While some sounds are used to “sell” a scene, there are a lot of cliché sound effects that people are just plain tired of hearing in film and TV shows. According to a popular online forum, here are the sounds that TV viewers and moviegoers would do away with — or at least use in a more creative manner.

1. Screeching Tires

When you're watching a movie and there's a scene where people are driving fast, there are almost always screeching tires. And it's annoying. Sometimes the cars are on dirt roads and you hear tires screeching. What? We get it. It's a high-speed chase, but outside of parking garages, cars don't actually do that all the time when you speed off or make a sharp turn.

2. Heart Beating

Is anyone in the film nervous? The audience can read body language and facial expressions without the assistance of the heart beating loudly. Some people feel it distracts from what's happening on the screen because you're so focused on bracing yourself for a possible jump scare or for something bad to happen.

3. Wilhelm Scream

The Wilhelm scream is amongst the most popular sound effects in Hollywood. You typically hear it when someone gets shot or falls from a high place. It's loud and screechy and has been used in over four hundred films. One movie fan says they feel it's lazy on behalf of the filmmaker not to allow for a more organic scream from an actor or actress.

4. Kid's Laughter and Playing

While I thought about kids laughing in general, members of the forum seemed to have a particular bone to pick with what's known as the “Diddy Laugh.” It comes from the intro of the Diddy Kong Racing game.

This natural-sounding laugh between two children has a musical ring to it and has become insufferable for some. One of the contributors felt that movie directors should “pick a different laugh track already, or do away with the cliche of kids having a blast anytime you enter a home with children.”

5. Eagle/Hawk Screech

This particular movie sound is a personal pet peeve of mine. For some reason, whenever you watch a Western film or a character is out in the desert, there's an eagle that screeches. It's actually the sound of a red-tailed hawk since eagles sound more like seagulls, but it's pretty annoying. You don't need a bird sound effect to signal being in the middle of nowhere!

6. Telephone Ringing

Although most people don't even have a landline phone in their homes nowadays, you always hear the same recording of a telephone ringing in TV shows and films. It's kind of distorted and has been heavily criticized for being poor quality. It was popular in the 70s and 80s, especially in horror movies where someone was getting chased or stalked. Today, fans have had enough.

7. Truck Honking

Multiple people voiced their disdain for the stereotypical scene where the semi-truck is driving down the street and they honk their horns loudly. It lasts for what seems like forever until it fades out as it gets further down the road. Why, just why? Sometimes it's to signify a near-death experience where the driver is zoned out. But, most of the time, it's for no reason at all.

8. Water Dripping

Next, we have the sound of water dripping from a faucet, which usually happens in a movie to draw your attention to the silence of the environment. You're supposed to understand that, not through the actual silence, but the fact that it's so quiet you can hear water dripping. I've also heard it quite a bit in scary movies when someone is in a house they aren't supposed to be inside.

9. Cat Screaming/Meowing

Too often, someone knocks over a trash can in a movie and there's a cat that comes screaming and running out of nowhere. Sometimes it follows a car crash, breaking glass, or any other number of scenes where a cat doesn't need to be there anyway. Many online contributors want filmmakers to knock it off already!

10. Sirens

When someone enters a “bad” neighborhood, it seems to be protocol that you hear sirens in the background to let you know that the area is dangerous. One movie fan said they did a countdown until they heard a siren after the protagonist in a film entered a rundown neighborhood. It took all of four seconds.

11. Gun Being Drawn

Whenever there's a movie scene where someone pulls out a gun and aims it at a target, expect to hear all kinds of sound effects. For example, if there's no ammo in the weapon, you get a repeated “click-click” noise, even though most guns wouldn't react like that without resetting it.

Or it sounds like loose change jingling when the person is getting ready to fire, which according to film experts, lets the audience know something bad is about to happen and adds to the suspense. Simply rotating a gun doesn't make that much noise!

12. Wielding a Knife or Sword

Ah, the dreaded metallic “swoosh” sound whenever a character pulls out a sword or knife. Really? That's not how it works in real life at all. And even if it serves the same purpose of making the moment feel more dramatic, respondents say they'd rather watch the movie without all the predictable effects that don't match reality.

13. Castle Thunder

The loud boom of thunder during heavy rain was initially used in the classic Frankenstein movie from 1931. You can find this sound effect in many movies from the 1940s to the 1980s, especially in Disney cartoons and TV series.

Still today, anytime there's a downpour, you're not surprised if you hear the infamous clap of thunder. This one isn't really annoying, but moviegoers say they could do without it for every storm.

14. Owl Hoot

The distinctive call of an owl is a surefire sign that impending calamity is about to unfold. It's almost always at night, probably near a creepy house or the forest, especially if you're about to embark on a journey that won't be as smooth as you hope. Despite how the sound gets used in movies, you could hear this infamous hoot spanning diverse landscapes worldwide.

15. Evil Laugh

The evil laugh is more prominent in cartoons and animated movies than in regular films (unless it's a children's film), but we're all used to hearing it. The villain is on the verge of success or they think they have the upper hand, and they let out this sometimes screechy, exaggerated laugh to show their satisfaction with how the plan is going. One commenter said it became funny to them because their kid started imitating it around the house and they've grown to like it since then. Me? Not so much.

16. Floor Creaking

I'm not sure I've seen many movies where someone is sneaking up the steps, down the hallway, or into a room, and the floor doesn't creak at some point. It has become a requirement, and apparently, even the newest homes have old floors that signal your presence to the person you're trying to surprise.

17. Door Opening Slowly

Right along the same lines as the floor creaking, a character in a horror film always opens the door slowly and it creaks. Think Friday the 13th, The Nun, The Black Phone, etc. A few people described this sound effect as the Wilhelm scream of scary movies — a prerequisite you'll always find.

18. Loud Beeps When Typing

In movies where someone is trying to crack a code to stop a bomb from detonating or lookcreing for information quickly, the keyboard is SO loud. There's a constant beeping sound that lets you know that the person is really working hard to solve the problem that they always have like 30 seconds to fix.

19. Crows

Movies generally use the crow sound effect to evoke a sense of danger or indicate when death is nearby. You'll hear this noise often in horror, suspense, and mystery films because it's supposed to add to an unsettling atmosphere since crows are seen as eerie. People associate crows with supernatural events, omens, desolation, and darkness. A cawing crow is a popular option to enhance the intensity and tension of various movie elements.

20. Howling Wind

The cliché sound of howling wind usually establishes paranormal activity or sets the mood for a certain level of spookiness. The wind doesn't sound like that just because it's dreary or deserted outside, but it does add to the anticipation of the moment. A lot of folks don't mind this one as much, but they noted that it does get used a lot, especially in scary movies.

21. Exaggerated Footsteps

As an adult, I can't remember too many times that I thought the exaggerated footsteps enhanced the suspense in a film I was watching, but I may be in the minority. I thought it was a dead giveaway and could have appreciated the jump scare because I didn't know anyone was approaching. However, some critics feel it puts them more on edge because they don't know exactly when the door will swing open.

22. Noisy Light Switch

Multiple movies, like The Conjuring, Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Sixth Sense, use a noisy light switch as a cinematic device to improve the viewer's experience and heighten the tension in a scene.

Many commenters on the forum said they've never flipped a switch that was that loud, so it's just cliche at this point. When filmmakers amplify the sound of the switch, it can help draw attention to key moments or focus on a scene transition. I've found it effective, but I also see how it's overused.

23. Gulping

From what I remember, this particular sound effect is more prominent in kids' movies. I can think of a few Disney movies and TV series it was used, like when Lizzie McGuire would be on the brink of trouble.

I've heard the loud gulp when someone is nervous, they just got caught, almost were seen, etc. Again, it's never that loud when someone gulps a drink, let alone saliva. But, for the sake of conveying emotions, I get it.

24. People Getting Punched/Hit

Some people commented on the sound effects used when people get hit in movies. Realistically, there are not all those “boom, bang” noises when people start fighting. It's funny, and it does add to the drama of the scene, so I don't mind it. But I understand why some people find it annoying.

Source: Reddit.