Think back to some of the most dramatic scenes in film history — from The Lion King, The Shining, It’s a Wonderful Life. Besides being sad or scary, they have something else in common: the dies irae. “Dies irae” translates from Latin to “Day of Wrath” — it’s a 13th-century Gregorian chant describing the day Catholics believe God will judge the living and the dead and send them to heaven or hell. And it was used in one specific mass: funerals.
Why this creepy melody is in so many movies
This 13th-century song shows up everywhere.
Bridgett Henwood was the executive producer and editorial director of Vox video.
As Catholicism permeated world culture, the melody of the chant was repurposed into classical music, where it was used to convey a deathly, eerie tone. From there it worked its way into the movies — first in silent films, which were often accompanied by orchestras, and finally into today’s blockbusters
If you don’t already know it, you’ve almost certainly heard it before: It’s played over and over in the scariest and most dramatic cinematic moments.
Correction: Mozart’s Requiem isn’t a symphony, it’s a requiem, a type of Catholic mass for the dead. It was initially written for mass but later popularized and performed outside the church, as was Verdi’s.
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