Shifting from surf-rock inspired tones to Western twangs, Shirley Walker’s score in John Carpenter’s Escape from L.A. is essential to the film’s cult camp. Set in an apocalyptic Los Angeles, Kurt Russell returns as Snake Plissken, who is enlisted to retrieve a weapon of mass destruction in the hands of a rebel in LA. Walker was a pioneer in her field, working on classics such as The Black Stallion (1979) and True Lies (1994). After her death in 2006, the ASCAP Shirley Walker Award was named in her memory. 

Director: John Carpenter. Cast: Kurt Russell, Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi, Cliff Robertson. 1996. 101 minutes. USA. Color. English. 35mm. 

All film screenings of Sound Off: A Celebration of Women Composers are available here.