The 11 Best Howard Shore Film Scores

Sweeping Middle-earth grandeur sits beside chilling psychological menace in a body of work that runs from epic to unsettling. Cast your vote!

1. 1
   The Fellowship of the Ring

   The 2001 score that introduced the iconic Fellowship theme and the haunting Ringwraith motifs for Middle-earth.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Naked Lunch

   The 1991 experimental David Cronenberg score blending jazz with avant-garde orchestration.
   743pts
3. 3
   The Aviator

   The 2004 Scorsese biopic score capturing Howard Hughes's glamour and obsessive decline.
   514pts
4. 4
   Crash

   The 2004 ensemble drama score that weaves together multiple emotional threads.
   514pts
5. 5
   Eastern Promises

   The 2007 David Cronenberg crime drama score with Russian folk influences and brooding intensity.
   514pts
6. 6
   The Two Towers

   The 2002 score expanding the Middle-earth musical universe with Rohan and Ent themes.
   240pts
7. 7
   The Silence of the Lambs

   The 1991 psychological thriller score that built dread with sparse, unsettling orchestration.
   240pts
8. 8
   The Departed

   The 2006 Martin Scorsese crime thriller where Shore provided subtle, tension-building underscore.
   1pts
9. 9
   The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

   The 2012 score returning to Middle-earth with new themes including the dwarves' memorable 'Misty Mountains'.
   1pts
10. 10
    The Return of the King

    The 2003 score that won the Academy Award and brought the Middle-earth epic to its musical conclusion.
    1pts
11. 11
    Se7en

    The 1995 dark serial killer thriller score with industrial-tinged, oppressive atmosphere.
    1pts