ABSTRACT
One of the earliest theories about film music is Adorno and Eisler's notion of the “Ghostly Effect,” stating that music has an important function in making films seem believable and warding off the disturbing effects of the ghostly projected image. This simultaneously accounted for the requirement for musical accompaniment for film and addressed music's magical charming function. This chapter re-engages with this theory, pointing to its continued relevance for more recent sound cinema. This chapter will include discussion of the film Night of the Seagulls (1975).
