How Nope Tricks Your Ears

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How Nope uses sonic ambiguity to create terror and suspense.
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// Sources:
[1] For more on Terror vs Horror check out Matthew Morgan's "Unseen Terror: How uncertainty feeds our fear" artofconversation.substack.co...
[2] Designing and Mixing the Far Out Sound of 'Nope' - a film sound deep-dive with Johnnie Burn www.asoundeffect.com/nope-fil...
[3] 'Nope' sound designer Johnnie Burn reveals secrets of the sci-fi film's alarming soundscape: www.space.com/nope-sci-fi-mov...
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#ThomasFlight #VideoEssay #movies

[@Poodlestroop]

The way that JJ keeps its victims screaming for hours or days isn’t just horrific, it’s clever and makes sense in-movie. What is the first, most basic impulse most people have upon hearing a scream? To look towards the source. And when does JJ identify and attack its prey?

[@saydays9721]

Brilliant!

[@mific893]

Holy sht u just blew my mind

[@Dragon_of_Rampage]

Well I'm even more uncomfortable now about this then I was before.

[@Greatduck777]

Thought about this, and now it makes more sense.

[@ACooper194]

I don't think so. JJ doesn't want to eat people and only does when they make it feel cornered. It takes eye contact as aggression and thinks it has to fight or flee. Eye contact isn't necessary for something it wants to eat (like horses). I think it's trying to "communicate" by parroting things it hears from people.

[@wamatt2476]

I like how in the third act, after they stop treating Jean Jacket like and unknowable horror, and more like a wild animal, the film almost completely drops the visual ambiguity usually associated with UFO films. Jean Jacket is just there, out in the open, in broad daylight.

[@manydirt2600]

@@Padlock_Steve man vs nature. I expected a generic horror movie, really. Instead I got this. Loved Nope. If I were smarter I would probably pick up on more of the subtlety and love it more.

[@RolaiEckolo]

Okay, just hear me out on this. Jean Jacket's relevance in the story to Gordy is super obvious, but what might not've been so obvious was the parallel you drew here -- "in broad daylight." In the scene with Gordy, the attack doesn't happen in the dark recesses of Gordy's enclosure or something. It isn't typical; rather, it's unplanned, on the set of a budding American sitcom, lit by professional cameras for anyone with the footage to see themselves. A spectacle. It's a horror we don't expect, and that makes it feel real. The best horror happens in broad daylight. 'Midsommar' was a great example of this. If you catch a monster/atrocity/horror in the day, it ceases to be something made-up for our entertainment. It isn't confined to the shadows for the convenience of the genre. Suddenly, it's not limited to obscurity or the artistry of a filmmaker, it's beyond that now. It's in the open, and whatever it does next, we'll see ALL OF IT. Just like the viewers on Gordy. And that's fucking terrifying.

[@davidkonevky7372]

And the creature finally gets killed showing that it's lovecraftian visuals are nothing but a cover to his actual animalistic intelligence

[@ohlikeahh]

@@RolaiEckolo omg this is exactly what happens in ti west's pearl, every kill happens in a saturated bright environment. it makes everything even more terrifying, at least for me.

[@PieMan061]

I’ll be honest, I hated once it was revealed and was in broad daylight. The suspense/thrill was gone and I thought it just looked like a generic/kind of silly. I understand the movie is more a commentary than a horror but to me the third act was the worst.

[@joyajohnson2216]

“what if it’s not a ship” is genuinely one of the best plots for a sci fi/horror of all time.

[@stardazedkid8]

IT SERIOUSLY IS I WANT PEOPLE TO SAY THIS MORE!!!!! sorry about the caps but this made me LOSE my MIND in the movie, I really dislike the trope of aliens being little green humanoid things with huge eyes because its overdone and underwhelming, do you really think creatures that come from an ENTIRELY different world from ours will look anything like us?? no!!!! hearing the line "what if it's not a ship" sent CHILLS down my spine yet I was so relieved and excited this was where they were taking it

[@ataricom]

It's there, it's mean, it's hungry, and now that it knows you know of it's existence it did its absolute damnest to eat you, too. Imagine if the alien from Cloverfield could HIDE! That thing only wanted to kill, and as far as we ever saw, that's all it could do to defend itself. It was always angry destroy destroy, but giving JJ an actual drive to eat and hide turns it into a person, and a person you really don't want to piss off.

[@josephfischer7623]

Reaching

[@michaelhenderson6786]

@@ataricom ironically, Cloverfield was directed by a JJ lol coincidence?? Yeah, most likely lol

[@owvon222]

Cant tell if this is sarcasm

[@aeroritz5862]

This is entirely off topic, but this is what makes crowd crush so deadly. You can't tell the difference between someone enjoying a concert or show, and them being slowly crushed to death. One of my biggest fears if I go to a concert that could happen.

[@quadtoe]

omg ur right ive never even thought about that

[@explodeybits931]

not off topic at all, it's exactly what that sound reminded me of.

[@brrrnaner]

So I work at an amusement park, and let me tell you the screams that I hear on the daily are NO DIFFERENT from this movie. Splash Mountain from a distance sounds exactly like Jean Jacket and it is TERRIFYING. Fantastic work, I'm scarred for life, 10/10.

[@girl555ethereal]

☠️I haven't been since the pandemic when I used to have passes...now I wanna go and see for myself

[@Inkpink2]

Can’t wait for them to get rid of splash mountain Lmfao

[@Jrk585]

Pretty weird to see a roller coaster come down it’s hill from the parking lot and then hear the delayed screaming since, well sound moves pretty slow from a distance.

[@inventions178]

@@Inkpink2 I mean they aint getting rid of it lmao

[@rustyfisher2081]

If it helps, i saw part of "behind the scenes" of the filming of the throat digestion scene and they basically had a big rubbery tarp with a conveyor belt that the actors would ride on, and it looked like they had fun lol

[@KyroEmeraldblade]

for most of the movie i was never sure whether i was hearing the wind, a horse, people screaming, or the sound of an alien spaceship. maybe the best sound design i’ve ever heard in a film?

[@TheWelchProductions]

You might wanna get your ears checked, buddy.

[@dayzedandconfuzed]

it really was so good

[@dcsphinx2851]

@@TheWelchProductions bruh… did you not watch the fucking video? The frequencies are literally designed that way, the human brain is weird. Many people had the same experience

[@bryansmith844]

I think the sound design was ABSOLUTELY effective. I wish I had seen it in theatres, I can only imagine how well the echoing and design gives a sense of the scale.

[@uncroppedsoop]

@@TheWelchProductions it is literally the entire point of the sound design. If you think you could tell it apart just fine without trouble, you're not being honest with yourself

[@HawkTeevs]

I think the screams of Jean Jacket’s victims was really vital for making something as simple looking as a UFO scary. It is completely and entirely *silent* whenever it moves. No whoosh, no gust of wind, absolutely nothing. That is, until you hear the screams. But the thing is: once you hear the screams, it’s too late. By then, it’s already right above you. And the screams are only a peak of what’s to come if you end up becoming it’s next victim.

[@cawsomeaolin]

If it was a UFO it would be screams of pleasure as they getting probed in their ass lmao

[@TheWelchProductions]

*its

[@laneythelame]

Yessss

[@atmosphericentry0]

Hands down. The visuals during the Jupiter's Claim scene were scary, but the screaming was what really disturbing me. The sound designer asking the voice actors to scream like they're on a roller coaster really blended well with the plot as they're technically at an amusement park, and are there for their own enjoyment. There is always a bit of fear from when you scream on a roller coaster, and that fits perfectly and contextually with the whole "spectacle" theme of the movie, almost like watching a horror movie.

[@AbandonedChannel682]

@@TheWelchProductions it’s*

[@moonlight_dulcet]

what i really love about Nope is that they made the UFO itself the alien. there were no otherworldly lifeforms that were controlling it and beamed themselves down to earth and then attacked the humans. the UFO is the otherworldly lifeform. i know that for me personally, this made the movie even more terrifying. i was waiting for a confrontation with aliens the entire time and suddenly it was revealed that we had had a confrontation with the alien many scenes before. just brilliant

[@edithsdeathtrials4028]

Tbh I didn’t even think Jean jacket was alien, I’m the beginning of the movie is says that some hikers went missing w/ no trace so I always just kinda assumed Jean jacket had always been around, just dormant until it’s exploitation

[@sydssolanumsamsys]

@edithsdeathtrials4028 i believe peele said something in an intview about jean jacket being around for a long time. it only got noticed because Jupe was giving it a consistent food supply so it stopped migrating

[@dylanrees]

I think I read somewhere that JJ was meant to resemble a biblically accurate angel, suggesting that people getting levitated and digested was Peeles interpretation of ascending into heaven. Also it means that JJ had been around for a long time, or it was native to earth rather than extraterrestrial.

[@sydssolanumsamsys]

@dylanrees rather than peeles interpretation of going to heaven, this implies the people of thousands of years ago who wrote the Bible witnessed this and interpreted it as some form of holy event

[@mekiyahhazbin1720]

​@@sydssolanumsamsysand the in universe explanation that JJ responds aggressively to being looked at/watched probably explains why such an animal would remain completely illusive, even into the modern era with its ability to drain power when it attacks. Jean Jacket is genuinely one of the coolest and most terrifying movie monsters in at least the past decade or two

[@tingtinglin232]

I don't think I'm claustrophobic but the alien digest scene made me feel so sick hurrghhh its like being stuck in those kids play areas where the tubes are sweaty and narrow and really warm gross

[@blueazure9658]

i almost died

[@tingtinglin232]

@@blueazure9658 fuckn freddy fazzbear's funtime vibe innit eurghh

[@blueazure9658]

@@tingtinglin232 LAMMMMMMMMAOOOO

[@asmodeus304]

I believe jordan peele described it as a 'bouncy house from hell' in an interview

[@futuristicgirl14]

@@asmodeus304 which checks out with the balloon foley during that scene lmao

[@mr._.mav792]

The scene where we're inside Jean Jacket, watching the people slowly die, screaming, was one of the most horrifying things I have ever watched. It helps that I have claustrophobia, but for a good 15 minutes after that scene, I was absolutely not okay. I needed to step outside the theatre to catch my breath

[@mikeyfrederick1232]

Totally agree....a movie has NEVER made me feel so uncomfortable and disturbed..I loved it..I only realized after the movie that the screams you hear in the distance during the movie are people being eaten alive..

[@sawkmicoc4287]

100% agree, reminded me of the scene from fire in the sky sort of? If you’ve seen it you’ll know what I mean.

[@mr._.mav792]

@@sawkmicoc4287 unfortunately I can't say that I have

[@Its_Me_Romano]

am I bad for wanting to see those people being alive

[@eden20111]

@@thatweirdbwah_ trans 🫤

[@cottonclouds]

the unnatural stillness and silence in nope's soundscape reminded me of how nature, more specifically animals, know to retreat before an earthquake hits. it's like the bugs and wind of the dessert surrounding the ranch knew jean jacket was coming before the characters did

[@Companion92]

It's quiet... to quiet

[@MollyHJohns]

I guess I'm glad I'm only watching reviews about this movie instead of watching it myself. Too old and isolated for this kind of new horror 🤢

[@M33PSTER]

@@MollyHJohnsAs someone who hates horror movies, I just found the movie deeply unsettling. It didn’t really keep me up at night, it was just a really chilling watch. But the story is so interesting that I’d say it’s worth watching. The fear doesn’t linger.

[@ClamcumberJoel]

Tell that to that damn mantis on camera A.

[@kiki_ci3880]

​@@M33PSTERits exactly why i like peele. The fear doesn't linger.

[@matt98785]

The scene when the people were eaten and we saw them in the creature was the most disturbing to me. It’s terrifying to think that one second they were having fun watching a show, and the next they were all swept up into something. They don’t know what happening, and they’re in a dark tight place, and they’re terrified and trapped. The fact that we don’t know what’s happening either makes it all the more scary, the ambiguity

[@mekiyahhazbin1720]

The worst part for me was that it was Jupes fault. Jupe got obsessed with chasing the spectacle and just like with Gordy he thought he tamed an animal that couldn't be tamed. The fact that we only watch Jupes face as Jean Jacket sucks everyone up and their shadows fly all around him was just horrible. The hubris of one man chasing the spectacle costed the lives of all of those innocent people. And their fates are at least implied to be horrible, with no actual visceral scene of their horrible digestion. But then Jean Jacket looms over OJs house and the screams cut off in an instant as blood poors out from its mouth. Just a horrifically brutal death for 40 innocent people wrapped in a tragedy no one could've predicted. Just like Gordy

[@Skidibibapbap]

Wanna know a fucked up fact EVERYWHERE I go ppl say abt that specific scene? There were kids in the Star Lasso experience including Jupe’s kids. Someone pointed out how you can hear one of the kids screaming for their mom/dad. The imagination of the children’s lives being cut short in the most gruesome way possible makes me wanna throw up(and I did, 3 times actually trying to see if it was true)

[@WeabooMilk]

Obscuring during the Gordy scenes really drove home the theme about spectacle. We as the audience want to see what we know we shouldn't see but can't help it. Our imaginations run wild but we crave the confirmation.

[@Sabrinnaaa7]

such an awesome way to put it. thats exactly it.

[@austincde]

Also we don't want to be the next target 😂

[@rebotsomat2341]

@@rsh650 well yeah, but he was talking about the reason for the suspense. as in, the meta commentary about how we exploit tragedy for spectacle.

[@poeticsparrow]

@@rebotsomat2341 this too It's like how Ryan Murphy is gonna make another miniseries about another real actual serial murderer with real actual victims

[@Ahsoka_butwithlocs]

Oooh that was perfectly explained🤌🏾

[@ml6525]

When you talked about the fine line between screams of terror and fun, I thought of survivors of the Titanic who lived near Tiger stadium who had ptsd flashbacks from hearing the screams from the stadium.

[@yourlocaltrickstergod9734]

I thought of that too!

[@waverlyaltis7171]

Oh man the scene where the people are being sucked into the UFO’s mouth, and you could hear their screaming and the sound of them being pressed against the creature’s body, was one of the more haunting scenes for me. I had never realized how the audio contributed so much to my horror, but you explained it perfectly. I love this movie so much…

[@Voshchronos]

This. Watching this scene in the cinema was absolutely fucking incredible. Scary as fuck.

[@theharmonizer2670]

There was an article that said something along the lines of: "a character in a movie hears a mysterious noise behind a door. They slowly walk up to open it, leaving the audience to fear what could be behind. The door opens and there is a 10-foot spider on the other side, but the audience is relieved, saying 'It was a 10-foot spider? I thought it would be 100 feet!.' Later, the same thing happens, but with a 100-foot-spider, they would react the same, exclaiming 'It was a 100-foot spider? I thought it would be 1000 feet!.'" Fear is not the spider behind the door, but the *door itself.*

[@Pandamasque]

I live in a flat and next door and there's a family with several children. I can never tell if they're just having fun or are being murdered with an axe. The only clue is that it keeps happening with regularity. I mean, you can't be axe murdered over and over again for years, right?

[@sunumaudio]

You might live next to a necromancer lmfao

[@Pandamasque]

@@sunumaudio You may be onto something. Lately, I've noticed how children's voices didn't really grow up over the years.

[@esewhachudoinn]

@@Pandamasque wth 😰

[@skylarsaysstuff]

@@Pandamasque two sentence horror story material

[@_loechness_]

Having grown up in Washington state, it was normal for me to hear a combination of the sounds of children screaming and chainsaws growling during the summers.

[@zarkflappysheep]

I totally noticed the rollercoaster screams! When I was watching the first time I felt this bizarre excitement as I heard the distant screams. I was wondering why, but it totally reminded me of a theme park or something. And when a big group of people are screaming like that together it just feels like a big BIG event. Freaked me out.

[@moose5660]

whenever im scrolling through comments i see you mr flappy sheep

[@cameios]

Exactly! When I first saw that scene I was so lost because it sounded like they were having fun. For a moment I thought the movie had jumped to a completely unrelated scene until I realized they were screams of horror because they were being digested

[@ZenEndurance]

@@cameios But don't forget... they started out at a theme park. It's meant to point out that as a mob watching something for fun, are you really being consumed (used) by the industry. Just like the horses. Are you in control of your own life or are you really meat for the grinder of corporations/larger entities?

[@nobody138-]

@@cameios Same!

[@eddwarriior]

That really confused me but made the digestion scene so good in context, seeing the UFO fanatics getting sucked and going through tubes in hoping to meet little grey men with big eyes and screaming in joy only to find out they were being eaten alive and the screams slowly shifting to terror was perfect

[@BrianPseivaD]

I’m deaf and this has been brilliant for helping me to understand sounds and human perception of it.

[@jackmakila3776]

How are you commenting if your deaf?

[@BrianPseivaD]

@@jackmakila3776 well I can read, and the CC button turns on subtitles so that’s how.

[@Twerpjuice]

@@jackmakila3776😐

[@lucdhecc9398]

I have to say the screams in this movie are among the most terrifying sounds I’ve ever heard, especially during the digestion scene. You can hear the individual people scream, and realize that you’re hearing children, women, men, people who are desperate not to die. It’s insanely effective sound design that made the scene that much more impactful

[@hangedups2608]

@@jackmakila3776 WHATTTT

[@SeptemberStranger28]

Scenes with a lack of sound frighten me, especially coming from a rural area that's in the middle of the woods. "They heard something in the surrounding woods" is scary, yeah. But "they heard *nothing at all* in the surrounding woods" is even scarier. Because when animals quiet down, it usually means there's something to fear among them. A predator, for example. Those crickets stopping their chirping the moment the UFO let out a cry is a PERFECT example.

[@decepticonsretreat]

it also suggests that the UFO species has been around long enough for animal life to develop a predator-prey response to it, maybe even evolved here, which I think is a lot more interesting than the idea of the UFO being an alien only recently arrived on Earth.

[@AmeliaMastervally]

Right??? I've grown up around horses and while I was listening closely for any noises through out, when I saw the horses get stressed and start bolting I knew something was up. These are trained, bullet proof horses. They're not gonna bolt the way Clover did without reason. They were scared, I knew I needed to be too

[@Sam-0827]

I agree, the long tracking shot as Gordy was killing people, absolutely terrifying.

[@TheWelchProductions]

No, it was rather peaceful. No part of this film was "terrifying."

[@j.r.cilliangreen4083]

@@TheWelchProductions good job Protagonist of the internet! Thank you for letting us know how amazing you are and how much better than us you can be

[@j.r.cilliangreen4083]

@@TheWelchProductions oh great protagonist of the internet! Tell us what is scary! We don’t know and need your wisdom and guidance!!!

[@TheWelchProductions]

@@j.r.cilliangreen4083 You people really can’t take a different opinion from your own, can you? You view disagreement as hostility.

[@TheWelchProductions]

@@j.r.cilliangreen4083 Fear is subjective. An example of sci-fi horror that I would say is scary is Annihilation.

[@eye.sexual]

Being eaten alive and feeling the digestion process is one of my worst fears. It's probably not going to happen, but seeing EXACTLY that from this movie was still cool. I like seeing more terror/horror with the results of a monster attack, rather than just the monster being the spectacle itself. Edit: For the passive aggressive comments , I'm not deathly afraid in my daily life of being vored and digested. It's not the serious, it's just the suspension of disbelief ✨️

[@cruizlee214]

Hello sir, may I interest you in a modest helping of Attack on Titan?

[@biglex42]

There’s a movie I saw a year or two ago where these men walk into a cave trying to find somebody and they wind up crawling to what instantly becomes a “dead end”’and they realize they are in the stomach of some beast and slowly start getting digested and it’s cramped and horrific.

[@eye.sexual]

@@cruizlee214 I had nightmares when my partner showed me there are in fact small titans and the death is slow and painful! :D

[@eye.sexual]

@@biglex42 oh shiiiiit what is this nightmare fuel

[@cawsomeaolin]

@@biglex42 mystery flesh pit? may i interest anyone in a mystery flesh pit?

[@Sexyman600]

For more context about the monkey paw story, the son died by falling into a grinder so when they wished for him to come back to life and the banging on the door started it’s up to our imagination what’s behind that door.

[@Sexyman600]

That’s why the parents wished him to disappear

[@jqroz7542]

For me the scariest part of the movie and scariest part of ANY horror movie I’ve ever seen was when all those people were screaming and we were seeing inside of the ufo with all the people inside was absolutely horrific. The feeling I felt during that moment I have never felt in any movie and so far no other movie had replicated that feeling

[@tom4sso]

War of the worlds with tom cruise

[@danadoozer9990]

Yeah, they really nailed that scene! The idea of it all is horrifying and I love it!

[@migssby]

One thing you probably forgot about the silence is that it represents isolation. The dread of being alone when something terrible is about to happen makes it so much worse. Its unassuming to think of any danger from a calm night at sea or a bright day on a dessert and yet one realizes how far you are from anything else to help you when its too late.

[@ChinOfAllChins]

the uneasiness your comment gave me, bloody hell, what a horrifying feeling to experience

[@ChinOfAllChins]

poetic if you will!

[@kamomile_tea]

I think what's really cool is that they managed to pull off some truly terrifying scenes full of people. So many horror movies rely on isolation to make us fearful. Even if there's multiple people in the cast, horror movies often rely on the formula of picking them off one by one until they arrive right back to the trope of isolation and silence. But one of the most grotesque, unsettling scenes in Nope was the one with the most people. An entire theme park of them. The idea of safety in numbers is so ingrained in us, it's human nature. To defile that idea so completely really takes us out of our comfort zones. Nope did them both. From the chilling feeling of isolation to the disturbing feeling of seeing our greatest strength and safety ripped away from us.

[@bananasinfrench]

I also would suggest there's some horror in the lack of information. When you're tensed and listening for something that might be out there, but you're not sure, the absolute silence gives you nothing to confirm or deny. You don't know where it is or even if it is there at all. Adds this layer of fear of the unknown, you know?

[@nobody.of.importance]

I think another thing about when shit gets dead silent like that, people get so used to the background sounds around them like crickets and such that when it goes dead silent, you know there's something nearby because the crickets do. The fear comes from not knowing what that something is.

[@realchezboi]

As someone who usually hates horror, probably due to modern tropes, watching the trailer to Nope I was oddly ecstatic to go watch it, and it really delivered, it was a scary, fun and cathartic ride.

[@victorhsluiz]

same for me, but Jordan Peele is bringing something uniquely different to the genre in every movie, for me he's in a league of his own right now.

[@stizzypilled]

Same! I told my friends who've also seen it how visceral and grounded the UFO was when we first see it. Not even necessarily scary, but how unnerving it'd be to see that in real life

[@realchezboi]

@brandovlogs definitely

[@realchezboi]

@brandovlogs suggestions?

[@bev9708]

AGREE!!! Surely you've seen Ari Aster's 2 movies though??? Hereditary and Midsommar???? They are among 2 of my all time favourites of any genre!!

[@donutsthemod]

I also love use of mundane sounds like the coffee bubbling during scenes such as the Gordy scene because they also confirm that whatever event has happened, happened during some moment of vulnerability as everyone was doing as they usually would do and expected things to stay the same. I worded this weirdly but I think I got my point across.

[@Ruby-kr6fh]

I felt that strongly during the first scene, when OJ's father dies right after they'd had a casual conversation by the arena. Honestly the first 10 minutes of the movie really shook me because of how honest the portrayal was of unexpected death and loss can be, it happens all the time during everyday moments like that. I also struggled to watch OJ trying to save his dad as they drove to the hospital, horrific.

[@mekiyahhazbin1720]

​@@Ruby-kr6fhOJ himself as a character needs to be talked about more. He has a weird deadpan nature and even as his father is bleeding out in his car or dead in the hospital we don't really see what he is feeling. It's so cold that it was refreshing, OJ is the epitome of control. He provides horror as a protagonist because he isn't very reactionary. We are left to silently dwell with what we're watching and reason with it in our own mind. What is OJ thinking about his father's sudden death? Oh God it was such a tragic and violent way for his father to die, with zero reasonable explanation too. What is OJ thinking about as Jean Jacket loiters above his truck? Oh God what if it hears the horse? What if its trying to bait Em and Angel? His silence gives us zero noise to fill our own thoughts, and every scene of horror becomes that much more terrifying because of it.

[@lexp8980]

One specific part of the movie I wish was talked about more, is the scene where the lightning flashes for a second and you can see just *the bottom half* of Jean Jacket as she’s raining blood on the house. I think that scene is so important too because it’s another perfect example of not letting the viewer see too much but only a small sliver of the unimaginable, which then further leads us *to* imagine what we’re almost sure we’re seeing/hearing.

[@vinsanity3510]

It was straight up threatening them, which was way more terrifying. EVEN WORSE, was seeing it scaled to the house. You’re not fighting your way outta this one.

[@adrianghandtchi1562]

I think that’s what scared me the most about this movie, it’s the distant screams, the sound of Gordy attacking that girl as she’s beaten and bitten to the brink of death. All off screen.

[@bootybanqueter3810]

That kind of horror scares me the most but I can't get enough of it. Like how in the digestion scene you only see the experience of one woman and you're just left to wonder what the people further up are experiencing and you know it's not going to be quick or painless.

[@SalemTheTyrant]

It adds a sense of helplessness I think as well. Watching this, not able to look properly. Not able to do anything except listen

[@karadancer17]

Yea same those like wet THUNKS as he’s hitting her made me squirm in my seat. That was the scariest part of the movie and I was so uncomfortable because of how real it is. Animal attacks are a real world thing and in that situation you’d be lucky to be able to hide like Jupe but having to hear what’s happening to a person you care about and not knowing if or when you’ll meet the same fate is terrifying

[@M33PSTER]

The squelching noises and then seeing Gordy walk away covered in blood had me sick to my stomach. The only other time I’ve felt like I needed to throw up watching a movie was Midsommar.

[@jinxshadow5218]

I think the alien’s voice just being filtered screams is what elevates it from just a flying predator to something almost Lovecraftian. Like, a lion might kill and eat you. But what happens when this thing swallows you? It could be something so much worse. Also, holy dang. Your lighting and camera setup is gorgeous.

[@evanmscala]

100%. I think Peele has clearly been inspired by “new weird” literary fiction which was also heavily inspired by lovecraft. But ‘Us’ and ‘Nope’ reek of weird fiction in the best ways.

[@ALLCAPSKELL]

It’s giving the bear scene from Annihilation. I loved it.

[@allywashington]

I was thinking the same thing about the setup so I’m glad it went noticed.

[@esock2001]

I definitely consider the UAP to be Lovecraftian, especially as it evolves

[@steren700]

Well there is the deep rising monster, way worse cheap flick but It provided the same type of slow death

[@Devil0027]

The most horrifying thing was the view of the victims basically being slowly devoured, then the realization you had been hearing that most of the movie and what it really was. That stuck with me, wow

[@Spaceflightlover2010]

For some reason the digestion scene really disturbed me. Haven’t had that experience since watching the original night of the living dead when I was 8. I think it’s because this scene combines multiple primal fears, being trapped being consumed and the fear of the unknown. This director is very talented, like something Kubrick would have done.

[@itssosarahh]

Such a cool part of the film to explore. I live on a high floor of my apartment building, and a few nights after watching Nope I was chilling with my window open. I live near a small amusement park and that night one of the rides was open and the screams kept drifting up to my window and they sounded a lot like the screams from Nope.

[@yester30]

Or maybe it was not the ride.

[@blueazure9658]

Oh nah.

[@bolobalaman]

U need an anti aircraft gun for what's hiding above the cloud lol

[@KyroEmeraldblade]

i would’ve been so freaked out LOL

[@austincde]

I couldn't listen to my typical panodra playlist as I went to sleep because the snare drum was now sounding like someone rapidly knocking on a door 😱 🗡️ 🐒

[@dummybear6772]

It took me two watches to realize that that strange noise was the screams of people being digested alive. I still can't get them out of my head, and I still get chills every time I hear them.

[@UnIVerse-tm8jd]

Like the yells of the damned

[@madsdesouza2683]

the horses! it freaked me out way more than the ppl did idky

[@elizabethsmith7224]

It chills me because if you think of JJ as a predator it makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. It's to look inviting or in JJ's case sound inviting. It sounds like a roller-coaster, it sounds fun...but it's not.

[@davidkonevky7372]

@@elizabethsmith7224 that's why in the end it reveals that beautiful facade of an almost angelic creature, like it's trying to lure in it's prey with it's beauty, really common in the animal world actually.

[@elrapido5150]

While I was watching the movie, my mind was scrambling trying to determine if the screams were the sound of its prey being digested or the creature mimicking the sounds of its prey being digested. I couldn't - and still can't - decide which one I think is worse.

[@ramox6662]

I love how you can pick up hints of the screams all throughout the movie, even when the characters don't notice.

[@mickssparkle7524]

I recently went to Universal Studios Hollywood and went to the Studio Tour. In that Studio Tour, they had a recreation of the set for Nope for Horror Nights and I was pretty excited to see the set in real life. When we finally got to the set, they were explaining the story of Nope without giving away any spoilers or important details about the plot. The tram stopped in the middle of the set where we could see the destroyed Star Lasso Experience and the other stores in Jupiter’s Claim. The clip ended on the monitors and it was silent. Sounds started quietly, it wasn’t decipherable but it grew louder as seconds passed and I realized in that moment what this video taught me. It was the sounds that were making everyone tense up and look around and I was just ecstatic and giggling because I knew that there was nothing to scare us and it was purposely trying to make everyone feel that terror that the movie did. It was just so awesome to see everyone look around as if something was going to jump out and scare them but it never came, that feeling would dread until we moved on to the next sequence. It was just amazingly executed and it made me happy for the rest of the day. Thanks for the amazing video!!!

[@Skidibibapbap]

Kudos to you being brave If I were there I’d actually have a panic attack considering how much the movie affected me I’d actually force myself out of that situation if it meant k!ll!ng me😭 LIKE OKAY COOL ALIEN BUT I DONT WANNA DIE THAT WAY. It’s just a paranoia thing but if I came there COMPLETELY unaware of the movie, I’d much appreciate it without fear😭

[@romilrh]

7:46 with zero context makes Thomas look like a psychopath forcing you to listen to the screams of his victimes, and it's hilarious

[@PolrisTired]

Lmao you're right

[@fxbear]

Well, it was a tad sadistic

[@AllAboutChiefs]

7:49 LOL

[@ManlyOBeeferton]

kzbin.infoUgkx1oenXdFuabNTdZRm1EMD2Sywyg2hBIVK

[@youtub4925]

Lol, yes!

[@quagthias]

Excellent video. If I remember correctly, what made the scratching at the door in the Monkey's Paw story such effective arabesque horror (or terror) is that the son died from getting trapped in the gears of a machine at the factory. So the reader is imagining his reanimated twisted body.

[@dohadeer8242]

That was always the strongest aspect of Stephen King's best stories, especially the short stories, the horror/terror aspect came from the reader,'s imagination not the writer's - he just created the environment for the readers horror to blossom. Personally I think this is also the reason that few of Stephen King's horror stories adapt successfully to movies or tv, while his non-horrors often do.

[@seemonjena659]

I remember the first time I had read this story. And I remember being terrified at the thought of the mother opening the door and seeing her mangled son. Still gives me chills when I think about it. This story is a reminder of being careful what we wish for because they might come true in an unusual and most terrifying way.

[@peanutkix]

I haven’t read The Monkey’s Paw since I was a kid, I wanna say around 10 or 11, and I actually misremembered that they had opened the door to see him. I guess that image was just super strong in my mind when I read it, so yeah, super effective.

[@HiddenTalent_07]

@@dohadeer8242 what about The Mist?

[@catsquidcatoverlord9842]

I actually always thought that in the Monkeys Paw, it did the cruelest possiblity, that it simply brought the son back to life, but the father was so paranoid that he rekilled his son thinking him to be a monster.

[@oats1005]

All the scenes with Gordy were terrifying to me. Even just the scenes that had to do with him. Every time he was mentioned I felt this dread. Like something bad was going to or was happening.

[@kirataylor5199]

Oh god right it was horrible

[@MadamFoogie]

I'm glad I was half right! When watching the film, I mentioned to my friend that the victims sounded like they were on a rollercoaster. He said they sounded like they were dying. We rewound the scene a few times to argue about it. I guess we were both correct. Also, super cool that the sound designer also worked on _Under the Skin._ I have the OST, and now that you've pointed it out, I can totally hear the otherworldly similarities. Awesome sound design!! It's a tragically underrated artistic field.

[@hilariofernandes5299]

Another sound-related detail in nope which fascinated me is the way the music suddenly stops when Antlers Holst is being abducted. While the music creates some kind of twisted "heroic" atmosphere, when it stops you're brought back to the reality of the situation: a man has just lost all sense of self-preservation and is willing to feed itself to the beast.

[@mekiyahhazbin1720]

The third act is massively underrated in my opinion. This is the direct parallel to the Gordy scene, and it unfolds with similar brutally and terror. It's not as terrifying but rather that horror element he discussed in the video. The door is open now, you can only pray that good things are on the other side. Jean Jacket goes on a rampage after Antler does his stunt, Antler is the balloon that pushes Jean Jacket over the edge. Now OJ has lost control over the animal. It's horrifying because you know that anything can happen now. Jean Jacket would have mauled Angel to death if he wasn't saved by tarp and barb wire fence, Em was attacked and ripped out of their own house, there is no mystery anymore just raw untamed power of a predator that's gone out of control. The swelling of the music as Jean Jacket dips between mountains and chases after the crew is fantastic in that way.

[@stripedhoneybee1990]

What I noticed after watching the movie, is that the other sound that Jean Jacket makes is very close to the sound Gordy makes when he is hitting the girl in the Gordy's Birthday scene. For me its like it linked the two together, both were being made into a spectacle however both creature's predator and violent nature came out in the end, resulting in horrific loss of life. The other sound design that was unique was the warped music during the misty morning scene where OJ comes to Emerald and Angel, the tempering of the warped sound cutting off when Jean Jacket is there to when It leaves, still leaves that element of horror indicating that not everything is okay.

[@ThugSoulja923]

Your second example is where I literally thought on my first watch-through “man, Jordan Peele went crazy with his use is sound”. Hearing a snippet of the song earlier in its normal form, to hearing it in that atmosphere of wondering if Jean Jacket is right above us or not. Amazing, one of my favorite moments in the movie.

[@yunahofland5739]

The monkey paw story reminds me of the blair witch project, how it also never actually shows you what is chasing them in the woods but that makes it more scary

[@paigelads7321]

this movie is now my top 3 movies ever, it means alot to me and i have written essays about it for my own enjoyment. i could talk about it all day and night, the themes all coming together and having such deep meaning while being so well acted, paced and shot makes my heart full. jordan peele is genius

[@lolo644]

idk about even my top 10.. but this movie is a masterpiece

[@justinslogar5770]

I could write essays on how dogshit this movie was

[@mudge843]

I’ve always thought the best part of the body discovery in Jaws is the way the decrepit wooden fencing, jutting out at diagonals, feels like a half buried carcass which allows us to “see” the corpse remains that the characters do without actually being shown the remains (save the final shot of the hand). They could also read as crooked tombstones. Either way, same message.

[@hanonondricek411]

Peele and Spielberg both completely understand that what they _don't_ show is just as important as what they do. I agree that reveal is more effective because it's not at all what you're expecting - it's basically a mound of "debris" covered in squirming crabs and a human hand with blond hair tangled in the fingers. That's much more memorable than if they'd showed viscera. Restraint in horror movies isn't often done so well. In NOPE that monkey attack would feel completely gratuitous if they showed you more, but implying carnage and letting the audience make their own picture of the actual "gory details" works better. I noticed the same thing in The Silence of the Lambs: how they skillfully navigate a fine line when they do the autopsy on the body of what is known to be an overweight female victim; the typical thing directors would do is give you an unnerving jump cut to the entire corpse with a dramatic chord to scare the audience which would cheapen the moment and make some viewers go "eeew!" Instead, the shots focus on the the investigators reactions and process, slowly allowing the audience glimpses of more details: ruined fingers, a curve of flesh, flash photographs, and then finally the part where they remove the insect from the throat. At no point does the scene feel exploitive or gratuitous in any way - conversely it's oddly _respectful_ how the editing never attempts to use the victim's body for shock value. In NOPE that brief glimpse of MaryJo's face when her veil blows aside at the Star Lasso Experience wouldn't be as chilling as it is had the audience been shown anything else of her in the chimp attack scene. And it doesn't linger, so again the audience's imagination feeds into this and makes it multiple times as unsettling. Nothing wrong with a specifically gory horror movie and they can be fun, but it's interesting how tone, direction, and editing can really change something from horror to terror. Sometimes you want that unsettling buildup that lasts instead of the tension release that showing too much or a jumpscare can cause.

[@connor56347]

I can relate to your ears scanning the soundscape for threats and danger all too well. My brain does this whenever I try to fall asleep and will jolt me out of falling into a sleep state and hyper fixate on any little specific sounds. I always have to sleep with a loud fan on haha

[@iamV10010]

This is part of a trauma response called hyper vigilance. I suffer from this when anxious. Diagnosis PTSD 4 years ago. Hope you're doing ok and that's not what you're dealing with because it's incredibly draining and damaging.

[@springshowers4754]

same here! it's pretty annoying.

[@solkun8316]

@@iamV10010 I have CPTSD and I need complete silence to fall asleep and stay asleep. It is very difficult to achieve so these days I solely rely on earplugs...

[@iamV10010]

@@solkun8316 I'm happy that you have found something that will give you some relief.

[@tonyabrookes9931]

I need white noise to sleep also...and sometimes headphones too (I live in an apartment with thin walls & super loud neighbors)

[@moaday9952]

Those hopeless screams and just the blurred vision of dust, pitch black darkness and blinding lights all mixed with the view adjacent to being under a blanket or behind curtains, making it so you can’t exactly make out what’s happening right in front of you, but you know it’s horrific and the thin walls are caving in is the most claustrophobic, pure panic inducing feeling I’ve ever felt watching a movie that I felt like I was in a nightmare that I needed to wake up from!

[@jcp1984again]

Mr. Flight, I'm a professional sound designer and a Foley artist by trade with a background in films and TV. Nowadays my field is video games. I've worked with sound professionally since 2010. I just wanted to say how much I appreciate and admire your videos. It makes me immensely happy and inspired to hear how a brilliant young guy truly gets it. I'm a fan! ☺️✊ Keep up the good work.

[@olgagerman9216]

This reminds me of a time when I was shooting a photo session in the forest with a friend. It was all going well but at some I thought I heard smth weird far away from us. We didn't talk about it and continued. Then the same noise appeared again but closer. And then again, each time it was getting closer and eventually we admitted to each other that it was smth unusual. It sounded like howling or growling but very low. The closer it got the more confident we were that it was not an artificial sound. Eventually it appeared again but very close and we shat ourselves and fled as quickly as possible. To this day we don't know what animal it was but I think we did the right thing by leaving

[@McDonaldsCalifornia]

Perfect example of leaving space for the imagination! By leaving out some details that would point to what it could have actually been you encourage us to imagine something terrifying

[@bugbites666]

Lots of animals make WEIRD noises. It's why I always take scary forest stories with a big grain of salt. Foxes can sound exactly like screaming humans, so can a lot of felines Regardless of what you heard, leaving was definitely a good choice LMAO. Animals don't usually vocalize like that because they're happy. Could've been a mating call, but even then you don't wanna mess with an animal during breeding season. They can get aggressive as hell.

[@olgagerman9216]

@@bugbites666 yes! I was told by people that timing correlated with stag mating season and apparently they do sound similarly to what I've heard so it could've been that and I don't want to mess with an angry stag haha

[@bugbites666]

@@olgagerman9216 Oh yeah for sure. Prey animals can be deadlier than predators if you catch them on a bad day.

[@senacario5942]

@@bugbites666 predators usually hunt on instinct, prey usually kills for sport.

[@DenonBoyofthe21stCentury]

Twist in this movie was so well executed. You can feel it coming the whole time but the reveal and the phone call to Em right after is SPINE chilling I was MELTING out of the theater seat. And then those popping sounds it makes…

[@ShockwaveMuncher]

Pls elaborate on the twist

[@DenonBoyofthe21stCentury]

@@ShockwaveMuncher well for the ppl that didn’t watch the second trailer, JJ being a predator and not a ship was a pretty crazy twist to us.

[@albigalloway4481]

Popping sounds?

[@flarestriker2005]

Yeah. As if the horrifying tube scene wasn't enough, we soon learn the ship is actually a carnivorous alien beast then after that, raining blood. I felt my soul leave my body during the Star Lasso attack scene and my heart sinking during the creature twist and blood rain. Love the concept of an alien ship actually being the alien itself, you don't see that in most movies(There was Avengers with those flying whale creatures and 10 Cloverfield Lane with an armored ship). Since after that movie, I kept looking down at the ground, especially when I walk my dog around(Mind you, it was still dark out at 5AM and it was on the same exact day I went to see it at the 10pm showing), I had to make sure no lights suddenly went off. Props to Jordan Peele for this movie, watched it atleast 4 times(Still remember seeing it on streaming on my 2nd watch and my dad was SHOOK during the Star Lasso scene and the blood rain scene). The sounds of the alien creature was amazing and chilling, in the theaters, it was very loud that it made the seats shake and it sounded like the creature was outside, waiting for us to exit.

[@kronostvx]

@@flarestriker2005 dumbass said "carnivorous alien beast" dies to balloon.... what an amazingly written movie..

[@PerspectivEs]

This whole movie was amazing. You put it perfectly when you said it creates terror, not horror. The entire time I was watching this I felt deeply disturbed and unsettled by pretty much everything, from the weird camera angles and vague placements of objects or characters, to the strange dialogue and weird, thick tension in the air. It genuinely blew my mind when they first showed the alien, it came out of nowhere and was all up in your face. Then they blew my mind again when they showed its biblical angel-esque true form. Scariest part in this film for me was the scene with the kids in the barn, you see what you think is a horse until the silhouette separates and you're hit with that "oh shit something is wrong" feeling. Then they continue to hold that confusion and terror as it slowly moves into a shape your brain can understand, at which point you know something is wrong and that OJ needs to leave ASAP.

[@SStudiosCO]

I loved Jordan Peeles take on aliens, it’s not multiple of them, it’s one. It’s not a ship. It is the alien, the idea of it being a animal like on earth rather than the “take us to your leader” stereotypical alien really shows how you can make a old concept feel new again

[@tobyrightenger9748]

Throughout the movie it demonizes our capitalization of spectacles. Making the monster’s victims screams sound like they’re both horrified, and excited, adds another layer towards expressing that message that I didn’t notice until you brought it up. I imagine people getting they’re bones broken under the pressure of the monster’s throat. I imagine people holding eachother screaming for help, but that’s never shown. It drives me crazy to imagine the horror of being inside that giant flying monster. And the sound design scared me, but I didn’t know why until it was revealed what the monster was. Then I noticed queues for the monster’s arrival that I missed before the reveal. It’s awesome af

[@therupoe]

When I was a kid we went to a theater and saw a stage play of monkeys paw. Needless to say it's uh... definitely stayed in my brain lol

[@Apricoffee]

A stage play?!?!? Wow, the written story is scary enough for me 👁👁

[@fricketyfrackgettfback]

Ugh same. I've partially blocked it out because they did way too good of a job with the sound and lighting, but that remains one of the creepiest stories I've ever heard in my life.

[@AoiUsagiOtoko]

that's awesome tbh, i can imagine that'd be scary af for a kid though. a lot of short horror stories would make really good stage plays now that i think about it

[@opalhearst4227]

So did I! I still remember it. It was performed along with an Edgar Allan Poe short story, and I think maybe also the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

[@mx9226]

When it comes to horror, “nothing is scarier” done right is always awesome.

[@mapples007]

I was impressed by the sand dollar/jelly fish inspiration for the alien. Especially its fully revealed self, it was beautifully done. The green filter mouth motion is like a tesseract. So cool!

[@yasmimbenevides8457]

My favorite scene is when Angel gets out of his van and screams, and people inside JJ "scream back" at him!

[@BenjPostSound1488]

As a sound designer I always love your videos discussing sound! Great work man!!

[@ThomasFlight]

Such an underrated part of the craft!

[@JRBeast-nw3xg]

It’s crazy how underrated Nope it I think is a genius work of terror and fear. The only Jordan Peele movie that had me scared out of my mind mainly because of the sound, you have to be very focused on the movie with headphone on to get the raw experience. The most horrifying moment of the movie is when the people get sucked up into the creature you hear their horrific screams as they are being digested sticks with you. Genius use of sound design and an incredible movie.

[@kaitolol6081]

I watched this in 4d with the moving chairs, spraying water, and blowing air and let me tell you I was not okay after watching this movie. Especially in the Gordy scene and the scene where we see people being swallowed inside Jean jacket I was in so much shock

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

Jordan Peele gives the horror genre is own unique take in every movie it was awesome experiencing it in the theatre and (spoiler alert) the fact the creature is the ufo is amazing and the fact that you cant look at it so the sounds are amplified make it even more awesome.

[@gilbertozo]

The screams are just terrifying. You can just imagine you or someone you know being in there and thinking "Oh god...".

[@marielpare8290]

Another example of how screams of joy and terror can be indistinguishable: Frankie Goldsmith, a young Titanic survivor, lived near the field where Detroit Tigers games were held at the time. He hated it because a crowd of cheers for a home run sounded exactly like thousands of people screaming, drowning, freezing to death in the dark.

[@lexp8980]

Nope is such a brilliantly made movie. The use of hiding the most horrific parts of a scene and letting our ears do most of the work to unnerve the audience is just top notch. Nothing can scare me more than the unknown/unseen 😭 Also this was a great breakdown and analysis, awesome work!!

[@antoniomd3812]

When talking about horror-terror I like to compare it to the erotic-pornographic duality. We don't see the shark until the end of the movie (I think because technical difficulties when shooting) but that only feeds our imagination. Contemporary directors love to show their "shark" in the first beat of the film, I think because they are too in love with the capabilities of the CGI or the modelmakers design that they don't see that they are not helping the storytelling by being so pornographic.

[@mickdead]

The fact that an IMAX trailer for Jaws played both times that I saw Nope in theaters feels like more than a coincidence!

[@flarestriker2005]

Lol, must be secretly telling you that Nope will be like Jaws but in the skies.

[@absolutelynot6137]

I really do like how the combination of excited and horrified screams and sounds plays into the themes of the entertainment and danger/abuse.

[@uniqueroque356]

This is the type of film that you should see in the theaters to fully appreciate. It won't do watching it on your laptop. I'm glad I caught it in the theaters a day before it was pulled. There were few people so there was less audience noise and I was able to experience the audio even better.

[@hanonondricek411]

Very interesting essay! I remember one of the things that stuck with me from the movie Titanic: when the ship is finally sinking for good, the screams of hundreds of people at once sound for all the world like crowd cheers at a baseball game or a concert which is familiar enough to create an uncanny sense of terror and give perspective on the scale of the event. It's fascinating and tricky how giving the audience something familiar and recognizable in an otherwise completely unusual situation can make it somehow personal and more terrifying.

[@roramdin]

Another exquisite video. Your essays are always a treat!

[@Bimbologyexpert]

Omg RO!!! What are you doing here??? ❤️❤️🥹

[@firstnamelastname7640]

ははははは my favourite KZbinrs always seemed to know (about) each other. Love you both ~

[@skylerk126]

love u rose!

[@hailmuse]

Nope literally caused me to feel pure dread. I was so happy because I hadn't felt that from a horror movie for a hot minute. I loved this analysis too 🖤

[@belltowercollective7821]

I love this! Might be from chronic anxiety but i'm extremely good at hearing a sound in an environment and knowing exactly what created that noise (like when out dining and hear a large empty pot crash the floor behind doors kind of feeling) The drop away from sounds as a 3d approachable experience (knowing you could locate that cricket in the grass) to an almost simplified ambiguous noise (shoe hitting the floor? someone's shoulder bumping a hollow wall? Is it one or three rooms away??) pulls the anxiety out of you, its so freakin clever!

[@gatheringleaves]

I loved the way you blended the tracking shot leading into the Gordy's Home massacre with your eerie voice-over recollection of "The Monkey's Paw"

[@jordanguillory7180]

It really trips me out that something horrible can be happening and then in the very next second, its over and things go back to normal

[@simplicitylost]

2:34 Just occurred to me: Maybe what was on the other side of the door had nothing to do with the wish. Maybe it was just some beggar. Anybody standing on the other side of the door is suddenly wished into nonexistence.

[@emilygendreau]

"You probably couldnt tell the first time whether it was wind or screaming" Meanwhile my subtitles: (Distant screaming)

[@rubixpsyche7021]

Hearing a sudden all encompassing silence is freaky cos that's mostly not possible, either in the natural or the city life but it's also comparable to the silence of a natural area when everything knows there's a predator nearby. This could be absolute nonsense but I believe it probably triggers some part of the old monke brain where if every other animal in the area has gone dead silent and you don't know why, there might be a reason you are the only one who can't tell what/where the danger is. the realization is about as scary as what comes next

[@alexfoster3497]

Saw this in a MX4D theater (chairs move, water sprays, crap like that) and it made the whole experience so captivating. From now on, whenever I watch the movie I just remember the fans, and waiting for the alien to attack! It’s a great film.

[@flarestriker2005]

Lucky for you(Wanted to see it in 4DX but it was in Orlando and only saw it when I was up there on the weekend before Nope to see Thor Love And Thunder in 4DX, so I saw Nope in RPX), was there like any water sprays for like the inside of the alien or was the seat just vibrating?

[@danceyrselfkleen]

I’m surprised you could afford the ticket price

[@griffongamer4779]

I really hope that this movie gets a Sound Mixing nomination next year at the Oscars. The screams of the victims and the pounding on the bodies by Gordy were nerve-racking. Jordan Peele is one of my top 3 directors working today. Every movie he has made after Get Out is an event for me.

[@mpathoshabalala8473]

Definitely. He's too talented. What an amazing director.

[@mpathoshabalala8473]

Is attention to detail is insane

[@sedonafarley8382]

my cat jumped on my back and scared the crap out of me just as you wrapped up the monkey paw story, literally on the word "disappear" and I nearly screamed lol

[@bruhmoment-yc5zg]

A great trick the film used to deceive me into thinking this was going to be a spaceship UFO film is the "eye" of the alien at the beginning. It looks weird enough to look like a futuristic cockpit window but also strangely alive, like an organ

[@jbeeee42]

I recently stayed alone in a big kinda creepy house in upstate NY and the dead silence at night was terrifying to me even though it was technically devoid of sounds. It was scary because of what I might've heard (the unnatural silence / anticipation you mentioned). Had to sleep with a loud white noise machine and ear plugs to fill the void and finally relax!

[@danceyrselfkleen]

I don’t understand how KZbin lets these racist comments fly

[@demonax.mp4350]

​@@danceyrselfkleen wait, how is the original comment Racist?

[@danceyrselfkleen]

@@demonax.mp4350 if you have to ask them you’re probably a racist too. I’m reporting you also.

[@demonax.mp4350]

@@danceyrselfkleen wait, Bro How am i racist i didn't even say anything what's wrong with you?

[@danceyrselfkleen]

@@demonax.mp4350 I am black, and you’re harassing and gang stalking me now.

[@Glowskel]

Amazing analysis! Made me wanna watch Nope again and listen even more carefully! I happened to watch this on a really windy night and I've been rather attentive to the noise of the wind howling through my door all evening; How it sounds so creepy, almost like a unnerving singing. Jordan has a great understanding of how to make the mundane frightening.

[@IkerUnzu]

I’ve never watched a video like this, it feels like it should be a KZbin Premium Exclusive. It’s so good, entertaining and informative. Loved it. New subscriber. :) hahaha

[@TheMrBlackSanta]

We need more UFO films like these, the classic original look but with its own twist: Change my mind.

[@TheDisquietingNight]

As nice as that could be, how one can pull it off without being direct copycat?

[@thebuilder5271]

@@TheDisquietingNight different twist? Lol

[@flarestriker2005]

It was an interesting concept ngl, you don't see it often in most alien movies, the UFO actually being the alien itself.

[@decepticonsretreat]

I don't know that one could do that again soon without seeming derivative, but yeah! The design of the UFO being an iconic flying saucer implies all this backstory too, that in the Nopeverse UFOs are real, they do look like flying saucers, but all this time people were simply mistaken about them being alien spaceships. They might not even be extraterrestrial. It does a great job of explaining and recontexualizing the whole UFO mythology for the movie.

[@gqn2]

That monkey paw story is incredible. Great telling.

[@zalenstar]

I’m gutted that I didn’t get the chance to see it in theaters, but grabbing the 4k copy and sitting down with at 1 in the morning home alone was such an incredibly terrifying ride and I loved every second of it, and was absolutely distraught and horrified at the bloody rain chapter. This is definitely at the top of my modern horror favorites right now and can’t wait for Jordan Peele’s next horror flick!

[@daricaurte]

6:40 Thomas using sonic ambiguity to explain sonic ambiguity, blending the word "here" with the horse's snort while explaining that the horse's snort is masking another sound in the film. Wild

[@DavidCowie2022]

I will probably never watch Nope (not a horror fan), but I still enjoyed hearing about the sound design, because sound design in general is something that I know nothing about, and it's always good to learn something about how films are made.

[@carwyn3691]

Nope is as much a horror movie as Jaws, tbh, more tense than 'scary'

[@KaijuKing42]

@@carwyn3691 Jaws is still a horror movie. It's a broad genre.

[@m0zarts-animation]

Same, I love reading the plots of horror films and about their production but I can’t stand watching them. I even got freaked out by Jurassic Park haha

[@AlexRaptakis]

Speaking of sound, I have to say that I find your narration skills exceptional. From your soothing voice to the calming and quite delicate "performance", I always not only watching, but also listening to your videos. You are simply doing a fantastic job, Thomas. Keep it up!

[@dog3293]

This movie actually gave me a nightmare which largely centered around an unseen terror. Truly brilliant in that regard!

[@scottieboy5429]

Under The Skin was the most upsetting concept ending that reminded me how awful humanity is no matter what it’s compared to. The sound producers there knew what they were doing 100%

[@christophermay2400]

That "haunted video" in Gore Verbinski's "The Ring" had a sound in it that was... kind of like a scream? I couldn't help but focus on it, and because I was focussed on it, I accidentally memorised it. And then I couldn't sleep. For weeks. It scared me more than the monster! Thanks for this video, and for the deep dive stuff you and Tom put up on Nebula.

[@CLIFFY-D]

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) does a brilliant job in executing the fundamentals you discuss here. There's a fantastic scene that has always stuck with me; after the teens have arrived at the Hardesty family home, all the teens, bar Franklin, are upstairs. The scene is shown from Franklin's perspective, you can hear the teens upstairs were it sounds like they are screaming, but when it cuts to their perspective the audience is shown that they are all laughing and having a good time. The film uses terror and the unseen to play on the audiences expectation of horror. There are many examples like this throughout the movie and it has some of the best sound design for any horror film.

[@hydrix6419]

Nope was one of the first horror films that actually made me sit at the edge of my seat. The Gordy scene had a really effective suspenseful beats and the scene with the people getting slowly devoured was also chilling. I loved this movie

[@melaniemay8742]

This movie gave me so much anxiety, I had to take breaks. I didn't realize until an explanation, but its the unknown terror that is what scared me. 1st horse also made me sad :(

[@QuintonMurdock]

11:50 I was at a gas station outside Boise Idaho getting fuel late at night. The only thing nearby was the interstate and other than that it was just a noise of crickets. The Burger King nearby was closed and the gas station was closed but the pumps were self service so they remained on. The airport was nearby and I walked over to the fence while making a voice recording for my boyfriend as I was documenting my trip by voice for him. Nobody within atleast a quarter mile that wasn’t in a car going 70 mph. In the distance I heard a coyote and made a small comment on them in the voice recording but once I started talking and walked closer to the fence still in the light of the gas station I noticed the yaps of the coyote were more frequent and getting louder, I knew with how quiet and how dark the night was my silhouette in the light of the pumps and my talking being more than audible for a canine My presence had to be known and after a few moments trying to ignore it the noises from the coyote were far to clear and excited for my comfort and with a dozen yards and an unreliable key fob between my car and I, I didn’t risk waiting around to see if my hunch was right

[@hazyfeilds]

The second half of this gave me a stroke. Spooky story though!

[@QuintonMurdock]

@@hazyfeilds kinda spooked me

[@FiddleStickNick]

Another amazing video. I learned a ton about sound design from this. Rewatching Nope was such a great experience because Jordan Peele truly makes every aspect of the film intentional.

[@Animefreak242]

The similarities between the sounds at the beginning with Gordy and the noises from the alien that aren't the victims screams help paint it as more of an animal than an extraterrestrial.

[@superbella181]

The editing, narration, clips of comparison, and ability to explain and have examples for what you are talking about is really incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed this video and cannot wait to watch more!