- Release year: 2025
- Director: Ian Tuason.
- Producers: Cody Calahan and Dan Slater.
- Screenplay by: Ian Tuason.
- Cinematography by: Graham Beasley.
- Music by: Shanika Lewis-Waddell.
Synopsis: a woman taking care of her convalescent mother while she does a podcast with a friend stumbles across a series of creepy audios that will change her perception of reality.
Shotgun Commentary: a masterful creation of horror only paired with a flawless sound design.
Review
Undertone is quite literally the scariest film I’ve seen in the last five years. With no special effects but a buckload of talent, the team of this film, both in front of and behind the cameras, proves that you can create an absolute horror masterpiece without resorting to cheap tricks or CGI.
The story is pretty straightforward. Evy (Nina Kiri) is taking care of her convalescent mother, an unfortunate situation that is driving her up the wall with grief, guilt, and worry. Her only escape are the few calls she makes to her friend Justin (Adam DiMarco) as they create a supernatural-themed podcast together.
Justin gets a strange email one day with a series of audios. After listening to the first one together, they agree to record a few podcast episodes about the story as it develops in the audios. As they listen and react to them, Evy begins to notice that something feels off in her mother’s house, where she’s currently staying. This feeling will only grow as they listen to more audios and more odd things happen around her.
Listening lessons
The film relies mostly on an immersive sound design and advanced audio mixing instead of CGI or gore. A lot of people call this “elevated horror”, but that term is innacurate and ridiculous. So let’s just say it is talented, thought-out, discreet horror.
Anyone can create something gruesome and call it horror or rely on random acts of violence and sound bumps and call it scary (I’m looking at you, Bring Her Back and Talk to Me). But not everyone can truly mould audio in their favour to tell a horror story without falling into the clichés of sound bumps and loud high frequencies. While there are a couple of drastic intensity changes in the sound throughout this film, they are both very much justified and completely ungratuitous.
Smart visuals
Never have I ever been so thoroughly terrified with so little, and of course the visual aspect of the film has a big role in this. There is almost no violence or bloodsplatters at all. No terrifying Cthulu-inspired monsters. And barely a silhouette for a villain. With so little, one might think this film would be a complete snooze, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Each and every frame of the film is designed to unnerve you to the core. The empty spaces and unbalanced compositions force you to barely blink as you constantly wait for something horrible to pop out. Much like Paranormal Activity (2007) did back in the day, it is the lack of movement and the use of darkness that keep you glued to the screen, constantly trying to come closer while simultaneously keeping you afraid of what you might find in the shades.
Final thoughts and struggles
Additionally, following the tradition of masterpieces like The Haunting of Hill House (2018), the production design and the camera work in tandem to gaslight you to death. You will see shapes, reflections, and objects that make you think, “Is that a person? Is there a goddamn person behind her?!” If you are shortsighted, you will have experienced this MANY times walking down the street without your glasses on. Is that a person or a bin bag? A head or a TV antenna? Well, for those of you lucky enough not to be shortsighted, welcome to hell.
All in all, Undertone is an absolute must-watch for any and all fans of horror or great cinema in general. The sheer talent displayed from the very beginning to the end of it is a wonder to behold. There are no words to express how necessary this film is in any cinema enthusiast’s life. Not to mention it should be mentioned in all sound design courses and masterclasses all over the world. So turn on your Netflix and open your notepad; this is how cinema is made.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Audio is EVERYTHING in a movie.
- If weird things happen in the house you inhabit, maybe move out.
- If you get a direct threat from a demon in the house you inhabit, definitely get out of the house NOW.
What’s your take? Have you watched Undertone? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message on my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀