12 Film Scores to Help You Write (and Keep Writing)

When I write, I need sound to focus my thoughts. Without consistent background fuzz, every little noise—barking dogs, slamming doors, chattering televisions—suddenly becomes the most interesting thing in the world. Regular old radio works for some people, but for the same reason that I can’t hold a conversation or watch a movie while writing, I can’t listen to music with lyrics; they blot out my own creative train of thought. A nice drizzly gray downpour usually does the trick, or one of Spotify’s never-ending classical music playlists. But nothing helps me get into the writing zone like the film score.

I love film scores. Love, love, love them. Imaginative and immersive, film scores are the ideal writing companion. Not only do they provide a perfect wordless backdrop, but they also help me sink into the fictional world that I’m writing about.

So, without further ado, here are twelve film scores to help you channel your muse and write, write, write. And if none of these albums are doing it for you, then fine, whatever, just put Hans Zimmer or John Williams on shuffle.

Disclaimer: You might notice a few TV and video game scores crept onto this list. I loved them too much to refuse them.

1) For Historical Romance: Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Honorable Mentions: Jane Eyre (2011) and The Handmaiden (2016)

Do I even have to say it? Only Dario Marianelli’s breathtaking score (brought to life by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet) can carry me through the sweeping highs and lows of my slow-burn hate-to-love romance. From the dream-like “Dawn” to the wistful intensity of “A Postcard to Henry Purcell,” this score is the perfect backdrop to any period piece, but especially those starring Keira Knightley. Craving something a little more Gothic? Marianelli also scores 2011’s Jane Eyre, featuring a suitably haunting violin solo that still gives me shivers.

2) For High Fantasy: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Honorable Mentions: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2016), The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003), and The Witcher (2020)

What better score to cross swords to than this absolute BANGER by Daniel Pemberton? The scraping strings and pulsing drumbeats bring just the right amount of grit and epicness needed for battle scenes and lengthy walks through malevolent forests alike. Of course, you can’t go wrong with classics like The Lord of the Rings and The Dark Crystal. But they’re so good that I get lost in the music and don’t actually write anything... Anyway, toss a coin to your composer and buy these albums.

3) For Horror: Mandy (2018)

Honorable Mentions: It Follows (2015), Us (2019), and Until Dawn (2015)

Must a film be good? Is it not enough for Nicholas Cage to be unleashed on the Pacific Northwest, sweaty and unhinged? Atmospheric, surreal, and brooding, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s score for this horror art film is the perfect accompaniment to eldritch portals and slasher mayhem alike. Bonus points if your story is set in the 80s. Highlights include “Mandy Love Theme” and “Death and Ashes.”

4) For Science Fiction: TRON: Legacy (2010)

Honorable Mentions: Prospect (2018), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and Ex-Machina (2015)

This film was a visual feast, and Daft Punk’s synth-driven score is no less satisfying. The electronic duo manages to weave in plenty of homages to the original film while also creating an entirely new listening experience. The must-hear track is, of course, “Derezzed,” which plays during the fight scene at Michael Sheen’s weird club. For something a little more melancholy, check out sci-fi indie Prospect.

5) For Superheroes: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Honorable Mentions: Daredevil (2015-2018), Legion (2017-2019), and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Yes, yes, Daniel Pemberton is back on this list AGAIN with this super-powered score. From the dark and deadly “Prowler” theme (definite Winter Soldier vibes) to the climactic “Shoulder Touch,” Into the Spider-Verse pairs perfectly with any and all superhero action and antics. Need a little more Catholic guilt? Daredevil’s got you covered. More madness and mind games? Legion’s here for you.

6) For Dark Academia: Atonement (2007)

Honorable Mentions: Tolkein (2019) and Anna Karenina (2012)

Okay, so I know Atonement isn’t actually in the dark academia genre. But I simply had to find a place for Dario Marianelli’s iconic score somewhere on this list. Laced with just the right amount of pining and regret, each track builds to its breaking point to the relentless rhythm of Briony’s typewriter. It should have you conjuring tweed jackets, old Latin texts, and creaky libraries in no time.

7) For Fairy Tales: Spirited Away (2001)

Honorable Mentions: Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and The Book Thief (2013)

From the opening notes of “One Summer Day,” Joe Hisaishi transports you to a world both impossible and familiar, where the magical and mundane exist side-by-side. Tracks like “Yubaba” add a touch of menace while “The Dragon Boy” perfectly captures the feeling of being swept up into a strange new land. It’s a score fit for a fairy tale, only rivaled by that haunting lullaby from Pan’s Labyrinth. In every variation, Mercedes’s lullaby will do its best to make you cry.

8) For Dystopian: Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Honorable Mentions: The Maze Runner (2014) and Oblivion (2013)

Oh, what a day! What a lovely day—to listen to this score by Junkie XL. With screaming guitars, surging strings, and thunderous percussion, each track is more than a match for the intense action and silver-spray-painted insanity on screen. I think what impresses me the most about this score is its range: from the gritty intensity of “Brothers in Arms” (the main chase theme) to the profound desolation of “Many Mothers.” All in all, it’s the ideal companion for a world down but—hopefully—not out.

9) For Epic Historical Drama: Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Honorable Mentions: The King (2019) and The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Do some of Harry Gregson-Williams’s later scores sound suspiciously similar to this epic? Yes. But we shall forgive him because he really went all out with this one. Each track beautifully weaves choral hymns with percussion and orchestra, but all must bow to the driving “Crusaders” theme. Also consider The King, which shines for its deep, melancholic strings, and The Last of the Mohicans—arguably one of the best scores of all time—whose majestic, rousing theme is guaranteed to push you out of any writing funk.

10) For Mystery: And Then There Were None (2017)

Honorable Mentions: The Village (2004) and The Red Violin (1998)

Stuart Earl does an excellent job capturing the feelings of dread, suspense, and impending doom so essential to Agatha Christie’s novel. Each track flows seamlessly into the next, pushing us toward an expertly written twist ending which feels both surprising and inevitable. No track embodies this better than the haunting opening “A Past Remembered,” a theme echoed and intensified in the end credits.

11) For Grimdark: Macbeth (2015)

Honorable Mentions: The Revenant (2015) and Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Deep. Dark. Atmospheric. Jed Kurzel really brought Birnam Wood to Dunsinane with this one. It’s relentless and haunting, gritty and ghostly. Scraping strings and droning synthesizers capture both the titular character’s steady unraveling and the Scottish hills’ moody weather, making Macbeth the perfect (morally) gray backdrop to your antihero’s blood-soaked exploits.

12) For Heists: Inception (2010)

Honorable Mentions: Ocean’s Eleven (2001) and Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)

Hans Zimmer is incredible and amazing and he may have only one entry on this list out of fairness to everyone else. Where to start with this score? From the gorgeous piano melody in “Time” to those famous brass-led BWAAAAAAAs in “Dream Is Collapsing,” Zimmer’s Inception score is truly one of the greats. What better companion to help your characters pull off the ultimate heist?

I feel like a criminal for leaving so many incredible scores off this list (Cloud Atlas? Black Panther?? 1917??? John Williams’ entire discography????). But this is not a list of the best scores of all time, or even a list of my favorites. We’re here to get words on the page, and hopefully these scores will help you do that!

So, what are some of your favorite scores to listen to while writing?