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

Psycho

The 1960 Hitchcock thriller score featuring the iconic string-only shower scene stabs.

1000pts

2

North by Northwest

The 1959 Hitchcock thriller score with a propulsive overture and playful suspense themes.

740pts

3

Cape Fear

The 1962 thriller score whose nervous tension was later reimagined for the Scorsese remake.

694pts

4

Sisters

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

634pts

5

Vertigo

The 1958 Hitchcock masterpiece score built around a sweeping spiral motif and obsessive orchestral texture.

555pts

6

The Man Who Knew Too Much

The 1956 Hitchcock film featuring Herrmann himself conducting the storm cloud cantata in the climactic scene.

444pts

7

Journey to the Center of the Earth

The 1959 adventure film score with grandeur and wonder befitting its subterranean world.

444pts

8

The Day the Earth Stood Still

The 1951 science fiction score pioneering use of electronic theremin to evoke alien otherworldliness.

277pts

9

Citizen Kane

The 1941 debut film score for Orson Welles, revolutionary in its approach to narrative music.

0pts

10

Fahrenheit 451

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

0pts

11

Obsession

The 1976 De Palma homage to Vertigo with a Herrmann-influenced score celebrating his style.

0pts