/2 "2015-02-15T17:01:00Z")
Oh you mean like at the end of this short sequence of Ren and Stimpy? (Safe for work) the music starts when it is revealed that someone is watching. (Kirk Douglas too :) ) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-horror-suspense-shock-sound-effect/712727/3 "2015-02-15T17:27:26Z")
Yes, that’s exactly it! ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-horror-suspense-shock-sound-effect/712727/4 "2015-02-15T17:39:52Z")
I don’t know if it has an official name, but it is commonly called the “dun dun dun” sound effect, sometimes with an alternate spelling such as “dun dun duuuuunnnnn” or with similar emphasis on the last note. Googling “dun dun dun” will give you lots of hits. If there’s an official name for it (other than dun dun dun) you can probably find it that way. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-horror-suspense-shock-sound-effect/712727/5 "2015-02-15T17:45:08Z")
Shock horror effect [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhgFDo7XPu0) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-horror-suspense-shock-sound-effect/712727/6 "2015-02-15T17:51:22Z")
Yep. [Dun dun DUN!](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0021.html) ---
**Author:** ![Recusant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@Recusant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recusant)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-horror-suspense-shock-sound-effect/712727/7 "2015-02-15T18:39:35Z")
I’m not giving any hits to the big evil G, so forgive me if this isn’t the right effect, but there’s also [http://www.dramabutton.com/](http://www.dramabutton.com/) Now you can have it on command! ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-horror-suspense-shock-sound-effect/712727/8 "2015-02-15T19:11:30Z")
It’s called a [musical sting:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sting_%28musical_phrase%29) > [@](#): > > A **sting** is a short musical phrase, primarily used in broadcasting and films as a form of punctuation. For example, a sting might be used to introduce a regular section of a show, indicate the end of a scene, or indicate that a dramatic climax is imminent. […] It is often used to build tension. [A series of examples.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-Z6dXFaDrI) ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-horror-suspense-shock-sound-effect/712727/9 "2015-02-15T19:52:30Z")
It sounds to me like a snippet of the [theme from Dragnet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx5GwULPU90). (Listen to the three notes before the narration begins…) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-horror-suspense-shock-sound-effect/712727/10 "2015-02-15T22:10:33Z")
Beethoven’s Fifth? ---
**Author:** ![Enlightening\_Meditation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@Enlightening\_Meditation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enlightening_Meditation)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-horror-suspense-shock-sound-effect/712727/11 "2015-02-16T00:08:37Z")
I hear this musical inflection as two notes followed by a diminished chord rather than a third single note.