Although best known as the director of iconic films like Halloween, Escape from New York and The Thing, John Carpenter is equally celebrated for his pictures' unsettling electronic scores. The horror maestro's soundtracks—often recorded with the composer and sound designer Alan Howarth—provide a chilling minimalism that complements the restraint (or excess) of his images. Many of his compositions have become as famous as the movies they accompany, with the title track to Halloween widely acknowledged as one of the genre's greatest themes.