'Undertone' (2025)

Set entirely within the Babic family house, Evy (Nina Kiri) has moved back to take care of her terminally ill mother (Michèle Duquet), referred to only as Mama, ‘Undertone’ follows the young woman as she spends her days looking after Mama. Largely isolated and bearing the burden by herself, her only respite comes through recording a weekly podcast with her friend Justin (Adam DiMarco). Focusing on paranormal events, the two examine a set of recordings emailed to them by an anonymous source, with each successive audio file leading them closer to a folkloric evil.

Hailing from writer and director Ian Tuason in his directorial debut, the Canadian filmmaker has delivered an unconventional feature that leans heavily into exploring horror themes through sound. Working with sound designer David Gertsman and mixer Jon Lawless, ‘Undertone’ not only taps into the unsettling themes with its sound, but overwhelms the audience. That is not to say that one has to constantly endure a cacophony of jarring and unpleasant tones, but rather that the element of sound is put front and centre of the film, manipulating the subtlest of sounds to evoke fear.

Exploiting a simple setting and taking advantage of negative space constantly surrounding Kiri’s Evy, the atmosphere is darkened further by clever use of unknown and worrisome bumps in the night. Unexplained creaks that need to be investigated draw us in, as Evy wanders her suspiciously still house to identify who or what is making the noise. Given that she is alone with Mama who does not move, the film preys on each individual who watches, abusing each viewer’s imagination, dragging us to the darkest places that we can conjure for ourselves.

With podcasting serving as the central premise, not used only as an ancillary device, but rather as the focus of the film, Tuason uses the podcaster as the protagonist rather than a quick throwaway mark. With Evy struggling to look after her mother and blaming herself for not coming to her aid sooner, Kiri delivers a compelling character who is at a loss and already grieving someone who is yet to pass.

Adding to her worries is her uncaring and inconsiderate boyfriend Darren (Ryan Turner) who fails to help Evy in any way, leaving her to carry all responsibility on her own. To further complicate the situation, Evy also learns that she is pregnant, compounding her fear and anxiety towards the future.

Her only distraction, recording ‘The Undertone’ podcast proves to be a futile exercise in escapism as Justin introduces the mysterious recordings for their review. The tapes concern Jessa (Keana Lyn Bastidas) and Mike (Jeff Yung), and we learn that Mike is recording Jessa as she talks in her sleep. With increasingly unhinged and pronounced messages, we learn that Jessa references lullabies and an entity known as Abyzou. Finding out that the entity is an evil spirit responsible for infant mortality and miscarriages, ‘Undertone’ ties in a mix of folk horror and religious imagery, using both effectively to foreshadow a tragic fate for whoever listens to the recordings.

With the film’s highlight being the slow build-up and the relentless unknowing, ‘Undertone’ needs to be praised for its ability to promote and stage sound at its centre, affording it the utmost respect and ability to command and hold such great attention, colouring the entirety of the project’s atmosphere. Combined with a minimal set and a single featured actor for the most part, Tuason has created a fantastic and terrifying addition to what some are considering the new golden age of horror.

A worthy addition if not only because of the ingenuity of the project but also for its lasting impact, ‘Undertone’ falters only slightly towards the end, stepping on its own toes, as it had previously allowed us to seek out the darkest places within ourselves to deliver unimaginable evils, with the climax resorting to a horrifying but unnecessarily loud and showy final sequence.

Score: 3/4