Easily one of the scariest films I've seen, and what sticks with me is its unyielding, oppressive atmosphere of anxiety. You *never* feel at ease, much like how the characters are never truly safe. In fact, I saw this in theaters as a kid, and it scarred me with how scary it was! Spent a solid year worried about tripods popping out of the ground! Still a top-10 Spielberg film for me.

The score, I basically agree with you on, though I think I'm a teensy bit higher on it. I've seen it compared to Rite of Spring, and yeah, that atonal propulsive nature of the atmosphere strongly reminds of it. One of the few Williams scores where it's more effective than enjoyable, yet when the weather and mood is right, it's a fun listen, in its own way lol. Great review!