Berberian Sound Studio(2012)
2012 · Peter Strickland · 92 min
In the 1970s, a British sound technician is brought to Italy to work on the sound effects for a gruesome horror film. His nightmarish task slowly takes over his psyche, driving him to confront his own past.
Horror · Drama · Thriller
6.1405 votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
0/5
Gore
4/5
Stays with you
How Berberian Sound Studio scares
There's a creeping, claustrophobic unease that builds through sound instead of sights, so you spend the whole movie listening for horror rather than seeing it. The pace is slow and hypnotic, more like sinking into a fog than being chased through a plot, and the tension comes from repetition, distorted noises, and a mind slowly coming loose. Nothing here is gory or jumpy; the fear lives entirely in atmosphere and mounting dread. It's best for people who like strange, artsy, slow-moving horror that gets under your skin rather than in-your-face scares.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Berberian Sound Studio rates psychological 5/5, visceral 1/5, gore 0/5, lingering effect 4/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 5 of 5
- Visceral: 1 of 5
- Gore: 0 of 5
- Lingering: 4 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 8 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 85 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 78 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow, quiet descent that keeps tightening its grip until the final stretch turns disorienting and heavy.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 0, 0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4.
How scary is Berberian Sound Studio?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Berberian Sound Studio rates 3/5 — solidly scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. The fear is mostly in your head — it unsettles far more than it assaults. Expect it to be restrained with gore and genuinely disturbing. Expect it to stay with you for days.
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