In an article from NME, Nine Inch Nails founder Trent Reznor has revealed which was the “big source of inspiration” for his band.

Speaking alongside Atticus Ross at the premiere of Luca Guadagnino’s new film Queer – which both Reznor and Ross composed the score for – the two shared their respective lists.

For both, Martin Scorsese’s 1976 classic Taxi Driver was the first listed, followed by 1986’s American neo-noir thriller Blue Velvet, which is directed by David Lynch.

For Ross, the remainder of his list was made up of the Eddie Murphy ‘80s classic Beverly Hills Cop and Jean-Jacques Beineix-directed psychological drama Betty Blue. For Reznor, he listed Julia Ducournau’s 2021 psychological drama Titane, as well as the 1988 horror mystery classic Dead Ringers.

“The incredible sense of dread from the first frame to the end. You’re not sure what’s going to happen, but it’s going to be bad,” Reznor said of the latter, going on to explain that the feeling was something that inspired him in his own work.

“I love it and it’s been a big inspiration for what I try to do with Nine Inch Nails. Make you feel bad, the whole time.”

The film stars Jeremy Irons, who plays the roles of identical twins Elliot and Beverly. The film follows Elliot and Beverly, who both work as gynecologists at a hospital.  During their tenure, the twins become attracted to many of the patients at the hospital and thus ensues the many conflicts that occur within the film.

For Reznor and Ross, films are essential components in their musical composition. Earlier this year, Disney announced that they would be serving as composers on the upcoming sci-fi film Tron: Ares. Before that, they worked on The Social Network, Soul, Challengers and more.

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat