Do you recognize this scream?

Of course you do. It’s the famous Wilhelm Scream (Wikipedia), an audio loop that originated in the 1950s and has since appeared in more than 100 movies (Wikipedia), including the Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings series, which is probably where you heard it. (Blame Ben Burtt on its revival. Peter Jackson’s a big fan.) And now that you know what to listen for, you’ll always hear it. It’s everywhere.

More on the Wilhelm Scream from Eric David, WNYC’s On the Media, TheForce.net and MetaFilter.