As we’ve seen in terrible American remakes of Japanese horror film classics (The Grudge, anyone?), it’s obvious that filmmakers always want to use music and sound effects to their advantage when attempting to scare the pants off its audience. However, after such banal usage in 99% of the horror films released throughout the years, it tends to become familiar. When the music swells in a horrifying tidal wave of strings and accompanying instrument, we’re all ready to jump in our seats, expecting to be afraid of whatever’s coming out onscreen.

The creators of Dead Space are looking to put these tactics to good use, once and for all, throwing in the spice of actual silence to instill fear and to get our blood pumping, rather than forcing music to do the job through the entirety of the game. Ominous music has become an extremely overplayed option and a cop-out when certain games’ content isn’t chilling enough to carry the fear factor.

Rich Briggs, producer of Dead Space, recently told TheGamereviews that while there will be false music swells in order to put you on the edge of your seat, there is also going to be a focus on dead silence: “Sometimes we use silence to magnify things like a dripping pool of blood, and we mute the sound when you enter an airless environment so Isaac’s heartbeat and breathing take center stage.” This statement brings to mind moments in films such as Sunshine and Event Horizon, where similar tactics were implemented, and worked impressively well, building tension effectively without coming off as overly hokey or an embarrassment to filmmakers involved in the sci-fi/horror genre. Besides, when one is terrified beyond belief, the loudest sound that can be heard is one’s own heart. Reinforcing the solitary and yet hopeless theme of the game, this is one of the most under looked, yet impressive aspects of the upcoming experience.

Complementing the combination of atmospheric music as well as sound effects that will accompany terrifying moments is the “fear emitter” technology, which intends to make a pantswetter out of gamers over what could be a tiny Necromorph or a large one. Unless you’re actually close enough to the monster to discern what it is, anything is possible. The closer you are in proximity to the ominous atrocities, the more your soundscape will alter. In this, the fear of uncertainty should be appropriately spotlighted. In this, both sound effects and music are able to put the player on the correct path to what needs to be eliminated.

With what seems to be a perfect marriage of music and sound effects, Dead Space is shaping up to be one of the most unique survival horror titles yet.

You can learn more about the game from Rich Briggs’ interview with TGR, which will be posted in its entirety later this week.