Wilhelm scream

The Wilhelm Scream ("Aaagh!") is a stock sound effect of a man screaming which was introduced in the 1951 Western film Distant Drums. It originally recorded by Sheb Wooley as six different takes known as "Man Getting Bitten By An Alligator And He Screamed", before the fourth take was named after Private Wilhelm from The Charge at Feather River (the name was given by Ben Burtt). It is often used as an audio in-joke in various works, as it heard in many animated films from Warner Bros., Disney, and DreamWorks Animation SKG, comedy films, action films, and most Star Wars and Indiana Jones films.

Films that use the Scream

Warner Bros. Pictures

• Distant Drums (1951) Heard twice:
  • Three Seminoles are shot, one by one.
  • When a soldier gets devoured by an alligator.

Note: This is the first film to use the stock scream.

• The Charge at Feather River (1953) Heard thrice:
  • Private Wilhelm gets struck in the leg by arrow (The scream was voiced by Sheb Wooley)
  • A solider struck by a spear
  • An Indian is killed by a soldier with a knife and rolls down a hill.
• The Command (1954) - An Indian is shot off his horse during an attack on the wagon convoy.
• Them! (1954) Played thrice:
  • Giant ants attack the crew of a ship at sea.
  • James Whitmore is throttled to death by a giant ant.
  • A soldier is struck by falling large debris in the sewer.
• A Star Is Born Played twice:
  • While Esther Blodgett tries to find her way out of a theater during a screening, a Wilhelm is heard in the movie that is playing there (actually "Charge at Feather River.")
  • Someone screams in the rehearsal record of "Somewhere There's a Someone" that Judy Garland plays for James Mason.
• Land of the Pharaohs (1955) - Victims are thrown to alligators.
• Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) - A victim covered with gremlins falls off a ledge.
• Batman Returns (1992) - Heard when Batman throws a clown of his way.
• Marvin the Martian in the Third Dimension (1996) - (around 8:50) Can be heard when one of Marvin the Martian's instant alien Martian chicken-like henchmen falls down through the floor and lets out a Wilhelm as he is falling.
• Lethal Weapon 4 - Heard when Martin Riggs shoots a terrorist's flamethrower valve, turning it into a jetpack, blasting the maniac towards a gas truck - which explodes upon impact.
• Osmosis Jones (2001) - When Thrax hijacks someone out of their car.
• Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) - Damien Drake throws a grenade at an Acme agent. Also heard in a deleted scene, when Bugs Bunny plugs the video game control on the monster's brain.
• Man of Steel (2013) - When a employee is blasted out of the aircraft.
• The LEGO Movie (2014) - When Wyldstyle throws a Robo-SWAT off its motorcycle.
• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) - When the Batmobile rams into a car, sending it flying in a corrugated metal cabin.
• The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017) - When Lloyd fires the missiles at Lord Garmadon.

New Line Cinema

• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - During the Battle of Helm's Deep when a Rohan soldier gets killed by an Uruk-hai and falls off the wall.
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Heard twice:
  • When Legolas pushes an Haradrim soldier off an Oliphaunt.
  • When a Nazgul on a Fell Beast picks up and throws a soldier during Battle of Osgiliath.
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) - When Gloin killed a Goblin off the bridge in Goblin-town.
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) Heard twice:
  • In the extended edition, when the dwarves and Bilbo make their way into Lake-town, they are stopped by some guards and the townspeople aid the Dwarves in knocking them out.
  • In the extended edition, when Thráin II is pulled in by Sauron as he and Gandalf are trying to escape Dol Guldur.

TV shows that use the Scream

Cartoon Network Studios

• Regular Show
  • Exit 9B: When the park gang is fighting the Bad guys, Muscle Man and skips knock down a group of zombies.