It seems as if every horror movie that is released is billed as “The Scariest Movie of the Year!!”, especially if it’s being released by the studio A24. But something about the marketing for undertone makes it seem more believable. So, is it? Well…probably not. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad horror movie.
undertone is about a young woman named Evy (Nina Kiri from The Handmaid’s Tale) who, while taking care of her invalid mother (Michèle Duquet from Eaux Turbulentes), somehow finds the time to host a podcast about the paranormal, conveniently called The Undertone, with her friend, Justin (The Order’s Adam DiMarco). For the newest episode, Justin decides to play a series of ten spooky sound files he received from an anonymous email.
At first, it just seems like normal recordings of a couple at bedtime, but as Evy and Justin keep listening through the files, they realize that what they are hearing is far more sinister than they originally thought. And far more personal.
Writer/director Ian Tuason got a handful of effective short films under his belt before making undertone his feature film debut, and he has learned his craft well. From a technical filmmaking standpoint, undertone is a very well-made movie. Narratively, it’s about as creative as anything one is bound to see these days, taking a unique approach to the common themes of child-parent horror and demonic possession. Atmospherically, it’s a masterclass of slow-burn tension and maddening suspense, and while the payoff may not quite live up to the buildup, it’s still a pretty fun buildup.
Finally, and probably most important to the studio, it’s the very definition of low budget. Instead of expensive heavy visual effects, undertone uses economical audio effects and editing to create its mood. Visually, it’s shot for people who love to look in the shadows, with tons of detail in blurry backgrounds and faded reflections, with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it elements found on computer screens and in seemingly innocent props. Tuason understands how the human eye works and is able to direct the viewer’s attention to elements that may or may not be there. And it’s all done with camera tricks and depth of field focus, with very little post-production.
Another aspect that contributes to undertone’s simplistic effectiveness is the fact that it’s very contained. It’s set in a single location and is basically a one-woman show from Nina Kari, as the rest of the characters are only heard in voiceover or are practically comatose (as is the case with Evy’s mother). Kari has an absolute field day with the film, taking the entire story on her shoulders and, frankly, doing a great job with it.
The other heroes of the movie are the sound editors and designers. In between having to craft and create different audio effects and backmasking on everything from sleep-talking recordings to spooky children’s songs, they also had to swap out two of the voiceover performances after the film was acquired by A24 (one of which was that of Justin, the second biggest part in the movie). It’s said that sound is half the movie, but in the case of undertone, it may actually be even more. The aural experience is most of the fun.
If undertone has a weakness, it’s the fact that Tuason’s palpable tension doesn’t always lead up to a good scare. To be fair, the movie deserves credit for not going for cheap jump scares, but in the case of building suspense, a jump scare is sometimes the best release. While undertone oozes with creepy vibes, it inspires more of a simmering fear than it does any all-out terror. So, maybe this is more of an issue with the marketing, since a simmering fear can hardly be considered “The Scariest Movie of the Year.”
Ian Tuason is already hard at work on his next project, a Paranormal Activity “reboot” (in quotes because, let’s face it, with those movies, what’s the difference between a reboot and a sequel?). Which tracks, because undertone seems to draw heavy influence from the nothing-happens-until-it-does motif of the PA series. So, it would appear that both the Paranormal Activity franchise and Tuason’s career are in symbiotically good hands.
GRADE: B+
Rating: R for language
Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes
Release Date: March 13, 2026
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