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Comment by lvncelot | Hacker News Reader

I've told people about the Wilhelm Scream, and every time it occurs in a movie or show, I'm flabbergasted that they still don't recognize it. It's just so distinct how does that not immediately stand out?

Makes me wonder what kinds of glaringly obvious easter-eggs (audio or otherwise) I'm missing.

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If the movie or show is any good, most first-time viewers are likely too engaged with the plot to notice, and I suspect that the number who care to look out for it are fairly small. You seem to be in the position of a trained musician who cannot avoid hearing mistakes.

Have you noticed how every scene of a wide-open or mountainous landscape must be accompanied with the screech of some raptor? (It sounds like a red-tailed hawk to me, but that's just what I am most familiar with.) This, I think, is more noticeable because it is usually a scene-setting shot in which not much is happening, while the Scream is often backdrop to mayhem.

This kind of hidden cultural shorthand in movies and TV is one reason I find watching foreign produced entertainment interesting. The set of tropes used in terms of cues and plots etc are different. When you watch it and something feels off, it’s interesting to think well is this just this particular show, are the cues different; am I missing some shared reference here…

For bird sounds in movies the one to listen for is the loon. Admittedly a pretty striking call but it's everywhere in movies - and more often then not outside the actual range where you'd really find a loon.

The call of an eagle, or almost any bird of prey, which is actually always that of a red-tailed hawk.

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=156187...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEmYEQ78zS0

There's one of a rat squeaking three times, and another of a door creaking open. Heard them both for the first time in The Elder Scrolls: Arena, and they're instantly recognizable anywhere else.

I'm not a gamer myself, but my wife is and she frequently points out the creaky door sound effect when we watch movies. It's amazing how often such a small set of effects is reused.

The one I always notice is a sound effect of a cat screeching, usually accompanied with the sound of crashing metal trash cans.

I can't seem to find a clip of it anywhere though. Maybe someone else will have better luck?

Oh yeah, I think I know what you're talking about - I can practically hear it right now.

I've known about the Wilhelm scream and heard it in isolation online. I still can't tell you a single time I heard it in a movie or TV show. I just can't tell.

The most noticeable for me is the DooM door opening sound, it really stands out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bgFpss0YFE goes into detail (but is basically reading off the wiki page: https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Origins_of_Doom_sounds )

There’s that sound of a female police dispatcher on the radio that’s in a ton of films, tv shows and games including Sim City 3000

I’ve also heard the police dispatcher track from the original Grand Theft Auto in many other places, though I’m not sure if GTA was the original source or if it’s the same track you’re referring to

The phrase in the track that I notice is “5 George K”

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