Undertone, A24’s latest auditory horror experiment, pushes the boundaries of genre filmmaking in concept yet ultimately reveals the studio’s uneven track record with pure horror. Director Ian Tuason’s micro-budget debut arrives as a bold sensory endeavor that, despite its Fantasia festival premiere buzz, asks audiences to endure ninety-four minutes of repetitive stillness in a single claustrophobic house, relying almost entirely on audio files to generate terror. What begins as an intriguing premise gradually dissolves into a tedious exercise that tests patience more than it unsettles the nerves.
An Ambitious Concept Undermined by Tedious Execution
On paper, the premise holds genuine promise. Evy (Nina Kiri) returns to her childhood home to care for her comatose mother and co-hosts a paranormal podcast called The Undertone with her off-screen friend Justin (voiced by Adam DiMarco). The duo’s skeptical-versus-believer dynamic shifts when they receive an anonymous email containing ten disturbing audio recordings featuring a married couple, Mike and Jessa, whose home is plagued by increasingly sinister phenomena. Backward-masked nursery rhymes issue chilling commands, and one tape summons Abyzou, the ancient demon associated with miscarriage and infant death.
The idea of a horror film experienced primarily through sound is undeniably compelling. In execution, however, the film lingers far too long in repetitive cycles of Evy seated at her desk, pressing play, pausing, reacting with quiet concern, and pressing play again. The protracted build-up consumes the majority of the runtime, leaving the final chaotic stretch feeling both belated and insufficient to restore the lost tension. By the time the narrative attempts to deliver its payoff, the atmosphere has already thinned.
A Cast Struggling Beneath the Weight of Isolation
A single-location, audio-driven thriller places extraordinary demands on its lead performer. Nina Kiri gives a committed performance as Evy, yet the script offers her little more than a podcast persona and a backdrop of personal grief. With virtually every other character reduced to disembodied voices filtering through noise-canceling headphones, the emotional burden of the entire film rests on Kiri’s shoulders. Unfortunately, Evy never evolves into a fully realized protagonist whose psychological unraveling compels us to invest in her fate. The result is a hollow center that leaves the audience observing events rather than experiencing them.
Impressive Sound Design Cannot Salvage a Hollow Narrative
Where Undertone undeniably excels is in its technical craft. Sound designer David Gertsman and mixer Jon Lawless deliver a masterclass in auditory unease. The suffocating hush of noise-canceling headphones transforms every creak, backward whisper, and distorted lullaby into something intimately invasive. The film’s reliance on negative space and canted angles, clearly nodding to Paranormal Activity and The Babadook, occasionally succeeds in making viewers scan the shadows for threats that may never fully materialize.
Yet sound design, no matter how accomplished, cannot substitute for narrative momentum or visual storytelling. After the first few effective sequences, the repeated device of lingering on empty hallways while another audio file plays grows predictable. The script leans heavily on characters reciting demonic lore and exposition, leaving only fleeting moments of genuine dread amid long stretches of stasis. For a feature-length film, the ratio of atmosphere to actual terror feels disappointingly lopsided.
A24’s Ongoing Exploration of Genre Boundaries
A24 continues to champion experimental approaches to horror, and Undertone stands as another example of the studio’s willingness to prioritize concept and technical innovation. However, the film’s extreme minimalism—likely shaped by its modest $500,000 budget—asks the audience to supply much of the horror through imagination alone. Genre enthusiasts familiar with more fully realized explorations of haunted audio (Session 9) or isolated grief (The Babadook, Relic) may find themselves wishing this particular experiment had been granted the narrative depth and visual language necessary to match its sonic ambition.
Final Verdict
Undertone is a film that dazzles in its auditory craft yet falters as a complete cinematic experience. While the sound team’s work merits recognition, the glacial pacing, underdeveloped characters, and overwhelming reliance on a single gimmick prevent it from delivering the immersive terror its premise suggests. Horror fans seeking substance to accompany style would do well to approach with tempered expectations.
1.5 out of 5 stars
