Undertone Dials In Terror and Tension

Undertone

★ ★ ★ ½

Undertone is a one-location micro-budget horror film that triggered a bidding war when it premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival in 2025. It was eventually acquired by A24. The initial budget? $500,000. It’s proof that a good story, shot and told well, doesn’t necessarily need big-budget Hollywood financing. Just a director with an inheritance and the talent to make a movie.

What director Ian Tuason creates here is a world that feels big despite the fact that the entire film takes place in one house. And yes, he did use part of an inheritance to fund the film.

Evy on the podcast
© 2026 A24

Evy (Nina Kiri) and her friend Justin (Adam DiMarco) have a successful podcast called “The Undertone” where they talk about paranormal phenomena and whether the topics they cover are legitimate. They listen to 10 audio files sent to them anonymously that document a young couple expecting a baby while dealing with a demonic disturbance. The files also include children’s nursery rhymes.

It’s no secret that many children’s songs have origins in dark places. This film explores that idea further by playing them backward, with the volume turned up to listen for hidden messages. Those of us who remember the ’80s know the rumored stories about hidden messages in rock albums.

Nina Kiri as Evy
© 2026 A24

While Evy and Justin discuss and dissect the audio files and debate what’s real, she cares for her bedridden Mama (Michèle Duquet) who is days from passing. Mama is comatose, and Evy does her best to make her final days comfortable. This is a monumental undertaking, and when the film shows how emotionally and physically exhausting it is for Evy, the film is at its most human. Evy doesn’t complain; she just cares for her mother.

Evy and Justin are in separate cities, and they record the podcast at 3 a.m. a few times a week. The deeper Evy and Justin get into the audio files, the more paranormal activity happens in Evy’s home. Evy has her makeshift studio set up at Mama’s dining room table, while the rest of the house is dark.

Headphone horrors
© 2026 A24

The film will have you squinting into the shadows while your ears work overtime, listening for the same clues Evy and Justin do. Evy abruptly looks over her shoulder into the darkness, even though she’s the podcast skeptic.

Tuason masterfully builds tension around what may or may not be hiding in the shadows. We’re waiting for something to jump out because, like Evy, we get a sense that something is there. To Tuason’s credit, he doesn’t rely on jump scares or loud, out-of-tune orchestral hits to startle us. He simply sets the tension and dials it in, ratcheting it tighter as the investigation unfolds and paranormal secrets are revealed. This is a masterclass in suspense.

When the TV does its own thing
© 2026 A24

Where the film slightly loses its edge is at the end. It feels rushed and tries to explain too much without telling us everything. A lot of things happen all at once and it deflates the suspenseful buildup. Had the pacing slowed slightly, we could have kept in step with the final act revelations. As it is, it plays like a firework-show finale crammed into 30 seconds when it needs five minutes.

Still, this is an effective and entertaining horror flick and a great example of what can be done with limited resources. We don’t always need multiple breathtaking locations and stunning visual effects. Sometimes a long look down a dark hallway to see if your eyes are playing tricks on you is enough to unsettle you. Despite the rushed ending, the film is dark and disturbing. I may have left on an extra light or two the night I saw this, but I’ll never answer that honestly.