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Colin Stetson

Colin Stetson

Composer · Born March 3, 1975 (51) · Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Colin Stetson (born March 3, 1975) is an American saxophonist, multireedist, and composer based in Montreal. He is best known as a regular collaborator of the indie rock acts Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Bell Orchestre, and Ex Eye. In addition to saxophone, he plays clarinet, bass clarinet, French horn, flute, and cornet. Stetson has released various solo releases, including his debut and subsequent albums New History Warfare Vol. 1, 2, & 3, a collaborative studio album with violinist Sarah Neufeld entitled Never Were the Way She Was (2015), Sorrow: A Reimagining of Henryk Górecki's 3rd Symphony(2016), and All This I Do for Glory (2017). Since 2013, Stetson has contributed the scores to several films and television series. Description above from the Wikipedia article Colin Stetson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 3, 1975 (51)
From
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Works as
Composer
Titles
25 on MovieCove · 34 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 28% in 30 days

What are Colin Stetson's films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Genres

Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 18th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
35%
Self
20%
Bonds
15%
Society
9%
Morality
9%
Power
6%
Ideas
5%
Survival8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 3 · Dark 11

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 4

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 11

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 4

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 2 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 10

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 9 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Dread
11
Melancholic
7
Cold
3
Warm
3
Other
9

How their films linger

Unsettling12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous8

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Colin Stetson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Colin Stetson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

34 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra(2026)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Mayday(2026)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen(2026)

    Show 8 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all shows

  • Stormbound(2026)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Whisper Man(2026)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Masks All the Way Down (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Composer

  • Uzumaki(2024)

    Show 4 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows

  • Hold Your Breath(2024)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Martha(2024)

    Composer · Score Engineer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • My Fear in My Arms (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Composer

  • The Menu(2022)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Texas Chainsaw Massacre(2022)

    Composer · Musician

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Mayday(2021)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • 25 Years of Innocence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer

  • Shelter in Place (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer

  • Last and First Men(2020)

    Musician

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Color Out of Space(2019)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Barkskins(2020)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • Deliver Us(2019)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows

  • Bone Mother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Musician

  • The First(2018)

    Show 8 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows

  • Age Out(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Hereditary(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Destierros(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Arrival(2016)

    Musician

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Lavender(2016)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The War Show(2016)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Outlaws and Angels(2016)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • An American, Portrait of Raymond Luc Levasseur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Composer

  • The Fear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Composer

  • Scrum(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • It's About Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Composer

  • The Day When Mother Nature Hit Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Composer

  • Blue Caprice(2013)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 30 titles from 2013 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Hereditary (2018)

$90M worldwide

Highest rated

Hereditary (2018)

Midcredits 90th

Most popular right now

The Whisper Man (2026)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music27 of 30: 25 only music, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score47thOther crew5 of 30: 3 only other crew, 2 with another role

By decade

2010s15 · crew2020s15 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Colin Stetson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 25 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

14 of their 25 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed14

Most divisive · composer

Stormbound (2026)

79th percentile spread · 13% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Hereditary (2018)

Midcredits 90th · 75% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 61/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles; fans 70, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Colin Stetson's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore10 titles49–92 · median 82 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles8–43 · median 25 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity10 titles32–75 · median 60 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles7–45 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense10 titles44–92 · median 85 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Colin Stetson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Colin Stetson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Louise Friedberg shares the most, 2.

Directors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers