The 11 Best Bernard Herrmann Film Scores

Shrieking strings, dizzying obsession, and noir-soaked dread; the sound of suspense itself was practically invented here. Where do you stand?

1. 1
   Psycho

   The 1960 Hitchcock thriller score featuring the iconic string-only shower scene stabs.
   1000pts
2. 2
   North by Northwest

   The 1959 Hitchcock thriller score with a propulsive overture and playful suspense themes.
   641pts
3. 3
   Cape Fear

   The 1962 thriller score whose nervous tension was later reimagined for the Scorsese remake.
   577pts
4. 4
   Sisters

   Brian De Palma 1972 debut thriller scored by Herrmann with Hitchcock-like tension and split-screen intensity.
   494pts
5. 5
   Vertigo

   The 1958 Hitchcock masterpiece score built around a sweeping spiral motif and obsessive orchestral texture.
   384pts
6. 6
   Journey to the Center of the Earth

   The 1959 adventure film score with grandeur and wonder befitting its subterranean world.
   231pts
7. 7
   The Man Who Knew Too Much

   The 1956 Hitchcock film featuring Herrmann himself conducting the storm cloud cantata in the climactic scene.
   231pts
8. 8
   The Day the Earth Stood Still

   The 1951 science fiction score pioneering use of electronic theremin to evoke alien otherworldliness.
   1pts
9. 9
   Obsession

   The 1976 De Palma homage to Vertigo with a Herrmann-influenced score celebrating his style.
   1pts
10. 10
    Citizen Kane

    The 1941 debut film score for Orson Welles, revolutionary in its approach to narrative music.
    1pts
11. 11
    Fahrenheit 451

    The 1966 Truffaut adaptation scored with warm, nostalgic melancholy for a world losing its books.
    1pts