As a horror movie connoisseur, UNDERTONE really freaked me out. With a directorial/writing debut from Ian Tuason, this film showcases how essential the theater atmosphere is to fully experiencing some films. The film follows Evy (Nina Kiri), a young woman who hosts a horror podcast, who begins experiencing supernatural occurrences after listening to an anonymous series of recordings she receives.
I’ve spent the past month wrapped up in everything Oscars-related, from best pictures to documentaries and short films. It’s been a while since I’ve gone to the theater to see a film that was solely for my own enjoyment. On a Friday night with nothing to do and a free ticket that I received as an AAA24 member, I thought going out to my local AMC theater to see an evening showing of UNDERTONE was just what I needed. As a horror film, it certainly accomplishes its mission. I was so frightened by this film that I could not go home alone and had to meet up with my parents to take my mind off the assault all of my senses just went through. UNDERTONE is for the people who get scared of urban legends or campfire stories. Although horror is my all-time favorite genre, I am ashamed to admit I am a tad bit of a scardey cat.
UNDERTONE, as a horror piece, is one of the best I’ve ever seen. The third act, the demonic villain, and the isolation our main character feels work incredibly well and contribute heavily to what makes this film so chilling. The sound design is impeccable, and seeing the film in a dark theater with no one around is the perfect example of why movies work better in that atmosphere. I’ve thought about the plot of UNDERTONE quite a bit since my initial watch, and while the story still gives me goosebumps, I can admit the overall experience of watching it would not have moved me the same way if I had watched it at home or on my phone.
UNDERTONE thrives on withholding its jump scares, leaving you on the edge of your seat and filling in the gaps of what you think you’re going to see. The cinematography is framed in such a way that you’re left looking at every inch of the screen for any hidden figure. That makes the actual jumpscares all the more scary because you think you’re safe from anything unexpected. Every single time I let my guard down, I was frightened once again. The sound design fully deserves a nomination during next year’s Award season for how much it contributed to the technical horror. As Evy puts on her noise-cancelling headphones, it is a replica of how it feels when I put mine on and feel completely shut out of the world. The contrast between her listening to the sound of her own voice from her recording and then taking them off, leaving her with an eerily empty house with clock ticks, creaky floors, and staticy lights, is one of the highlights of the 90-minute runtime.
The film feels suffocatingly isolating as this is essentially a vehicle for Nina Kiri. We hear the voice of her cohost, Justin (Adam DiMarco), and her fiancรฉ, Darren (Ryan Turner). But aside from that, it truly is focused solely on Evy. I think that’s one of the reasons that watching this solo made me so scared, because I felt so much like Evy in that moment. It also explains why I was so hesitant to go back to an empty house with dark corners everywhere.
While UNDERTONE is a fantastic horror film, we must separate those aspects from how this works just as a film. Which unfortunately, it is just not that strong. This film could have benefited greatly from more exposition, SO much more exposition. Similar to the jump scares, the movie lets you fill in some details, but it took me a while to care about this character and to piece together exactly what her situation was. The horror parts of the story are good because they blend well with the technical elements, but the story choices are all things we’ve probably heard before. The story relies heavily on recordings or songs played backwards and on the hidden meanings in the lyrics. Those elements on their own aren’t anything to write home about. Until we hit the third act, I think just reading the script without any visual effects would make for a bit of a dull experience.
Overall, for a 90-minute A24 film, I was highly impressed. As a horror fan, I was scared more than usual, which doesn’t typically happen, but I owe a lot of that to the movie theater atmosphere. I would highly recommend it on a night when you can watch it without constantly pausing or checking your phone. I can’t wait to see what else Tuason does, especially after hearing he’s set to direct a new PARANORMAL ACTIVITY film (which bears a strong resemblance to this one).
UNDERTONE is now playing in theaters.
