Top 10 Wilhelm Screams
Ever wonder why so many movie screams sound the same? Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the top 10 Wilhelm screams. For this list, we're reviewing the Wilhelm scream, an iconic soundbite that has been used in a wide variety of films and TV shows for more than half a century. We're only considering films in which the Wilhelm scream has been, well, screamed in a memorable or notable fashion.
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#10: An Arrow to the Leg “The Charge at Feather River” (1953)
Private Wilhelm was sitting on his horse, filling his pipe, when his superior shouted his name. He then finds a Cheyenne arrow sticking out of his left leg, which immediately triggers his yelping of the iconic scream. And it was this scream that would be used repeatedly throughout the movie! Interestingly,Wilhelm was not the first to deliver the Wilhelm Scream… It originated in the 1951 film “Distant Drums” and was yelled by a cowboy being eaten alive by an alligator in the Everglades! Peculiarly though, it was for Wilhelm from “The Charge at the Feather River” that the sound effect was named and immortalized!
#9: Nazi Soldier Falls Out of Truck “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981)
In this scene, while Indiana Jones is wrestling for control over a Nazi truck from its driver, a group of Nazi soldiers in the truck’s bed are being wildly jostled around, struggling not to lose balance. The driver of the Nazi jeep behind the truck can do little to help out his struggling comrade. As a result, he quickly finds a soldier careening out of the back of the truck and right onto his Jeep’s hood, who delivers the, you guessed it, Wilhelm Scream!
#8: Buzz Lightyear Rolls Out the Window “Toy Story” (1995)
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This moment sees Woody accidentally unleashing a series of cataclysmic events onto Buzz Lightyear! While handling a remote control car, Woody knocks over a cork board that sends a globe spiraling at Buzz just like the boulder Indiana Jones faced in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”! After initially rolling to safety, the globe strikes a desk lamp that sends Buzz flying out of the room’s window, at which time he lets out the Wilhelm Scream! By wonderfully referencing iconic moments in cinema history, this scene cements itself a place in the history books at the same time.
#7: Penguin Minion Thrown Out “Batman Returns” (1992)
In this scene, Batman is facing off against the Red Triangle Circus Gang, Penguin’s ragtag criminal group of circus performer minions. While carrying a bouquet of flowers, a clown tries to jump Batman. Our hero nonchalantly punches the villain and, with the same hand, subsequently tosses the circus freak, causing him to shriek the Wilhelm Scream while airborne. Throughout all of this, Batman never even drops his flowers – what a gentleman!
#6: Elf Falling Off the Wall “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002)
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During the Battle of Helm’s Deep at the end of “The Two Towers,” thousands of humans and elves are trying to ward off a siege from Mordor’s forces. It’s here, in the midst of combat, when a deadly orc sends a poor elf flying off of the stronghold’s defensive wall, which has him shouting the WilhelmScream as he plummets to his doom on top of a horde of Mordor soldiers. This was the first Middle Earth film to feature the Wilhelm Scream and it was thereafter used multiple times in “The Return of the King” and “The Hobbit.”
#5: Were-Rabbit Knocks Over a Pedestrian “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005)
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The chipper English characters Wallace and Gromit often find themselves facing peculiar villains in their many adventures together. In this movie, they have to face off against a highly destructive Were-Rabbit, which, initially unbeknownst to the lovable duo, is Wallace himself! In this particular scene, Wallace has transformed into the Were-Rabbit and is on a rampage during his tiny town’s Giant Vegetable Competition! Wildly swinging his arms about, the Were-Rabbit sends a pedestrian soaring and causes him to cry out the Wilhelm Scream!
#4: North Korean Soldier Falls Off Balcony “Team America: World Police” (2004)
“South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have never shied away from pop culture references in their work, and “Team America: World Police” is no exception! While Team America member Gary Johnston is storming Kim Jong-il’s compound in a blaze of gunfire, he shoots a North Korean soldier positioned on a balcony, sending his target hurtling to the ground while he yells the Wilhelm Scream! This was, perhaps unsurprisingly, the first time a puppet ever delivered the Wilhelm Scream!
#3: Car Crash “Death Proof” (2007)
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Director Quentin Tarantino has always been a self-proclaimed movie buff, thus it should come as no surprise that he decided to incorporate the Wilhelm Scream into this destructive film! In this scene, Kurt Russell’s character Stuntman Mike is driving his death proof 1971 Chevrolet Nova SS 396 straight into a car of innocent civilians! After the initial moment of impact, the Wilhelm Scream can be heard during this fatal car crash!
#2: Flamethrowing Villain Showdown “Lethal Weapon 4” (1998)
In this over-the-top opening, L.A.P.D. sergeants Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh face a flame-throwing villain in downtown L.A. Murtaugh distracts the villain by running out into the street in his boxers, and, with the criminal’s back exposed, Riggs shoots the flamethrower’s backpack and jettisons the delinquent into the street, causing a Wilhelm Scream! Likewise during this scene, Murtaugh finds out that Riggs’ girlfriend is pregnant, that his daughter secretly married a cop and that she is also pregnant! It’s a wonder that blend of family drama didn’t cause him to yelp the WilhelmScream! Before we get to our number one Wilhelm Scream, here are some honorable mentions: - Shot in the Butt “Spaceballs” (1987) - Biker Gang Member Falls “21 Jump Street” (2012) - Disintegrated Nazi “Hellboy” (2004) - Bonzai! “Howard the Duck” (1986) - The Bride Slashes a Crazy 88 “Kill Bill Volume 1” (2003)
#1: Stormtrooper Falling Down Chasm “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” (1977)
Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia are trying to escape the Death Star in this moment of mayhem. After Luke shoots a stormtrooper on a platform, it causes him to plummet down into a chasm’s abyss while he cries the Wilhelm Scream! Film sound designer Ben Burtt edited this scream into the scene, introduced it to modern audiences, and coined the actual term ‘Wilhelm Scream’ itself! He basically revived the use of this sound effect in “A New Hope,” and it’s since been heard in other George Lucas movies he has worked on, such as the previously mentioned “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and the Star Wars sequel “Return of the Jedi” as well as many other films! Do you agree with our list? What are your favorite Wilhelm Screams? For more excellent Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.