It’s amazing how important sound is to horror. Abrupt noises are responsible for at least 90% of all movie scares. Look it up — actually, don’t. There’s no study to back that up, but it’s true. Just believe me.
Watch any horror film on mute — you probably won’t jump in your seat once. Revisit the famous shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” The sight of Norman Bates’ silhouette with the knife certainly doesn’t bring any comfort, but it’s Bernard Herrmann’s iconic score — the shrieking violins — that has truly frightened movie lovers for generations.
Not many horror films specifically lean into the artistry of sound as a storytelling tool, which puts A24’s “Undertone” in a unique class.
Evy (Nina Kiri) is the co-host of “The Undertone Podcast” which probes listener-submitted paranormal material with a skeptical head on her shoulders as her co-host Justin (Adam DiMarco) is a believer. They record the podcast at three o’clock in the morning since Justin’s based in London while Evy tends to her dying mother “Mama” (Michèle Duquet), who just went into in-home hospice care. It’s important to note that Evy and her mother are the only characters seen on-screen throughout the entire film — you only get to hear from Justin by phone.
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For their latest episode, Justin previews to Evy that they received an email from an anonymous listener that had a strange cryptic message and ten audio files. They are recordings of Mike and Jessa (Jeff Yung and Keana Lyn Bastidas), a couple expecting their first child.
The first recordings seem fairly innocuous — Mike wanted to prove to Jessa that she talks in her sleep. However, the further Evy and Justin delve into the recordings, the more disturbing things get as they examine what Jessa’s muttering. They eventually figure out that the couple is being haunted by the mythical Abyzou, a female demon known to be envious of mothers and curses her victims with miscarriages and the death of their children.
And similar to watching the cursed videotape in “The Ring,” Abyzou’s spirit begins to haunt Evy and her mother.
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Kiri, best known for her stint on the TV series “The Handmaid’s Tale,” does a lot of heavy lifting as virtually being the only active character we get to see (her bedridden mother is unconscious) and the entire film takes place in the confines of her mother’s house. She’s basically a one-woman show. DiMarco, the up-and-comer featured in the Italy season of “The White Lotus” and more recently Prime Video’s raunchy comedy series “Overcompensating,” manages to give a heartfelt performance as Evy’s support system with just his voice.
The real star, though, is the sound design.
The attention to detail to every sound that’s heard — from the creepy audio recordings to what Evy hears in the house – is nothing short of outstanding. So kudos to the entire sound department. Justin’s character says it best when signing off each podcast with “Don’t be afraid of the dark, be afraid of the silence.” That said, eerie camerawork from cinematographer Graham Beasley is also a strong supporting performer of its own.
Writer/director Ian Tuason, making his feature debut, was able to effectively craft a compelling film with self-imposed narrative limitations. Only time will tell if it’s beginner’s luck, but Tuason cemented himself as a filmmaker to keep an eye on going forward.
A24, once an arthouse film distributor that’s become more and more mainstream, frequently takes bold risks, especially with horror films: “The Witch,” “Hereditary,” “Midsommar,” “Talk to Me,” the list goes on. What’s tragic is that “Undertone” likely isn’t on many people’s radar since it doesn’t have A-listers and a massive budget like the recent box office hit “Scream 7,” even though “Undertone” provides genuine scares.
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“Undertone” is an unsettling slowburn that allows the pure craft of filmmaking to take center stage. This is a movie you want to not only see but to hear, so if you’re able to see it at a theater with Dolby Atmos like I did, I’d highly recommend. Horror fans
