Daniel Lanois

Sling Blade's score is a mix of Southern guitar and otherworldly haunting tunes, a Southern Gothic blend just like the film itself. These songs don't sound like your traditional Southern music, the kind you might hear in something like Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? That's either because this isn't your typical Southern tale, or because the composer was from Canada.

Daniel Lanois is a French Canadian who also did the music for the 1996 documentary Lost in Mississippi. We hope he made it out—but maybe he didn't get farther than Arkansas, where Sling Blade is set.

Lanois also co-produced albums for U2, including The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. Thankfully, Bono isn't anywhere near this score. We do not want to hear Bono's Sling Blade impersonation.