Horror movie fandom has its limits. I’ll never be one of the “sickos”, watching a lot of these films hoping early and often for blood letting, and gross masochism in the name of cinema. If Jaws taught us anything, it’s that usually not seeing can be better, as each person is left to their own imaginative devices. Undertone tests that theory to the max, using two rooms and a podcast to see if writer director Ian Tuason can scare the bejesus out of us. I don’t know if he aced it, but for me, it’s for sure a pass, and then some!
Welcome to the Undertone podcast, as Evy (Nina Kiri) and her unseen podcast partner Justin (Adam DiMarco) open each episode with! It’s weird times for Evy: she’s stuck at her mom’s (Michele Duquet) home, caring for her in her last days, while also dealing with possibly the end of her relationship with her boyfriend. The supernatural/true crime podcast provided some respite, that is, until Justin gets a weird email with 10 sound files in it. Perfect for a multi part, reality threatening series for their channel.
Spoiler, but Undertone has no blood whatsoever. The movie is an experiment, to see if sounds alone can scare you, and if that’s enough. Ian Tuason is banking on the Jaws idea: what you don’t see is scarier. For long stretches, that’s what unfolds here. The sound design Tuason uses is deeply unsettling, like Paranormal Activity in practice, but instead of viewing 2nd hand through a camera, we hear weird things, and send the mind spiraling into the darkness of Evy and her mom’s house, watching for a flickering light, or if that sound was from the audio clip, or coming from upstairs. Undertone makes for a great theater experience, as the cinema weaponizes noise and light against your own sanity and Evy’s, as I found myself twisting back and forth wondering what was real and wasn’t. The film walks right up to the line of being annoyingly manipulative, but never quite goes over the edge long enough to have us check out.
The key to the movie being a success is the final act. Normally, this is when the demons come out and prey on the characters, usually murdering someone along the way. As I said above, that’s not the goal of Undertone, which had me wondering, how is writer director Ian gonna stick the landing. What he plans for is where I assume 80% of the budget went: it’s in line with what he’s trying to do with his tale, really creeping you out with the threat of violence instead of actual violence, using more light and sound mixing to really eff with the audience. It’s not a slam dunk, but it’s just right for this film, and that’s good enough for me.
Plus, Undertone provides a very important PSA for the parents out there. Really think about those innocent children’s songs you’re singing. Not only are they eerily malevolent and ominous, but apparently, if you listen to them backwards, Satan regularly gets brought up. Thanks for listening to the Undertone podcast! Like and subscribe for more/bonus content!