Howard Shore has been in the movie industry for a long time. With more than 80 film musical scores under his belt, the Canadian composer is probably most-known for his fantastical Oscar-winning scores for Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as being a regular collaborator with Martin Scorsese (The Departed, Ganges of New York, The Aviator, etc.). Although the 76-year-old composer has bounced around between scoring in many different genres, he’s quietly built a reputation of being one of the most consistent horror composers, and has more than 10 film scores in the genre. Let’s look at Howard Shore’s contributions to horror.
Fresh out of Berklee College of Music, Shore’s did two back-to-back scores in 1978-1979. The first was for a low-budget Murray Markowitz thriller titled I Miss You, Hugs and Kiss, and the second was for a small horror movie known as The Brood, directed by a young, up-and-coming filmmaker who would go on to become one of the most well-known horror directors of all time, David Cronenberg.
The Brood’s dissonant and skin-crawling accompaniment was reminiscent of Bernard Hermann’s 1960 Psycho score, offering shrill string moments, alongside a building fugue that was perfect for Cronenberg’s psychological horror story. The film and music were a match made in heaven, and it’s no surprise that Shore and Cronenberg would go on to work together on every one of Cronenberg’s films thereafter, with the exception of 1983’s The Dead Zone, based on the Stephen King novel.
The next four horror movie scores of Shore’s career would be for David Cronenberg movies. First, the 1981 sci-fi horror film Scanners, in which he brilliant switched between a driving force of a theme, and vibrant, brooding vibrato that helped signify the head-exploding mental waves on-screen. Videodrome (1983) came next, and Shore’s style switched significantly, using cold, calming tones interweaved with digital sound effects, not just matching the film’s story about the dangers of consumerism, but pulling the audience in front of the television alongside the main character. Many composers either specialize in providing music that either tells a story or accompanies it. Howard Shore excels at both.
Related: The Overlooked Impact of Music in Horror
In 1986, Shore provided one of his most well-known scores in the horror genre, for Cronenberg’s remake of The Fly. The movie would go down as one of the best and most beloved horror films of all time, and that is in part due to Shore’s intense, booming, intimidating scoring. Influenced by classic Universal monster movies of the past, his music hits you in the face with power, making you feel just as helpless as Geena Davis’ character.
Shore would collaborate with Cronenberg again in 1988 for Dead Ringers, changing the style drastically again, this time adding a more adventurous, feel-good theme, which contrasted perfectly with the icky storyline.
Taking a break from work with Cronenberg, Howard Shore’s next horror-adjacent contribution came in 1991, with Jonathan Demme’s Best Picture-winning film, The Silence of the Lambs. Although it’s long been controversial on whether the movie counts as a horror movie, we’re saying it is, as Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter has truly become a horror icon at this point. Without Shore’s musical score, though, this film wouldn’t have been nearly as impactful.
Shore got a taste for the horror-thriller, as within two years of The Silence of the Lambs, he also scored the Jodie Foster-led thriller, Single White Female, and one of David Fincher’s most popular movies, Se7en, about a serial killer that uses the seven deadly sins to inspire his horrific murders. Shore’s experience with thrillers and attention to what is on screen proved valuable for this film, which needed the iconic noir-inspired musical vibe he provided.
Shore would take a five-year break from the horror genre, returning in tumultuous fashion for Tarsem Singh’s underrated 2000 horror-sci-fi flick, The Cell, starring Jennifer Lopez. The layers of intensity are built to perfection by Shore’s chaotic and nerve-cringing accompaniment. The Cell’s score is like no other of Shore’s career, and while it’s may not be his most memorable, it’s certainly the most unique.
Howard Shore would then break away from horror for more than 20 years, as he focused more on the fantasy genre (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Twilight) and collaborating on various David Cronenberg and David Fincher projects (A History of Violence, Panic Room, etc).
He would make his return to horror in 2022 the same way he came in, scoring David Cronenberg’s first legitimate body horror film since 1988, Crimes of the Future.  The ambience and symbiotic nature of Shore’s score in the strange sci-fi horror vehicle made it feel like the two had never stopped doing horror movies together for the past two decades.
Related: ‘The Pale Blue Eye’ Review: Fantastic Performances, But Plagued by Pacing
Shore’s most recent score was for Scott Cooper’s The Pale Blue Eye, a Netflix original film starring Christian Bale that details the investigation of a murder that takes place at Edgar Alan Poe’s academy, involving the young poet in its storyline. Even at 76, Shore’s knack for scoring the macabre is on full display.
Very few composers have been as prolific within the horror genre as Howard Shore, and his constant, incredible work proves he should be appreciated just as much as bigger names like John Carpenter and Danny Elfman.
