MovieChat Forums > The Screaming Skull (1959) Discussion > Same music in Kubrick's The Shining

Same music in Kubrick's The Shining

posted 19 years ago by Stuart Gardner
21 replies | jump to latest

What accounts for the fact that the melody of Ernest Gold's main title theme for The Screaming Skull recurs as the melody of the main title theme for the 1980 The Shining? Kubrick's film is given these music credits on the IMDb: "Original Music by Wendy Carlos, Rachel Elkind; Non-Original Music by Béla Bartók (from "Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta"), György Ligeti, Krzysztof Penderecki."
Did Gold perhaps take the melody from Bartók, Ligeti, or Penderecki?
Or maybe Kubrick or one of his composers took it from Gold (because it's great, or with a wry sense of humor).
And I can't be the first guy to notice this... or can I?

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] Stuart Gardner 19 years ago

I didn't know that, and I appreciate the info.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] remurmur 19 years ago

I noticed it too. It bugged the hell out of me.

[–] YankeeDood 18 years ago

I noticed it too and also thought I was the only one. Glad to see I'm not wrong.
I think the song is brilliant and, in a major way, added to this (and The Shining's) eerie atmosphere.

-L31

[–] ddmondo 18 years ago

Oh, Man!
I just bought this film at the dollar store earlier today and caught that, too! I assumed it was a classical work since Kubrick does so much with classical music in his films. Very, very cool.

[–] brian-lonano 18 years ago

It's Hector Berlioz's Symphony Fantastique Movement 5: The Witches Sabbath

Tis a mighty puddle of puke!

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] megArnold 16 years ago

Actually, the melody is much older: it's a twelfth-century
Gregorian chant called "Dies Irae" (Day of Hate), meaning
the Day of Judgement.
Both Berlioz as well as Wendy Carlos (and Ernest Gold,
apparently) used it's apocalyptic associations. (So did
about a hundred other composers, as can be seen at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dies_irae#Musical_settings)

So, after 800 Years, the melody could be considered
"Public Domain", dontcha think?? ;_)

[–] brand78 15 years ago

No, DIES IREA means - it is Latin - day of anger.

[–] escaped_convict 14 years ago

I'm pretty sure Dies Irae means Day of Wrath, not Day of Anger.

[–] brand78 15 years ago

Sorry - that should be DIES IRAE.

[–] pere77-1 15 years ago

Does THE SHINING also employ the soprano soloist singing a wordless vocalise with the orchestra as does THE SCREAMING SKULL arrangement? I found it added a great deal to the movie's atmosphere.

[–] Catfishbunter 15 years ago

Yes, I thought the music sounded very familiar as well. "Halloween music" if that makes sense. I'm not sure where I have heard it before, not sure that it was the Shining, but I am almost positive that part of the melody was later used in a Disney Halloween Special. Also, one of the posters is right that part of the music is taken from Symphonie Fantastique.

[–] crimsonbutterfly 14 years ago

You know what's creepy? I bought this movie in a bundle pack and on the flip side of this movie is the movie, The Terror, starring who else? Jack Nicholson. I thought it was a weird connection with the same music from The Shining.

[–] jeffcox31 11 years ago

At least Kubrick decided against using the "Bugs Bunny sneaking up" music, or Mr. McFeely's music. Probably a good call on his part...

[–] anthonycashmere 11 years ago

Jeff,
I feel the theme music of THE SCREAMING SKULL is as relative to this film, as the Halloween theme music is to the horror film, Halloween.

Anthony

It isn't fair, using the living, to bring back the dead!!!-THE SCREAMING SKULL

[–] surfink 10 years ago

"Dies Irae" is also integrated into Gerald Fried's score for The Return of Dracula (1958), and featured as the movie's main title theme.

[–] Stuart Gardner 10 years ago

surfink, thanks!

[–] !!!deleted!!! (6571724) 9 years ago

This is really random, but at some points this EXACT theme was in the old Sega game 'Zombies Ate My Neighbors'. Odd, but appropriate subject matter lol

[–] duckofprey (1533) 4 years ago

It’s used in a ton more films than any of you thought.

Dies Irae:
https://youtu.be/-3-bVRYRnSM