The tension is underscored by composer Stephen McKeon’s high-pitched strings, recalling the Penderecki music Kubrick grafted to horror imagery to memorable effect in “The Shining.”
ScreenDaily
Stephen McKeon’s ominous score blends with natural sound to emphasise the terror that darkness can bestow upon the mundane; the creaking of the wooden hut, the howling of the wind…The Damned is powered to the finish by its creeping sense of dread.
Variety
The more the film unfolds, the more Young’s thoughtful performance, Eli Arenson’s layered, high-contrast cinematography and Stephen McKeon’s nerve-wracking score help craft a devious atmosphere.
Nordic Watchlist
Stephen McKeon’s score strikes the right balance between sonorous, reverberating strings and sharp staccato that sounds like a scream.
Film Ireland
The sound design is a key element in creating the film’s oppressive atmosphere. Stephen McKeon’s score combines hollow, foreboding baritone notes with ethereal vocals and the eerie screech of strings. The gurgling sounds of unseen depths, punctuated by explosive percussion, evoke a sense of something vast and malevolent lurking just beyond the veil.
Eye for Film
…it’s powerfully atmospheric, with a deliciously creepy score by Stephen McKeon….
IRISH TIMES
The Damned is powered along by suspicion, atmospherics and an unforgettable landscape. Eli Arenson’s camera picks out imposing shapes in the day and ominous shadows at night. Stephen McKeon’s piercing strings are appropriately disconcerting.
