The perfect film composition helps create a definitive atmosphere in its respective project. And in the realm of horror, intense sound design and careful scores can define a movie's quality in the end.
Some of the greatest film composers of all time have created the scores to horror films, even if you weren't aware of their work in this regard. However, most of the names on the list will in all likelihood appear more unfamiliar. Even still, you'll without a doubt know the projects that they created the music for. All that said, these are ten film composers who scored your favorite horror movies, ranked.
10 Benjamin Wallfisch
A couple of the greatest horror movie composers are still relatively new in the industry, such as Benjamin Wallfisch. His first credit goes to Dear Wendy (2005), with his first horror score materializing a decade later. The film was Lights Out (2015), which holds up well today. Then, Wallfisch followed with a series of horror hits that should deem him among the finest of the genre's composers.
Why He's So Great
Annabelle: Creation (2017), It (2017), It Chapter Two (2019), and The Invisible Man (2020) are all critically acclaimed titles, with the scores from Wallfisch providing airs of eeriness around every corner of their respective plots. Non-diegetic sounds (those that can't be heard by the characters within a film) are essential elements of a high-quality horror movie, with atmospherics often times playing just as prominent a part as the music. But whenever Benjamin Wallfisch scores a film, his work always stands out.
9 Brian Tyler
American composer Brian Tyler has been working in the horror genre since the turn of the century thanks to The 4th Floor (1999). And although that particular flick is of no real quality, Tyler got his groove going in the following decade with Constantine (2005). A superhero horror film with Keanu Reeves in the titular role, it holds up well today from many perspectives of behind-the-scenes filmmaking. That includes the music from Tyler.
Why He's So Great
In the next year, he scored Bug (2006) by William Friedkin, followed by two entries in a well-known franchise: The Final Destination (2009), and Final Destination 5 (2011). In the same decade as the latter, Brian Tyler began his collaborations with filmmaking duo Matt Bettinelli-Oplin and Tyler Gillett. The project was Ready or Not (2019), a horror-comedy hybrid. Then, the trio added two of their greatest horror films to their oeuvres with Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023). Those perfectly solidify Tyler's spot among the greats.
8 The Newton Brothers
Six collaborations with Mike Flanagan set The Newton Brothers on a path to greatness, starting with Oculus (2013). A few years later, Flanagan released three films in the same year: Hush (2016), Before I Wake (2016), and Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016). The Newtons scored them all. The team followed up with Gerald's Game (2017) in the following year, along with Doctor Sleep (2019) at the turn of the decade. Both Stephen King adaptations, and both critically acclaimed.
Why They're So Great
But the musically inclined duo at hand has also put in work outside of their Flanagan collaborations, starting with Proxy (2013). They followed that up with See No Evil 2 (2014), only to slip up entirely a decade later with the release of Five Nights at Freddie's (2023). But in the end, no matter the quality of their most recent outing, The Newton Brothers undoubtedly deserve a spot on the list thanks to their efforts alongside Flanagan.
7 Christopher Young
The first horror composition from Christopher Young remains his most famous today, as Hellraiser (1987) is commonly considered by critics and fans alike as one of the genre's finest films. The figure at hand followed up with more spooks a decade down the line with Urban Legend (1998). And in the 2000s, he crafted the score to Drag Me to Hell (2009).
Why He's So Great
A modern masterpiece, Drag Me to Hell was written and directed by Sam Raimi. Along with lead thespians Alison Lohman and Justin Long, their work is perhaps most noteworthy. However, Young gives them a great run for their money, carefully composing each track to resonate in a world of the supernatural. But that's not all Young had to offer. In the following decade, he doubled his output with Sinister (2012), Pet Sematary (2019), The Empty Man (2020), and The Offering (2023). With quality and quantity both, he's undoubtedly one of the best.
6 Marco Beltrami
When it comes to the entire career of Maro Beltrami, one property stands out: Scream. Among the finest horror franchises ever created, it was of course directed by Wes Craven from a script by Kevin Williamson. Those are two famous names commonly associated therewith, as they worked together on the first four entries in the franchise. But little do some fans know, Beltrami was with them every step of the way.
Why He's So Great
And none of that is to even touch on this composer's other works like Mimic (1997) or The Faculty (1998). Sure, plenty of Beltrami's twenty-first century works have been less acclaimed by critics. But his show-stealing efforts in A Quiet Place (2018) alone should render him a high-quality horror composer. Considering he also provided the dulcet tones to multiple entries in the Scream franchise, Beltrami goes down among the all-time greats.
5 Joseph LoDuca
By far, the most famous horror title under the belt of Joseph LoDuca would be The Evil Dead (1981), and even its direct sequel, Evil Dead II (1987). The third entry is somewhat lesser known. But nonetheless, Army of Darkness (1992) boasts a strong cult following, with LoDuca scoring the music that millions have fans have come to adore since the first entry in that fan-favorite franchise.
Why He's So Great
And while his horror compositions of the twenty-first century won't ring as many bells, Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) and The Burrowers (2007) are nonetheless two solid projects from their respective subgenres. The former blends action with a period piece, while The Burrowers should be cited among the finest horror westerns ever made. And overall, Joseph LoDuca deserves far more credit for his compositions therein. A few of those films would've been far less spooky without him.
4 Howard Shore
With over eighty credits to his name, Howard Shore is widely considered among the finest composers the industry's ever seen. He's perhaps most prominently known for his scores to both trilogies in the Middle Earth universe: The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. However, Shore is also fondly remembered by fans and pundits alike for his many collaborations with American director David Cronenberg. The two have teamed up eighteen times, with five going down as horror.
Why He's So Great
Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983), The Fly (1986) — all of these Cronenberg classics from the eighties feature scenes greatly highlighted by Shore's respective score. The two other Cronenberg horror movies he's made the music for are less popular. But eXistenZ (1999) and Crimes of the Future (2022) nonetheless resonated fondly with critics. Considering Shore also lays claim to The Silence of the Lambs (1991), there's no denying his placement on the list.
3 Jerry Goldsmith
Off the bat, it's worth noting that Jerry Goldsmith accrued a whopping eighteen nominations at the Academy Awards. All for his film scores, those nominations perfectly represent the prestige of the composer at hand. He won just a single time, but it was well-earned through and through. And of all things, it was a score for a horror film.
Why He's So Great
With The Omen (1976), he crafted a petrifying score with a chorus used in avant-garde fashion. He walked away with a golden statuette for his efforts, and justifiably so. He could claim a spot among the best horror composer with those creepy choir numbers alone. But a few years later, Shore followed up in brilliant fashion with Alien (1979). And in the following decade, he added both Poltergeist (1982) and Gremlins (1984) to his repertoire, solidifying a spot as one of the greatest to ever do it.
2 Joseph Bishara
Since Joseph Bishara debuted in film with Joseph's Gift (1998), he's turned to the horror genre and hardly looked back. A couple of years later, he scored The Convent (2000), followed by a series of other unknown spooky flicks like The Gravedancers (2006), Unearthed (2007), Autopsy (2008), Night of the Demons (2009). Not the greatest films you'll read about today. But he then scored Insidious (2010) and started a long-running collaboration with James Wan.
Why He's So Great
The composer at hand made the scores to every film not just in the Insidious franchise, but also in The Conjuring series. His works added a tangible tone of terror to each entry in those properties. And often times, critics did send this composer his flowers. And considering Bishara has scored nearly thirty horror films in total with other credits like Tales of Halloween (2015) and Malignant (2021), he deserves to be ranked among the best.
1 John Carpenter
Perhaps the greatest horror movie of the 1970s goes to Halloween (1978), which of course saw direction under John Carpenter. He also wrote the screenplay, and even composed the score. He does so for every film under his belt, rendering him one of the greatest auteur filmmakers to ever live, regardless of their preferred genre. The aforementioned slasher with Jamie Lee Curtis features one of the most iconic scores in horror movie history, with Carpenter replicating that success all throughout the following decade.
Why He's So Great
He wrote, directed, and scored The Fog (1980), Christine (1983), Prince of Darkness (1987), and They Live (1988), which each received praise for every fathomable facet of filmmaking featured therein. No matter the project, Carpenter consistently crafted dulcet scores — in the following decade, too: In the Mouth of Madness (1994) saw great acclaim, going down among his finest works. And while Village of the Damned (1995) is among his least revered films from a critical standpoint, the master of horror had long before stamped himself as such. His scores played a huge part.
Comments
Post a Comment