Samsung Helps Deaf People Feel the Fear of Swedish Horror Films

Samsung Nordics just launched a sound project to enhance the movie experience for deaf people. 

We all know that sound has a huge impact on the way we experience movies, especially horror films, as sound is so closely linked to the feeling of fear and excitement - which 70 million deaf people around the world are unable to take part of while watching these movies. 

To enhance the movie experience for more people, Samsung Nordics teamed up with the agency Wenderfalck, Chimney and award-winning audio designer Per Sundström. In connection to the 10-year anniversary of the Swedish film ‘Let The Right One In’, the film is now re-launched – this time with sound design that travels straight into your body and includes a strong experience even for those who cannot hear. 

To make this happen, the existing bass sounds in the original sound have been raised and reworked, as those are more easily experienced in the sense of vibrations that can be felt by the human body. To increase the shock factor of the original sound, which is mainly based on high frequency sounds, more bass has added where appropriate – which helped adding to the creepy feeling that is pivotal to the horror experience, which is usually dependent on sound. By doing this, Per Sundström has created an audio track that can be experienced simultaneously by an audience of hearing and non-hearing people.  

The film with the new sound design adapted for deaf people, is available on the Scandinavian streaming service SF Anytime.

To make sure that the enhanced experience actually makes a difference, Wenderfalck worked with a reference group of deaf and hearing-impaired people, whose feedback helped build the experience.