# That Godamn Wilhelm Scream **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 26, 2012, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159 "2012-12-26T06:25:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159/41 "2012-12-28T13:49:20Z")
Personally I don’t see wha\*\*WAAAUUGH!!!\*\*t the problem is. Isn’t it a bit ridiculous to get upset o\*\*WAAAUUGH!!!\*\*ver a simple sound effect? I honestly can’t imagine something like this ev\*\*WAAAUUGH!!!\*\*er getting annoying to moviewatchers. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159/42 "2012-12-28T14:15:06Z")
> [@FlyingDragonFan](#): > > Hate it. Every time I notice it, it just reminds me that I’m watching a movie, and totally pulls me out of the moment. You didn’t realize you were watching a movie before that? You thought it was actual people and places right in front of you? You didn’ t know they were merely light on a flat wall? I always know when I’m watching a movie. The fact that I paid admission is one important clue. Frankly, if I notice the scream, I just continue to watch the movie. There is something in every minute to let you be aware you’re watching a film, if you want to play they game. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159/43 "2012-12-28T14:55:51Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > You didn’t realize you were watching a movie before that? You thought it was actual people and places right in front of you? You didn’ t know they were merely light on a flat wall? That’s probably just what they meant to say, yes. This was an extremely amusing and insightful cont\*\*WAAAUUGH!!!\*\*ribution. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159/44 "2012-12-28T15:30:13Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > You didn’t realize you were watching a movie before that? You thought it was actual people and places right in front of you? You didn’ t know they were merely light on a flat wall? You’ve never heard of “suspension of disbelief” and you’re acting like _he’s_ the clueless one? ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159/45 "2012-12-28T18:27:07Z")
Every time I hear it, I think, “They killed Wilhelm! Dammit!” So I note it, but it doesn’t seriously bother me. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159/46 "2012-12-28T18:39:56Z")
It’s basically the film maker’s version of “LE EPIC MEME XD XD XD” and yeah, it needs to go away, at least in non-comedies. It’s even being used in My Little Pony for pete’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159/47 "2012-12-29T07:56:10Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > But arguably, it’s only nerds like us that would potentially appreciate it, so if we’re pissed, what’s the point? The point isn’t to specifically piss nerds off (most of the time), the point is to not piss off the general public, which it still doesn’t really do. IOW the Wilhelm Scream, as cliched as it has become to us, is still just another scream to everybody else. So its still a viable sample that sound engineers continue to use, sometimes as an in-joke, sometimes not, because the general public doesn’t give a shit either way! ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159/48 "2012-12-29T12:18:08Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > The point isn’t to specifically piss nerds off (most of the time), the point is to not piss off the general public, which it still doesn’t really do. IOW the Wilhelm Scream, as cliched as it has become to us, is still just another scream to everybody else. So its still a viable sample that sound engineers continue to use, sometimes as an in-joke, sometimes not, because the general public doesn’t give a shit either way! I get that, what I’m saying is this: If, say, 95% of the public doesn’t notice or care about the scream and 5% notice and are annoyed by it, then why use it? It’s a net negative. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159/49 "2012-12-29T14:35:27Z")
Like all things, the litmus test for when it’s saturated into the mainstream as recognized schtick will be when it’s used in a porn movie (incl. modified for the title) ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159/50 "2012-12-29T15:15:24Z")
I don’t notice the Wilhelm scream. I do notice the generic “police radio chatter” clip that seems to show up everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159/51 "2012-12-29T21:03:03Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > You’ve never heard of “suspension of disbelief” and you’re acting like _he’s_ the clueless one? It’s not just that he’s unaware of the term, but that he apparently can’t do it, since since he says he’s aware 100% of the time. I don’t know how anyone could enjoy fiction at all if they are like that. Going through life, never being able to immerse yourself in a story? Being stuck in the here-and-now, even during the parts of life that suck? That’s absolutely awful. I think he needs pity, not scorn. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159/52 "2012-12-29T21:58:54Z")
It bothers me, too, about on the level of seeing a boom mike shadow in shot. Not a big deal, but something that a conscientious director should have caught and removed. That said, I watched _Kung Fu Panda_ last night, and heard Wilhelm in the scene where Tai Lung breaks out of prison. For some reason, that time it made me smile. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159/53 "2012-12-29T22:13:48Z")
Nobody hates the Wilhelm scream anymore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-godamn-wilhelm-scream/645159.md?page=2)