One of the biggest talking points from the recent Thor film is the screaming goats. Now we know why they are there. Director Taika Waititi has confirmed it was inspired by an old viral meme of pop icon Taylor Swift.
In the main opening sequence of the film, Thor gets a pair of goats as a reward that then feature throughout the whole film. They even play an important role in helping Thor and Company travel across the universe in pursuit of the movie’s villain, Gorr the God Butcher. And while it may seem bizarre, these goats actually feature at large in the comics and draw inspiration from the Norse mythology that the superhero derives from.
However, one element to the goats that is not from the comics or the mythology is the way they scream constantly. It becomes a running gag throughout the film and is a great example of the kind of uniqueness director Taika Waititi brings to the table. Moments of conflict or battle quickly turn into moments of hilarity thanks to the sound of giant, wailing goats.
However, everyone who grew up online in the 2010s will know there’s a deeper meaning to the screaming goats: and yes, your first instincts are true regarding Taylor Swift.
A 10 year old Taylor Swift meme is back and better than ever
Anyone who grew up in the 2010s or is a Taylor Swift will know the exact video in question. The video is a remix of the 2013 Taylor Swift song and music video “I Knew You Were Trouble”. At the climax of the song, Swift’s vocals, as well as the visuals, quickly cut to a clip of a goat yelling.
In an interview with Insider, Waititi revealed how the screaming goats simply started out as a joke and was never going to actually feature in the film. He then went on to add that while the goats were always going to be in the film, the added screaming effects were purely a result of this initial gag.
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“I think one of the vendors that was making the CG goats, they just added the Taylor Swift song ‘Trouble,’ but the fan-made one with the goat sounds, and we just thought it was so funny. So it was just a shot of how the CG creatures were coming along, it wasn’t meant for the film or anything, it was just an update. And the screams were freakin’ awesome.”
“They were never meant to be screaming. The goats were always going to be in there because they are in the comics, but we didn’t know how they would sound. Then someone in post-production found this meme of a Taylor Swift song that has screaming goats in it. I didn’t even know that existed. So I heard the screaming goats, and I just felt it was awesome.
“A lot of people think it’s me screaming. It’s not.”
Thor: Love and Thunder is in cinemas now. You can read our review here or our ranking of the Thor movies here.
