The sound illusion that makes Dunkirk so intense

A Vox explainer on the Shepard tone, an auditory illusion of a pitch that keeps rising, and how Hans Zimmer and Christopher Nolan used it in Dunkirk. It shows how the effect builds tension in the film.

HN people point to it as the clearest example of Shepard tones in use and how they create suspense and anxiety.

“Vox did a great video on how Hans Zimmmer used this in the Dunkirk soundtrack to create growing suspense and anxiety.”