Top 15 British and American horror composers
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Paul Adams has written a superb post on the top ten British composers of horror music. His list got me thinking about a similar list of American composers.
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Song of Fire
Paranormal historian, writer and publisher Paul Adams has written a superb post for Spooky Isles on the top ten British composers of horror music. He includes three composers renown in classical music circles as well as a woman—a delight to see in a male-dominated profession. All ten composers hail from the twentieth century. Adams’ article includes sound selections so you can get a taste of each composer’s style. His list got me thinking about a similar list of American composers. So here are the two lists.

Top 10 British Horror Composers

You can read Adams’ complete article on British horror composers at Spooky Isles.

Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006) — Before Sondheim’s musical, there was Arnold’s ballet score Sweeney Todd, in 1959. He also scored a number of films.

Richard Rodney Bennett (1936-2012) — Prolific composer who scored films during the 60s and 70s, earning an Oscar nomination for Murder on the Orient Express.

James Bernard (1925-2001) — Composed music for many Hammer horror films during the 50s and 60s, such as The The Curse of Frankenstein and The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Harrison Birtwistle (1934-present) — Wrote the opera Gawain based on the Arthurian legend Sir Gawain and the Green Night.

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) — One of the greatest English composers, he wrote two operas based on ghost stories: The Turn of the Screw and Owen Wingrave.

Paul Ferris (1941-1995) — scored a number of films during the 60s and 70s.

Benjamin Frankel (1906-1973) — A talented jazz pianist who wrote the first British film score using the twelve-tone serial method created by Arnold Schoenberg.

Tristram Cary (1925-2008) — Pioneer of electronic music who scored several Hammer films, incorporating electronic sounds.

Elisabeth Lutyens (1906-1983) — scored films for Hammer rival studio Amicus during the 60s, including cult classic The Skull starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

Ralph Vaughn Williams (1872-1958) — Symphonic composer whose ninth symphony alludes to the appearance of a ghost.

Top 5 American Horror Composers

Here is my own perspective on American horror composers.

John Carpenter (1948-present) — Best known as a director, he also scored some of his movies such as Halloween and The Fog. Carpenter was an early adopter of synthesizers.

Charlie Clouser (1963-present) — Former Nine Inch Nails keyboardist, his industrial melanges have lent an unsettling mood to the Saw franchise and American Horror Story.

Danny Elfman (1953-present) — If you enjoy your horror music with a playful, light touch, Elfman is your man, collaborating on a number of Tim Burton flics like The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Bernard Hermann (1911-1975) — Composer of many horror, dramatic, and sci-fi films, but best known for the iconic Psycho score.

Stephen Sondheim (1930-present) — Although only two of his musicals fall within the horror/fantasy orbit, both are sufficiently masterful to qualify him for this list: Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods.