# 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!

*By YPB Team · Published June 5, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-11-best-howard-shore-film-scores*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **The Fellowship of the Ring** — score 1000/1000
   The 2001 score that introduced the iconic Fellowship theme and the haunting Ringwraith motifs for Middle-earth.
2. **Naked Lunch** — score 743/1000
   The 1991 experimental David Cronenberg score blending jazz with avant-garde orchestration.
3. **The Aviator** — score 514/1000
   The 2004 Scorsese biopic score capturing Howard Hughes's glamour and obsessive decline.
4. **Crash** — score 514/1000
   The 2004 ensemble drama score that weaves together multiple emotional threads.
5. **Eastern Promises** — score 514/1000
   The 2007 David Cronenberg crime drama score with Russian folk influences and brooding intensity.
6. **The Two Towers** — score 240/1000
   The 2002 score expanding the Middle-earth musical universe with Rohan and Ent themes.
7. **The Silence of the Lambs** — score 240/1000
   The 1991 psychological thriller score that built dread with sparse, unsettling orchestration.
8. **The Departed** — score 1/1000
   The 2006 Martin Scorsese crime thriller where Shore provided subtle, tension-building underscore.
9. **The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey** — score 1/1000
   The 2012 score returning to Middle-earth with new themes including the dwarves' memorable 'Misty Mountains'.
10. **The Return of the King** — score 1/1000
   The 2003 score that won the Academy Award and brought the Middle-earth epic to its musical conclusion.
11. **Se7en** — score 1/1000
   The 1995 dark serial killer thriller score with industrial-tinged, oppressive atmosphere.

Tags: movies, music, film score, howard shore