History Main / ShellShockSilence

* Used in ''Film/TheReturnOfTheKing'' when lightning strikes from the spire of Minas Morgul, everything goes quiet in the middle of the massive crack of thunder that accompanies it, indicating that it's so loud that the characters are briefly deafened by it.

Sometimes paired with a slow motion sequence, either to emphasize that we are in a heightened version of a character's perspective or to reflect the traumatized mindset of the main character. Sometimes the humming will be a ringing noise, like the onset of tinnitus.

* Epically done in the 1985 Soviet war drama ''Film/ComeAndSee''. After our protagonist gets caught in a bomb raid, everything gets drowned out in a howl of tinnitus; it gets better, but it takes a full half hour for the sound to come back completely.
* Used in ''Film/TheReturnOfTheKing'' when a lightning strikes from the spire of Minas Morgul, everything goes quiet in the middle of the massive crack of thunder that accompanies it, indicating that it's so loud that the characters are briefly deafened by it.

* Several time after explosions in ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' does the sounds drown out, especially during the Final Battle.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' short "Sorry Safari", the brutish hunter wraps a gun around Tom's heard a fires it, leaving the cat deaf. This results in the cartoon going silent, and Tom picks at his ears for the sound to come back.

* The ''Series/GreysAnatomy'' episode "Into The Silence" features this for a significant portion of the episode, as it follows Meredith after she is badly beaten and hospitalized. Her injuries include temporary deafness, and the episode's sound is accordingly replaced with a low drone for almost the entire first half of the episode. Eventually it gradually fades away and the sound comes back as her hearing returns.

* The first ''Film/{{Hellboy}}'' movie has this happen to Meyers right after Liz Sherman goes PersonOfMassDestruction in Rasputin's clockwork funhouse.

Sometimes paired with a slow motion sequence, either to show off what's going on or to reflect the traumatized mindset of the main character. Sometimes the humming will be a ringing noise, like the onset of tinnitus.

* ''Series/PersonOfInterest''. Root after she's momentarily stunned during a truck crash in "Mors Praematura", but it segues immediately into the ClimacticMusic as she wakes up and starts kicking ass. Played straight in "Matsya Nyaya", when a bomb goes off underneath an armoured car Reese is guarding.

* Happens in ''Film/SherlockHolmes'' after a warehouse explodes.

A giant explosion goes off, then - silence. In the eerie pause, we see the action continue but only hear a high pitched hum. Gradually fade in small arms fire, yelling, screaming... suddenly everything returns to full volume and the character scrambles to get back in the action.

* ''Film/ChildrenOfMen'' has this occuring to the main character during a terrorist bombing: Theo witnesses a bomb go off in the street and we hear a sort of dull ringing in the background.

* Happens to Jason in ''Film/GalaxyQuest'', when he is shot down by Sarris during the movie's climax. The sound goes almost mute as Jason watches his fellow crew mates being slaughtered one by one.

** A little awkwardly implemented in ''VideoGame/BattlefieldBadCompany 2'', at a distance tanks will make the standard bang sound effect that most players are familiar with, but up close it simulates this trope by muting all sounds when the turret gun fires, its a deep bass thump, followed by a ringing sound that fades as sound slowly returns. This is all nice and realistic except for the fact that you can hear the metal scraping of the loading system cycling, and the fact that you hear the initial explosion as the bass thump, as if you were deafened just before the shell is fired. In the PC version before some of the early patches its possible to stand at certain distance from a tank and hear both the ShellShockSilence sound effect and muting as well as the sound effect used at a distance.

** Much as the ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' example above, an explosion close to you will make you walk a lot slower and the only thing you will hear is a strong low-key tinnitus briefly overlayed by a high-pitched one.

An example of TruthInTelevision, as explosions and even prolonged gunfire can cause hearing loss.

-->'''Julian:''' Y'know that ringing in your ears? That 'eeeeeeeee'? That's the sound of the ear cells dying, like their swan song. Once it's gone you'll never hear that frequency again. Enjoy it while it lasts.

->'''Sammael:''' I lean in and just say "Don't. Move."\\

'''Sammael:''' I lean in and just say "Don't. Move."\\

* ''SaintsRow 2'' has this, along with a very annoying ringing noise whenever someone sets off an explosion right next to the player's character.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'' and ''MetalGearSolid4'' started doing this with flashbangs, which will completely deafen players if they're caught in the blast. Averted with actual explosions, however.
** Much as the VideoGame/CallOfDuty example above, an explosion close to you will make you walk a lot slower and the only thing you will hear is a strong low-key tinnitus briefly overlayed by a high-pitched one.

* While it doesn't go totally silent, ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor: Airborne'' muffles the sound and applies a [[RedFilterOfDoom red filter]] when you are low on health or an explosion goes off too close to you, with ear ringing accompanying the latter.
* ''GhostRecon: Advanced Warfighter'' has this alongside [[ImpairmentShot HUD interference]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' and ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', if your head becomes "[[StandardStatusEffects crippled]]", your sound will periodically be replaced with a tinnitus effect while [[ImpairmentShot your vision blurs]].