The host of a popular paranormal podcast becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.
Chuck says:
Ian Tuason’s “Undertone” proves to be an auspicious debut. At times genuinely unnerving, the low-budget feature gets a great deal of mileage out its single-set location, miniscule cast and elaborate sound design. Yet, there’s room for improvement as well. While Tuason’s premise is sound, his approach is needlessly convoluted, the pacing so deliberate that it dulls the impact of the final reveal. Still, there are moments when it all comes together and manages to get under your skin in a way that only the best horror films can.
Evy (Nina Kiri) is beginning to buckle under the weight she’s shouldering. Having returned home to care for her terminally ill mother, the sense of isolation she feels has become oppressive. Wracked with guilt and resentment, the only respite she gets is when she records her weekly podcast, “The Undertone,” with her friend Justin (voice by Adam Dimarco). The program examines reports of paranormal activity, she taking the role of the skeptic, her counterpart more apt to believe in things that go bump in the night.
The episode they are currently recording focuses on an anonymous email Justin’s received containing ten separate audio files. They are of a married couple, Jessa and Mike (voices by Keana Lyn Bastidas and Jeff Yung). She’s pregnant and doesn’t believe him when he claims she’s been talking in her sleep. To prove her wrong, he begins to record her and what begins as a humorous exercise soon takes a sinister turn. Jessa begins having nightmares and speaking in other voices, all of this revealed as Evy and Justin listen to the files, each becoming more and more disturbing.
These events play out over the course of a couple of weeks, during which we learn more about Evy and her relationship with her mother. Religious elements are introduced, the elder being a devout Christian, her daughter a non-believer, while the subtext of the files Evy and Justin have been listening to are explored. The latter believes that children’s songs such as “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and “London Bridge” can be heard when the recordings are played backwards. Digging into the songs’ history, the pair discover the sinister background of each.
Of course, all of these elements are connected and witnessing how Tauson connects these narrative dots is impressive. It’s striking just how dark the story becomes, the horrific elements and themes sinking to a far more disturbing level than first suggested. The resolution is one that becomes more upsetting upon reflection, the far-reaching implications of Evy and Justin’s actions only becoming clear after further consideration of the shocking conclusion.
And yet, as well-done as the film is, it could have been better. While I appreciate a good, slow burn movie, Tuason pushes this approach to the limit. The time that passes between recording sessions of the podcast serves no purpose. While this is meant to build anticipation, these prolonged breaks between the listening of the cryptic audio files instead breed a sense of frustration and impatience. As a result, the first half of the movie suffers from pacing issues, the story moving in fits and starts before finally building the necessary momentum.
Credit Kiri for anchoring the film. Other than the actress playing Evy’s bedridden, silent mother, she’s the only one who appears on screen. The success of the movie rests on her shoulders, and her ability portray the gradual unraveling of her troubled character is effective and sympathetic. As for Tuason, he’s created a genuinely disturbing if flawed, piece of work with “Undertone,” yet it is a film that portends great things for the young director.
3 Stars
Pam says:
We’ve got a first-time feature filmmaker in Ian Tuason, and while the effort is admirable, “Undertone” never rises above the surface. I’m always game for a smart, chilling horror film, but this one ultimately left me disappointed.
We meet Evy, a podcaster played by Nina Kiri, who is dealing with the emotional weight of caring for her dying mother. After the physical and emotional exhaustion of that responsibility, she records her weekly podcast at 3 a.m. with her partner Justin, voiced by Adam DiMarco. Justin brings the topic for the week, and it’s a creepy one: ten mysterious audio files have been emailed to him, each containing increasingly unsettling recordings of a pregnant woman who sleepwalks and talks in her sleep. But there’s an… wait for it… undertone within the recordings. Children’s songs like “Baa Baa Black Sheep”sung backwards. This sends the podcast duo down a rabbit hole exploring the supposedly sinister origins of these nursery rhymes.
Night after night, Evy and Justin listen to the files, and the deeper they go, the stranger things begin to happen in Evy’s own life. The film suggests eerie parallels between the recordings and her reality, but the connection never fully develops.
The character of Evy has to carry almost the entire film since she’s the only person we really see on screen. Unfortunately, she simply isn’t given the depth to do so. The script feels more like an outline than a fully realized story, so we never get a clear sense of who Evy truly is. With such a female-centric narrative, that lack of characterization becomes an even bigger issue. There’s no real emotional connection with Evy, and when she’s the lone presence on screen for the entirety of the film, that’s a crucial missing piece.
Then there’s the classic horror principle of “less is more,” the idea that the audience’s imagination can be scarier than anything a filmmaker shows us. Here, however, the film leans too heavily on that concept. Tuason leaves far too much to the viewer’s imagination, culminating in an ending that feels less chilling and more eye-roll worthy.
I’m a fan of Blumhouse horror films, and I couldn’t help thinking that if this script had landed there, it might have been revised and polished into something genuinely frightening; one of those horror movies that gets people talking. As it stands, “Undertone” is more of a missed opportunity than a memorable scare.
2 stars
