In 1995, David Fincher directed a neo-noir film that had the entire world screaming the same question: “What’s in the box?!” 25 years later, we’re still reeling from one of the most iconic plot twists in history. That’s right—Seven came out a quarter of a century ago on this day.
In true noir fashion, Seven (or Se7en) takes the audience through a decaying, relentless world. The film itself was even given a rotting look with a bleach bypass, and the sound team needed to match its putrid visuals. Through consistently pounding drones, the team injected the film with pure anxiety. These sounds were also darker, heavier, and more distorted than what was expected of sound design at the time. The sounds in Seven often die or fizzle out just before abruptly changing.
David Fincher created this project not based on what film is, but what film could be. And thanks to that, we still have an out-of-the-box crime classic to celebrate 25 years later.