Sometimes simpler is better . The iconicJawstheme Song dynasty used just two note to set an ominous tone , and the as iconic sound effect inFriday the 13thused two syllables to make Jason Voorhees ’s presence love .
The spelling of those two syllables has become a hotly contested progeny among diehard films of the franchise . Most the great unwashed have been reprize it asch ch ch , ah ah ahfor eld , and it ’s hard to hear it any other mode . However , the film ’s composer , Harry Manfredini , has set the record straight in past interviews . In 2015 , he toldGun Mediathat the sounds are actuallykiandma .
revolutionize by the agreeable - heavy Polish scores he was studying at the time , Manfredini decided to reduce the wordskillandmommydown to two syllables . These words were require directly from a tantrum in the original 1980 cinema in which Pamela Voorhees , played by the late Betsy Palmer , says“Kill her , mommy ! ” in Jason ’s voice . Manfredini said the scene stuck out as a “ creepy-crawly shot ” and also carry the important estimation that she was get wind voice at all times .
To create the profound effect , Manfredini whispered the two syllables into a microphone and then fed them through an Echoplex machine , “ which was really coolheaded back then , ” he said . The reverb distorted the sounds , which is perhaps why people hear the syllables a little differently . Thekiandmaspelling was once again confirm in 2017 when a loading screen door forFriday the 13th : The Gameplainly spelled it out .
Do n’t feel too sorry if you still hearchandah , though . As1428 Elmpoints out in an clause , there is n’t really a correct way to import out a sound effect . lie with the narration behind the score does make it that much more unsettling , though .
A edition of this narrative ran in 2018 ; it has been updated for 2023 .
