In the early days of sound, studios had to build libraries of common effects. One of the most famous is the 'Universal Scream,' first recorded for the 1931 classic 'Dracula.' Unlike the Wilhelm Scream, which is used for stunts, this was a high-pitched, piercing female scream used to heighten the terror of the audience. Fay Wray later perfected this art in 'King Kong' (1933). Because recording equipment was bulky and expensive, these single 'perfect' screams were often reused across dozens of different movies for decades. This led to the 'Scream Queen' archetype, where an actress's vocal ability was just as important as her acting, as she had to provide a sound that could pierce through the crackle of early cinema audio systems.