The Force Awakens’ Sound Editor Choked Himself For The Rathtar Scene

In the film, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) has been doing some smuggling on his ship, the Ervana, and this time the cargo is terrifying creatures called Rathtars. They get loose on the ship and attack the pirates who’ve come to deal with Han. They also go after him, Rey (Daisy Ridley), and Finn (John Boyega), and come pretty close to killing them all. 

When they can’t get our heroes, one of the Rathtars decides to snack on the Millennium Falcon as the gang tries to escape the Ervana, attempting to suck the life out of it from the front window. There is a very specific and squelchy noise they make, and it came directly from Acord. He told the site about how he made the sound: 

“When the rathtar has his mouth on the cockpit of the Falcon, when it’s trying to eat the cockpit, that is me literally choking myself. [Laughs] Finger down my throat in front of the mic to accomplish that and then it’s pitched down.”

Well, that certainly takes the whole idea of suffering for your art to a new level. Still, most humans have a visceral reaction to the sound of someone choking. It makes us uncomfortable and upset, and that is certainly what we’re supposed to be feeling with the Rathtars. 

“Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” is currently streaming on Disney+.