Did I scare you Danny?
I learned about The Wilhelm Scream through Lame Adventures blog. Apparently a dude named Wilhelm screamed in a film back in the day and it became pretty darn famous. It has been reused in many other movies by foleys who drop in the sound effects.
I wondered if there was a famous gasp. The Lame Adventurer said she wasn’t familiar with the gasp.
“Gasp!” How could she not be familiar with the gasp! I don’t think I have gone through a day without gasping.
Gasp: a sudden intake of air expressing fright and freaking out everyone else around the aforementioned gasper. Often the gasp is followed by the clutching of one’s chest since a heart attack feels imminent.
Fay Wray really knew how to gasp.
My kids hate it. I’d say, “Gasp! I forgot to tell you that I ran into your friend today.”
After peeling them off the ceiling, they’d say, “Stop doing that!” I can’t help myself. It’s in my blood.
My first experience with the gasp was through my mother. She is infamous in our family for them. My clearest memory of her frightening auditory expression, happened whenever she thought another driver was about to crash into our tank of a station wagon driven by my father. This happened every time we drove somewhere. It went something like this:
“Gasp! (sudden intake of most of the air inside our vehicle), Eddie! Eddie! EDDIE! LOOK OUT!”
Followed by another, “Gasp!… Oh…. never mind.” Everyone recuperated for the next 30 minutes after our short lives flashed before our eyes.
It also commonly occurs when someone sneaks up and scares the Hell out of a person. My husband Danny startles me on a daily basis. Following my gasp, he always responds, “I tried to make some noise, but you must not have heard me over the blow dryer/TV/garbage disposal.” I will shake for the next half hour after jumping out of my skin.
The worst is when I am rewriting my thriller. I get immersed in the scene. While visualizing the terror of being alone in the dark as cold fingers grip her…
“Oh, hey Susie!”
“Gasp!”
“Didn’t you hear me come in?”
That must be why most desks face the door. Otherwise, anyone could…. sneak….. up…. on ….. you………. “Gasp!”
Here is my own dramatization of the gasp. Can you relate?
I have to admit to being a purist. It has to be an intake of air otherwise it is a scream. This funny video of The Annie Gasp from the television show, Community includes a few screams.
The film trailer of Silent Hill: Revelation is full of gasps. Unlike my mom and me, these are justifiable exclamations.
Over the years, I have perfected the gasp. Not only do I use it when I am startled or backseat driving, but also when I am excited, remembering something, watching a sporting event, learn any sort of news or come up with a new idea.
Hey! I wonder if any of those Hollywood foleys are looking for an experienced gasper. They could call it The Lindau Gasp.
“Gasp!” That would be so cool!
Do you like to sneak up on people?
Photo of Fay Wray copyright-free
Does anyone else find that after watching a long series of gasps, one ends up with an out-of-breath feeling? Totally illogical, because after all the gasp is an intake.
Hmmm. What would you call a gasp where the air goes OUT?
Hahaha! That is true!
I call that a scream. If you watch the video you’ll see both examples. She is pretty funny!
Thanks Colonist!
No, a scream is when you add treble to the breath. What would be the breath unaccompanied?
No idea! A wheeeeeez!
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This was fun! I’m a gasper too, but I’ve been trying to stop because it drives my husband insane if I gasp when we’re driving and he thinks something terrible is wrong.
Exactly! I have the same habit, although I have no self control. Hahaha!
Thanks Sophie!
Haha! I have someone who loves to sit in the passenger seat and Gasp at irrelevant things. I’m not sure how I’ve managed not to have an accident! Infuriating (plus I do tend to be a bit twitchy). Love your Foley ad.
Thanks Alarna! I think we are probably all guilty of gasping when we are not driving as well as jumping a mile when we are!
It sure gets everyone’s attention!
Love the Lindau gasp! When I was a kid, my dad would get mad at me for gasping in the car while he was driving. Apparently I was a bit of a back seat driver, except I gasped instead of speaking.
Thanks Coleen!
Same! I still do and drive Danny nuts when he is driving. I learned the trait from my mom or was it inherited????
Ha! The gasp! Oh I hate it when I’m driving and my mom or sister give me the gasp, like gasp there’s a stop light … like 1000 yards away. Ugh gasp passengers kill me. The gasp is more dangerous than the road.
No, I try to never sneak up on people. I don’t like it, so I don’t do it.
I have to curtail my impulse to sneak up on my husband. He is an easy target, but doesn’t like it either…
Your gasp is quite professional sounding. I might have to emulate it- poorly- when my daughter drags me to see Paranormal 4. Those flicks scare the crap out of me.
Thanks! I practice all day long.
I haven’t seen any of those movies. I would be so on edge. Gasp!
When the first one came out, I made fun of it. Then I went to see it and it scared the holy hell out of me. Seen ‘em all, wasn’t much of a fan of the last one. But they all spooked me, and the preview for the new one gives me chills too.
Now that they are probably on PPV, I should watch it. I love having the control to change the channel if it gets to be too much!
AWESOME videos. And you helped me with an idea I’ve been working on.
I was laughing at you and the second video. So fun! At my bachelorette party, the girls took me to a club where I had to do the whole Meg Ryan imitation from “When Harry Met Sally.” Of course those gasps quickly morph into something else. Tsk, tsk. Naughty girl.
Hahaha! I loved that movie! Gasp gasp…gasp!
Thanks Debra!
Too funny! I am definitely a gasper.
Me too! All the time….
Thanks for stopping by!
Such an amusing subject to contemplate. Heh, my novel opens with an anxiety attack, so I find this quite fun. I suppose Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally doesn’t count.
Oh! Hahaha! I remember. Those were really exciting gasps….
Thanks Nelle!
Great pictures of Danny! Lol
Your gasps are pretty cool too. I might write a post about you called “The Great Gaspee” and maybe I’ll finally get to see my first ghost – the irritated spirit of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Lol 
I almost never gasp, and rather than getting people to gasp in shock and fear, I often make them gasp for air while laughing so hard, it’s hard for them to breathe, which gives me great satisfaction.
But sometimes my humor annoys rather than amuses, and then I see rolling eyes followed by exasperated sighs… and then I just sigh to myself, as I remember “Hey, ya can’t win ‘em all, all the time.” But I’ll get ‘em next time for sure!
I know the feeling!
Danny is so animated. I always said his true calling was in acting…
Thanks Chris!
I gasp when I think my husband is about to hit something when driving, but also when I remember something. They are different gasps, but sometimes he gets confused and thinks he is about to hit something when I have just thought of something important… scares the hell out of him.
Hahaha! That is good!
Does he spin around expecting a Mack Truck in your kitchen?
Oh Man you made gasping famous more than any movie..one of my Aunts was infamous for gasping at wrong occasions..she would Gasp and utter OMG REAALY WHEN..and then how sweet is that when are you getting married or whatever the news….people with weak heart would have died before even knowing it was a happy gasp..
Exactly! I experienced that so often when I lived with my mom and dad. I don’t know how my dad has lived such a long life! Hahaha!
Thanks Soma!
Those are the funniest pictures ever! Your poor husband. I drown out the noise around me at work by listening to music, and it’s comical the ways people try to approach me and get my attention without sending me into orbit. But I gasp at least once or twice every day
Hahaha! Danny is my favorite muse.
I hate being snuck up on. I jump a mile and yet I get so engrossed sometimes! At least your coworkers try to avoid sending you to the moon….
Thanks for reading!
I try to not to because I know that it may come back 2 or 3 fold – ha!
That can be true! It has happened to me too!
Thanks Renee!
Great shares, Susie!
Thanks Hook!
I’ve never been a screamer, but I can gasp real good! Great write!
Thanks Jo! Same with me. I only take in the air when I am frightened. Probably not good if I need to alert others!
who gives so much thought to a gaasp? only you Susie…
Leave it to me…
You are silly! And why wasn’t Roxy in that video? I come to expect her here at Susie’s Wild Ride.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
I am! We had to bail on Roxy. She took too long going over her contract.
I get mad when startled, ask my wife… With a bad ticker, it isn’t a good think. You have a lovely gasp though Susie!
Why thank you John! Hahaha! You better not watch that trailer……
I rarely gasp, I usually scream, LOL!
My air goes the other way! Hahaha!
So funny! My boss L O V E S to sneak up and scare, well just about anyone. He is the only male in his house and he thinks its hysterical to scare his wife & girls. Just today he was hiding behind the door when I came in…I gasp followed by profanities. Only R rated movies for me.
Oh! That would definitely shorten my life, but I would get him back good! Do you have any plans?
We always plot to get him back, but we are afraid of the repercussion. He is the youngest of 6, therefore the Master.
Hahaha! Be careful that you don’t have a heart attack! You could always sneak up on him, but feign innocence!
Sneaking up come natural, so does the fact that I get locked into whatever I’m doing and anyone coming in the room scares the crap out of me. Learned sneaking up from the nuns. They snuck up on me in class so I learned from the best. I was good, Sister Clementina made me great.
Oh! I remember the day. There were those boys that would start rocking in their chairs and then BAM!
Good ol’ Sister Clementina! Hahaha!
Think I have to practice my gasping and maybe even the scream – after living with a housefull of brothers – I becaue adept at suppressing both – maybe I’ll try a couple sneak-ups on hubby today. But then again–he normally has one of jewelry making blow tourches in his hand and that might not turn out so well.
OH NOOOOO! Don’t do it until he is brushing his teeth or reading a book. Something that won’t require an emergency room visit!
Thanks for stopping by!
*gasp* that trailer for the movie freaked me out this morning!! Holy Crap!! If you could have heard me.. it sounded like a Lindau gasp!
Hahaha! I must have picked the right movie! It has made many gasp this morning.
I think I heard your Lindau Gasp all the way from Canada!
My oldest son does this to me all the time in the summer. He began as a child and continues on with Carolyn.
very funny Susie
HUGGG
Thanks Linda! So it’s in your family too! I’m an easy target…
‘blow dryer/TV/garbage disposal’… Yeah, Right. It’s on purpose.
You think? Probably… It is a pretty “wild” reaction. I don’t know how to gasp without including an inverted scream…
Oh, I absolutely LOVE to sneak up on my family. I’ll even hide out in a room to lie in wait if I know I can really scare someone out of their gourds. It’s amazing fun.
Love your gasp. Hope you get a contract with that.
Oh you are so mean! Hahaha!
I used to do that to Danny when we were first married, but not so often any more. It’s too easy!
Thanks! I have my phone with me in case I get a call…
I have learned not to startle my wife, but I love startling my kids – they get mad at me, then forgive me. Especially my daughter, my son takes longer to forgive!
Hahaha! You are a mischievous one Clay!
Do you sneak up on your students too?
Ah, yes the good ol’ Wilhelm Scream. They SHOULD have a gasp and I think we’re going to have to name it after you at this point!
Thanks Audrey. Maybe I should start a campaign!
Hey, thanks for the shout out buddy! We are truly spawn of mothers from the same era.Mine was forever panicking as my dad drove, but instead of gasping and screaming, “Eddie! Eddie! EDDIE! LOOK OUT!”insert the name Johnnie. She was also flooring an imaginary brake. If I ever encountered the Lindau Scream, it would give me a heart attack. Hey, thanks for the shout out (pun intended).
It came right out of your comment section! I never was a screamer or one who sighs, but man, I can gasp!
That come across loud and clear on the video Susie!
Hahaha! I had fun editing that one….
One of my sons used to love to jump out at me in unexpected places so I managed to perfect the *muffled shriek*.
The muffled shriek! Hahaha! I remember going through that stage. Wait, I still do that… One time I wore a horrid mask on the tennis court and freaked out each player as they came onto the court. There were more than a few gasps that day! But in my defense, it was Halloween!
Thanks Patricia!
You are so bad, Susie! Gasping all over the place and scaring the wits out of people. Still, gasps are pretty funny and I’ve been known to throw a gasp or two at my family. I’ll be sure to keep on my toes when I see you ~ I don’t need to have a real heart attack at something only you could imagine. Gasp!
Hahaha! It is a hereditary condition, but could be contagious so be careful! I will try to keep my gasping at a minimum, but can’t make any promises…
Thanks Tameri!
My wife emits a gasp about once a year and it’s usually in a non-emergency situation. It always scares the crap out of me.
Hahahaha! Once a year??? You are so lucky! I must do it several times a day… I guess I am an excitable girl…
I startle well. My desk at work used to make me sit with my back to the door, and I was notorious for getting so immersed that I would really jump when someone came in to talk to me.
I don’t think I gasp much, though – just jump!
It’s that jumping thing and then the heart races for such a long time! Danny does that to me all the time. I wouldn’t be able to handle being snuck up on in an office….especially….late at night….when everyone has left….and you hear…someone breathing right behind you……..
Eek! And I’ve done the “last person in the building after dark” thing – thank God without any mysterious breathing! I did spend some time thinking about which way to run if I ever needed to, though.
On the whole, the most frightening part of those days was walking through the dark empty parking lot to my car – the parking lot lights were supposed to turn on automatically at dusk, but the timer rarely worked.
I wrote a flash fiction about that – http://susielindau.com/2011/09/30/the-cutting-edge-3-100-word-flash-fictions/
My grandmother was a gasper. Oy. Drove me batty. “You got stung by a… *gasp* bee?” She was a good woman. But for the gasping.
Doesn’t it make you jump a mile???? I have gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. I didn’t realize I used it so often. Some day I could inhale a bug and need the Heimlich maneuver!
*gasp* Too funny….
The photos of Danny still crack me up. Thank God Danny is such a ham and good sport! Those were the only shots I took!
Thanks for stopping by to *gasp!*
Danny needs a *campaign* button: GOOD SPORT!!
He does! He took the video of me too in between flipping the chicken on the grill last night.
I have clicked “like” and left a comment here, just so that when you go Hollywood and move to the French Riviera on the royalties from the Lindau Gasp, I can have this as evidence that I knew you when.
Hahahaa! I’ll never forget you…. still laughing…..
Darn your Silent Hill trailer that I had to watch because it was there and so I had to watch it because it was there. I’m not one for scary movies, or gasps. People do that and give me a heart attack, because I think, “OH MY GOSH! Something’s about to GET me!” And then they say, “I forgot to tell you (insert something completely lame here)”
I’ve been known to gasp on occasion, but MY gasps are, of course, completely appropriate.
It was on the top of the feed on Youtube for Gasps! At least it wasn’t gory. I can’t handle that at all.
I grew up in a house where my mom gasped all the time. No wonder I have to dye my hair!
Thanks so much for reading!
I would be the master foley of the Sigh. I have so many different types it is like naming the various types of snow in Alaska by the native people.
The sigh! I love it! I don’t think I have mastered that expression. Thanks for the reminder to include a couple of them in my book!
Will you stop doing this just before I am about to go to bed!!!!
Sorry! Hahaha! I mean muahahahaha!
Now I have to stay up to get rid of the scary stuff – all your fault!
I’m sorry! Just go over to YouTube and watch some music videos, but stay away from Marilyn Manson…..
Arghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!