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For Intrada's latest release, composer Patrick O'Malley chose to eschew the current sound-design approach of many modern-day horror films and lean into a more traditional (and frankly fan-embraced) style of horror scoring. Composers from earlier decades always lauded the opportunities provided by horror films to embrace experimentation that were not often afforded in other genres. It provided an opportunity not only to embrace dissonance as would be expected, but also the lyrical side so often ignored in horror films today. Think Jerry Goldsmith's delicate theme for Carol Ann balanced alongside the aggressive action in Poltergeist. The two can easily coexist in a horror setting. As O'Malley describes in his notes:
One of the best things that can be given to any composer (of film music or otherwise) is a large canvas. When I first read Andrew [Chiaramonte] and Emmett [Alston]'s script for Young & Cursed, I initially thought that the film would only need light touches from the music: subtle electronics with the occasional reverb-submerged piano and grit-filled jump-scare stinger (after all, the plot outline is a bunch of kids in a cabin getting spooked for 90 minutes!). But, upon seeing a rough cut of the film and hearing [director] Andrew passionately discuss his goal of putting the audience in a larger frame of mind about the spiritual nature of good and evil, a much different sound came to me: a traditional-style score combining orchestra, choir, synths, electronics and a battery of homemade "found object" instruments.
O'Malley may not be a name known to many, as Young & Cursed is his first full-length film score after working on several shorts and in the classical music scene. Hopefully this score is the harbinger of many more feature-length film assignments to come.
The film is a supernatural psychological horror film directed by Andrew Chiaramonte, centering on five young strangers who retreat to a remote wilderness cabin, only to find themselves under the sinister influence of a mysterious woman possessed by an ancient force. As they become trapped and isolated, the group's trust erodes and paranoia grows, forcing each person to confront their deepest fears and inner demons.
- Intrada
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