Joy Ride: Original Motion Picture Score (2001)

Marco Beltrami captured my attention back in the late 90s with his scores for Scream and Mimic and has since become a firm favourite of mine along with the likes of John Carpenter, Christopher Young, Don Davis and lately, Brian Tyler and Steve Jablonsky.

This score for the J.J. Abrams scripted thriller is a remarkable effort which I have listened to regularly over the last decade. From the eerie opening track titled Communication to the incredibly intense Ice Man Cometh and Children of the Corn cues, Beltrami really creates tension and suspense thanks to the pairing of pulse pounding beats and some clever string work.

If it were a mathematical formula which one could apply to every day situations, his ability to fuse traditional orchestral instruments with electronic sound design could teach filmmakers a thing or two about fusing practical effects with CGI.

Like the film’s villain, this score gets under your skin and stays with you for years afterwards. This is absolutely excellent. One of the genre’s finest.