Buzz
Sometimes, simplicity holds the most power. Just like how the haunting Jaws theme only used two notes to create tension, the unforgettable sound effects in Friday the 13th relied on two syllables to announce Jason Voorhees’s ominous presence.
The exact spelling of those two syllables has sparked heated debates among devoted fans of the franchise. Many have been echoing ch ch ch, ah ah ah for years, and it’s almost impossible to hear it differently. Yet, the film’s composer, Harry Manfredini, has clarified the mystery in past interviews. In 2015, he revealed to Gun Media that the actual sounds are ki and ma.
Influenced by the consonant-rich Polish music he was studying at the time, Manfredini chose to condense the words kill and mommy into two syllables. These words were lifted straight from a scene in the original 1980 film, where Pamela Voorhees, played by the late Betsy Palmer, says “Kill her, mommy!” in Jason’s voice. Manfredini noted that the scene was particularly unsettling and served to highlight the chilling notion that she was constantly hearing voices.
To produce the iconic sound effect, Manfredini whispered the two syllables into a microphone, then ran them through an Echoplex machine, which he described as 'really cool back then.' The reverb from the machine distorted the sounds, which could explain why people perceive the syllables in different ways. The ki and ma spelling was reaffirmed in 2017 when a loading screen for Friday the 13th: The Game explicitly displayed it.
Don't feel too bad if you still hear ch and ah. As 1428 Elm mentions in an article, there isn’t really a 'correct' way to write a sound effect. However, understanding the backstory of the score certainly adds to its eerie impact.
