Evil laughter: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Manic laughter by a villain in fiction}}

An '''evil laugh''' is a stock [[Megalomania|megalomaniacal]] [[laugh]] by a [[villain]] in [[fiction]]. In comic books, where [[supervillain]]s utter such laughs, it is variously rendered as '''mwahaha''', '''muhuhahaha''', '''muwhahaha''', '''fwahahahahahahahehehehehehehe''', or '''booWAHAHA.'''. (Compare [[Ho ho ho]].) These words are also commonly used on internet [[Blogs]], [[BBSes]], and games. There, they are generally used when some form of victory is attained, or to indicate [[superiority]] over someone else. The words are often used as either [[interjection]]s or nouns.

{{Redirect|Evil laugh|the film|Evil Laugh}}

{{Redirect|Maniacal laughter|the album|Maniacal Laughter}}

{{Listen

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|title=An evil laugh, with echo effects applied

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'''Evil laughter''' or '''maniacal laughter''' is a distinct [[laughter]] that is typically exhibited by [[villain|villains]] in [[fiction]]. It is associated with the [[Horror film|horror]] genre.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malone |first=Tyler |date=2024-10-31 |title=Why Horror Needs Humor |url=https://lithub.com/why-horror-needs-humor/ |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=Literary Hub |language=en-US}}</ref>

For men it starts off as a low rumbling, in the back of the throat, slowly ascending to a loud cackle. For women, on the other hand, it begins as a hoarse scratchy sound, and then rises to a maniacal laugh- however, this could work either way. Some protagonists have been known to use an "evil" laugh, either as a product of mental instability or merely to display a feeling of significance as a villain would. [[Father Grigori]] from the video game ''[[Half-Life 2]]'' is an example of this. [http://www.hlcomic.com/grighi.wav]

Evil laughter may be written as ''muahahaha''<ref name="sebba">{{cite book |last1=Sebba |first1=Mark |last2=Mahootian |first2=Shahrzad |last3=Jonsson |first3=Carla |title=Language Mixing and Code-Switching in Writing: Approaches to Mixed-Language Written Discourse |date=22 May 2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-48621-0 |page=243 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VF29EAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> or ''bwahahaha''.<ref name="zawacki_dignan2003" /> They are used by [[supervillain]]s in comic books and video games,<ref name="sebba"/> generally when some form of victory is attained, to indicate [[superiority complex|superiority]] over another, or to mock another character's earnestness.

The [[Evil Overlord List]] notes that evil laughter often distracts the villain from important details that the hero can use to escape or prevail.

Maniacal laughter may confirm a character's villainy, signaling gratification from performing acts of evil.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Kjeldgaard-Christiansen |first=Jens |date=October 2018 |title=Social Signals and Antisocial Essences: The Function of Evil Laughter in Popular Culture |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/jpcu.12728 |journal=The Journal of Popular Culture |language=en |volume=51 |issue=5 |pages=1214–1233 |doi=10.1111/jpcu.12728 |s2cid=149719344|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Deliberately expressing delight in crisis situations is distinctly inappropriate and thus may cause viewers to see a character as an enemy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-28 |title=The scary thing about evil laughs |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/mwahahahahaa-and-the-power-of-the-evil-laugh |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=PBS News |language=en-us}}</ref>

== Notable examples ==

During the 1930s, the popular radio program ''[[The Shadow]]'' used a signature evil laugh as part of its presentation. This was a rare case of a non-villain character using an evil laugh, and it was voiced by actor [[Frank Readick]]. His laugh was used even after [[Orson Welles]] took over the lead role.<ref name="mott2009" /> Actor [[Vincent Price]]'s evil laugh has been used or copied many times in radio, film, music, and television,{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} notably at the end of the music video ''[[Michael Jackson's Thriller (music video)|Michael Jackson's Thriller]]''. Other examples of evil laughter in film include the alien in [[Predator (film)|Predator]], the stepmother in [[Cinderella (1950 film)|Cinderella]], Majin Buu in [[Dragon Ball Z]], and the Wicked Witch of the West in [[The Wizard of Oz]].<ref name=":0" />

In films, evil laughter often fills the soundtrack when the villain is off camera. In such cases, the laughter follows the hero or victim as they try to escape. An example of this is in ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'', where [[List of Indiana Jones characters#René Belloq|Belloq]]'s laugh fills the South American jungle as [[Indiana Jones (character)|Indiana Jones]] escapes from the Hovitos.

==See also==

*[[Megalomania]]

*[[Evil genius]]

Animals such as the [[barred owl]] and [[laughing gull]] make sounds that resemble evil laughter.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-19 |title=COLUMN: Hear that 'maniacal' laughter? It's a barred owl |url=https://www.bradfordtoday.ca/local-news/column-hear-that-maniacal-laughter-its-a-barred-owl-8293460 |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=BradfordToday.ca |language=en}}</ref>

==External links==

* [http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/evil_20laugh_20activated_20hand_20dryer a proposal for an evil-laugh-activated hand dryer]

==References==

[[Category:Clichés]]

{{reflist|refs=

<ref name=mott2009>{{cite book|first1=Robert L. | last1=Mott|title=The audio theater guide: vocal acting, writing, sound effects and directing for a listening audience|publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]|date=2009|isbn=978-0-7864-4483-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZCu0fdtW13MC&pg=PA31|page=31}}</ref>

<ref name=zawacki_dignan2003>{{cite book|title=How to be a villain: evil laughs, secret lairs, master plans, and more!!!|first1=Neil|last1=Zawacki|first2=James|last2=Dignan|publisher=[[Chronicle Books]]|date=2003|isbn=0-8118-4666-0|url=https://archive.org/details/howtobevillainev00zawa|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/howtobevillainev00zawa/page/23 23]}}</ref>

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evil Laughter}}

[[Category:1860s neologisms]]

[[Category:Sound effects]]

[[Category:ClichésHumour]]

[[Category:Interjections]]

[[Category:Laughter]]

[[Category:Good and evil]]

[[fi:Nauraminen#Paha nauru]]