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

The Fellowship of the Ring

The 2001 score that introduced the iconic Fellowship theme and the haunting Ringwraith motifs for Middle-earth.

1000pts

2

Naked Lunch

The 1991 experimental David Cronenberg score blending jazz with avant-garde orchestration.

816pts

3

Eastern Promises

The 2007 David Cronenberg crime drama score with Russian folk influences and brooding intensity.

652pts

4

The Aviator

The 2004 Scorsese biopic score capturing Howard Hughes's glamour and obsessive decline.

652pts

5

Crash

The 2004 ensemble drama score that weaves together multiple emotional threads.

652pts

6

The Two Towers

The 2002 score expanding the Middle-earth musical universe with Rohan and Ent themes.

457pts

7

The Silence of the Lambs

The 1991 psychological thriller score that built dread with sparse, unsettling orchestration.

456pts

8

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The 2012 score returning to Middle-earth with new themes including the dwarves' memorable 'Misty Mountains'.

285pts

9

The Departed

The 2006 Martin Scorsese crime thriller where Shore provided subtle, tension-building underscore.

285pts

10

The Return of the King

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

0pts

11

Se7en

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

0pts