Who composed the music for The Terminator?

Brad Fiedel composed the music for The Terminator.

Fiedel’s score is strongly associated with the film’s mechanical atmosphere. Its most recognizable musical idea is a pounding, irregular theme that suggests machinery, pursuit, and the relentless movement of the Terminator. The electronic and orchestral sounds helped distinguish the film from more conventional action movies of the period.

Fiedel returned to compose Terminator 2: Judgment Day, creating another memorable score for the expanding story. He also worked on other films, but his Terminator music remains his best-known contribution to the franchise.

The composer is sometimes confused with James Horner, who scored several major science-fiction and action films, including Aliens. Hans Zimmer is another frequently recognized film composer, but neither composed The Terminator. Fiedel’s work is particularly important because the music became part of the franchise’s identity alongside the visual design of the endoskeleton and the time-displacement effects.