‘Undertone’ Review: A Strong Signal with Some Static
Nina Kiri in undertone (Courtesy of A24)
A24 is back with a new horror film—this time centered on a demon haunting a podcast host. It’s an intriguing concept, and one that immediately caught my attention. There aren’t many horror films these days that truly get under my skin, but undertone managed to do it in a few key ways. Right away, I was able to relate to our main character, Evy (Nina Kiri), the host of a popular paranormal podcast called The Undertone. As a current podcast host myself, that connection came naturally and I’m not going to lie, there were several moments in this film that genuinely unsettled me.
Some of the most effective scenes involve Evy listening back to recordings through her headset as she and her co-host, Justin, analyze eerie caller submissions. Watching her sit alone, headphones on, completely immersed in the audio was absolutely terrifying. As someone who edits videos and often keeps one ear uncovered just so I can stay aware of my surroundings, those moments felt particularly gripping. The film taps into that uncomfortable vulnerability of isolating yourself through headphones while something sinister may be happening around you.
As mentioned above, undertone follows a paranormal podcast host who moves back home to care for her dying mother. When she receives recordings from a pregnant couple documenting their own supernatural encounters, she begins to notice unsettling parallels between their story and her own life. With each new tape she listens to, the situation escalates, pushing her closer to the edge of madness. On paper, it’s a compelling premise and thankfully, the film mostly delivers. One thing I’ve always appreciated about A24 productions is their ability to maximize modest budgets. Undertone is largely set in a single location and focuses heavily on one central performer, yet it never feels cheap or small in scale. In fact, the film often feels much larger than its budget would suggest.
Nina Kiri in undertone (Courtesy of A24)
A big part of that success comes down to the sound design. The audio work here is exceptional, creating a constant sense of tension that keeps the audience on edge. In a film so focused on recordings, voices, and listening, the soundscape becomes the true engine of horror. That said, Nina Kiri is also excellent here. She carries much of the film on her shoulders as essentially the sole performer. With so much resting on her performance, every emotion and reaction needs to land and she delivers a strong, grounded performance that keeps the film compelling throughout.
Writer/director Ian Tuason’s script is tightly paced. That isn’t always a bad thing, and while the story itself is fairly thin, it works for the most part here. That said, I do think the film could have benefited from expanding the story a bit more to explain certain elements. I found myself wanting just a little more depth.
The ending, in particular, feels almost like walking through one of the houses at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. The sound mix cuts in and out over the music as tension builds, and you can feel the film setting up that inevitable jump scare. Interestingly, I didn’t find that to be a negative at all, in fact, I was quite a fan of it.
I also appreciated much of what Tuason does behind the camera. Many scenes are framed in wide shots, often showing a hallway while our protagonist sits in another room recording the show. I constantly found myself staring down that hallway, waiting for something to appear. It’s one of those clever visual tricks where your eyes start playing games with you, you think you see something moving in the background, even when you know nothing is actually there.
At the end of the day, undertone has quite a few elements working in its favor. The film features strong visuals, a solid central performance, and an eerie sound mix that keeps the audience on edge throughout its breezy runtime. If you’re a fan of subtle, atmosphere-driven horror, this one will likely be right up your alley. If not, you may want to skip it, as its slower and more restrained approach might not work for everyone. I ultimately found the film to be unsettling and enjoyable, even if I was left wanting just a little more to fully satisfy the story it was building.
RATING:
★★★☆☆
