Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers hit theatres this past weekend on April 26, 2024, and among lots of praise on social media, one thing that audiences are buzzing about is the score. Composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the 16-song Challengers score perfectly captures the tension in the movie and is full of pumping techno beats that hype the audience up alongside the film’s characters.
This is far from Reznor and Ross’ first film project, and far from their first musical venture. Reznor is the lead vocalist for the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails and is one of the band’s founding members. Ross joined Reznor in the band in 2004, and the two have been working together ever since. The two have gone on to produce some incredible (and award-winning) scores over the years, and here are five projects that they worked on that you may not have known about, that I think deserve a listen.
The Social Network
Perhaps the most notable project on this list – and their most notable score to date – Reznor and Ross made their film score debut in 2010 with David Fincher’s The Social Network. In my personal favourite film and score on the list, the tension-filled synth beats of this soundtrack capture the drama and intrigue needed to accompany young tech mogul Mark Zuckerberg on his journey to create the next big thing – Facebook. Reznor and Ross ended up taking home the award for Best Original Score at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011.
Bird Box
For Susanne Bier’s 2018 post-apocalyptic horror thriller film Bird Box, in which characters are unable to look at the outside world for fear of being compelled by unknown forces, suspense is the key – and Reznor and Ross truly deliver on the suspense. The film score is chock full of discordant and disorienting sounding strings, perfectly encapsulating the tension, confusion, and terror felt by the movie’s characters.
Flickr/Nine Inch Nails
Bones and All
In another Luca Guadagnino project, Reznor and Ross partnered for the score for his 2022 film Bones and All. The bulk of this score is a departure from their previous tension and synths, bringing in acoustic guitars for a more wistful feel for the nomadic main characters. Their signature tension comes back in for the ten-minute epic towards the end of the score, mixing string instruments with drawn-out dissonant chords fit for the horror movie ending that the film provides.
Gone Girl
Another movie perfectly suited for Reznor and Ross’ signature tension-filled style is David Fincher’s 2014 psychological thriller Gone Girl. Full of moments of almost classical-style piano, to suspenseful and calculating synths perfect for the movie’s titular scheming gone girl.
Soul
The final score on this list comes in as the biggest departure from the pair’s usual style, as the two teamed up with Grammy award winner Jon Batiste to produce music for the 2021 straight-to-Disney+ Pixar film Soul. This score is beautiful; full of dreamy piano and muted synth, creating the Disney-like dream-scape fitting of the great beyond animated in the film.
The two have collaborated on many more projects than just these few and more than just movies. The two are a dynamic duo that have downright near perfected their craft and are able to capture the true essence of a film. Whether it’s a young man wanting to break into the tech world (and ends up creating the biggest social media platform ever), animated souls wandering through the great beyond, or three young tennis players challenging greatness, Reznor and Ross can score it all.
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