A closer look
If a movie character is deeply marked for an impending tragedy, the intensely dramatic background score will likely quietly weave in the Dies Irae. Originating as a highly ominous thirteenth-century Gregorian chant used during massive Catholic funeral masses, the haunting four-note melody heavily signals death. Legendary composers have completely hidden this highly specific musical motif in everything from the bustling soundtrack of The Lion King to the intensely terrifying score of The Shining.
