The Wilhelm Scream Has Been Used in Over 400 Films

One of Hollywood's longest-running inside jokes isn't a visual gag, but a specific, high-pitched scream. The sound was originally recorded in a single take as part of a series of pained vocalizations for the 1951 film 'Distant Drums,' intended for a scene where a man is bitten and dragged underwater by an alligator. The sound effect went largely unnoticed until it was used again two years later in 'The Charge at Feather River.' In that film, a minor character named Private Wilhelm lets out the distinct yelp after being shot in the leg with an arrow, inadvertently giving the sound its now-famous name.

The scream's journey from an obscure stock sound to a cinematic tradition is largely thanks to sound designer Ben Burtt. While working on the original 'Star Wars' in the 1970s, Burtt discovered the original 1951 recording in the studio archives and began incorporating it into his films as a personal signature. Other sound designers picked up on the joke, and it soon became an industry-wide homage. The voice behind the iconic scream is widely credited to actor and singer Sheb Wooley, who was best known for his 1958 novelty hit "The Purple People Eater." Today, spotting the Wilhelm scream is a beloved auditory easter egg for keen-eared film fans, connecting hundreds of otherwise unrelated movies through a shared piece of sound history.