10 Essential Sci-Fi Scores and Soundtracks Everyone Should Own

After Johann Strauss II’s “The Blue Danube,” compositions that have since become inseparable from the film.

Released in 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey helped usher in a new era of science fiction filmmaking, one that embraced ambiguity, awe, and existential scale. Its soundtrack played a crucial role in that evolution. Rather than rely on a traditional orchestral score tailored to each scene, Kubrick curated existing music to evoke a sense of grandeur. The soundtrack album became a success in its own right and remains one of the most recognizable collections of classical music associated with film.

La Planète Sauvage is a 1973 French-Czech animated film celebrated for its surreal visual style and heady soundtrack. The film takes place on a distant planet where humans, or “Oms,” are treated as pets by a race of blue-skinned giants called Draags. Its themes of resistance, oppression, and enlightenment unfold through eerie, dreamlike sequences that are as unsettling as they are beautiful.

Composer prog rock, psychedelic textures, and contemporary classical influences into a moody, melodic soundscape that lingers long after the credits roll. T

hough largely overlooked at the time of release, the soundtrack gained renewed recognition decades later when hip-hop producers like Madlib sampled its lush, spacey arrangements. That second life cemented its reputation as a vital piece of crate-digging history. For fans of psych-leaning grooves, obscure film scores, and cosmic storytelling, this cult classic belongs on the shelf.

Straddling the line between science fiction and horror, Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic.

Goldsmith originally composed a more melodic and structured score, but the final version, shaped by Scott’s edits and additional cues from earlier works, leaned deeper into abstraction. The score’s uneasy textures and minimalist motifs became a blueprint for modern sci-fi horror, influencing everything from Under The Skin.

Any Star Wars score composed by The Empire Strikes Back stands out for its dramatic scope and emotional depth. Anchored by “The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme),” this soundtrack introduced one of the most iconic villain themes in film history. Its dark, militaristic brass fanfare shifted musical language of science fiction and eventually took on a life on its own in pop culture.

Beyond “The Imperial March,” the score offers a rich palette of themes that hold up the storytelling. The sweeping “Star Wars (Main Theme)” returns in full force, while “Yoda’s Theme” adds a sense of wisdom and mysticism. Williams’s orchestration captures everything from quiet introspection to large-scale conflict, mirroring the film’s shift into darker, more complex territory.

The Vangelis. His use of rich, layered synthesizers perfectly complements Ridley Scott’s vision of a rain-soaked, neon-lit Los Angeles in 2019 — a future imagined through the lens of dystopian noir. From the opening title sequence to the film’s final moments, Vangelis’s music plays a central role in shaping the mood, tone, and emotional complexity of the story.

Released in 1982, Blade Runner helped bridge the gap between cinematic scoring and experimental electronic music. Vangelis combined state-of-the-art analog synths with ambient textures, digital samples, and occasional bursts of melodic clarity. Tracks like “Love Theme” and “Blade Runner Blues” are steeped in melancholy, while pieces like “Main Titles” carry a dramatic tension that never quite resolves. The score also incorporates Middle Eastern motifs and neo-classical flourishes, further enriching its world-building potential.

Though the film was initially met with mixed reviews, both Blade Runner and its soundtrack grew into cult classics that helped shape the aesthetics of sci-fi for decades. The music has since influenced everything from video game scores to modern synthwave and ambient artists. More than just a film soundtrack, it’s an essential listen for fans of electronic music.

Although Marvin Berry and the Starlighters. It’s less about eerie atmospherics and more about capturing the upbeat, energetic vibe that defines the movie’s version of 1985.

Huey Lewis & the News contributed two original songs: “Back in Time” and the chart-topping “The Power of Love,” which became one of the decade’s most recognizable anthems. With its bold hooks, driving rhythm, and feel-good energy, “The Power of Love” captured the spirit of the film’s high-stakes adventure and helped solidify Huey Lewis’s place in pop history. The track reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains closely tied to the Back to the Future brand.

The soundtrack also includes classics like Marvin Berry and the Starlighters’ rendition of “Earth Angel,” a nod to the 1950s setting of the film’s key scenes. Paired with the fictional band’s electrifying take on B.B. King‘s “Johnny B. Goode,” the music plays a central role in one of the film’s most iconic moments. As a whole, the album works like a sonic time machine. For collectors and fans of ’80s pop, it’s a nostalgia-rich ride that balances science fiction with rock and roll charm.

Even though John Williams already earned a spot on this list with The Empire Strikes Back, no essential sci-fi soundtrack roundup would be complete without Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster blended speculative science with adventure, pushing visual effects into a new era with a mix of cutting-edge CGI and animatronics. But the film’s emotional pull owes just as much to Williams’s score, which remains one of his most beloved works.

The “Theme from Jurassic Park” is instantly recognizable, balancing glory and vulnerability in a way that captures the film’s central idea: the awe of seeing prehistoric life reborn through science. The music swells with wonder as the camera pans across a field of grazing brachiosaurs, but Williams also weaves in tension, danger, and scale throughout the score. Tracks like “Journey to the Island” and “T-Rex Rescue and Finale” show off his range, elevating action sequences with relentless energy while still preserving the emotional stakes.

When Daft Punk to score the next chapter. The duo faced the challenge of building a sonic world that felt both futuristic and cinematic. Rather than sticking strictly to synthesizers, they collaborated with an 85-piece orchestra, creating a bold fusion of analog synth textures and classical instrumentation. The result was a soundtrack that mixes pulsing electronics with huge orchestral arrangements in a way that is modern while still paying tribute to sci-fi traditions.

Tracks like “Derezzed” and “End of Line” channel their club roots, while compositions such as “Adagio for TRON” and “Overture” pile on emotional weight. The soundtrack enhances the film’s high-stakes story but also holds up as a standalone record — one that sits nicely between classical film scoring and contemporary electronic production.

If you didn’t know the John Carpenter, and the warped psychedelia of vintage Italian horror scores.

The film itself, directed by Panos Cosmatos, is a slow-burning sci-fi horror trip through the sterile corridors of a mysterious research facility. Schmidt’s music plays a major role in shaping that hypnotic tone. Tracks like “Forever Dilating Eye” and “1983 – Main Titles” use vintage synthesizers to paint a glossy, lifeless. Drenched in analog delay and modular warmth, the score leans into repetition and texture, creating an atmosphere that lingers long after the screen goes dark.

While the film quickly earned cult status among genre fans, the soundtrack carved out its own following in the synth and experimental music community. It stands as a prime example of how a score can transcend its visual counterpart, offering a standalone listening experience that rewards deep attention. For collectors of sci-fi vinyl, retro synth heads, or anyone who loves drifting into the uncanny, this one’s a must-have.

Like the aforementioned Beyond the Black Rainbow soundtrack, Goblin, the duo crafts a soundscape that merges retro nostalgia with contemporary sound design.

From the moment Stranger Things premiered in 2016, its music became central to its identity. The title theme set the tone for each episode before a single line of dialogue was spoken. That track alone earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music in 2017, but the rest of the score is just as compelling. Across multiple seasons, Dixon and Stein have expanded their sonic palette while staying grounded in the moody, synth-driven language that defined the first wave of sci-fi and horror soundtracks.

What makes the Stranger Things score so essential is how it bridges generations. It introduced younger audiences to a style rooted in analog synths and minimalism, while longtime fans of ’80s genre films recognized it as a loving homage to the music of their youth. Released in multiple vinyl editions — with collectible artwork and era-specific design — it’s become a favorite among soundtrack collectors.