When my girlfriend and I watch horror movies, a ritual has developed: she covers her eyes during intense moments, while I cover my ears. This isn’t deeply philosophical; it’s simply an effective way to deflate suspense. My instinct recognized long ago that sound, more than visuals, can be the ultimate tension builder.
It’s no surprise, then, that A24, in collaboration with director Ian Tuason, has crafted a horror film that puts the sonic landscape front and center. “Undertone,” made for a modest $500,000, mirrors the core mechanics of films like “Paranormal Activity” by making sound its central focus.
The premise is perfectly suited for this approach. Evy, portrayed by Nina Kiri, is caring for her terminally ill mother in a devoutly religious household. Uncomfortable with the environment, she immerses herself in her podcast, “Undertone.” This true-crime style podcast delves into strange audio files and explores the possibility of the supernatural. The atmosphere intensifies when Evy receives ten mysterious audio files, which become the film’s backbone. As these files grow increasingly bizarre, Evy begins experiencing unsettling occurrences in her mother’s quiet home.
Beyond Evy and her mother (played by Michèle Duque), no other actors physically appear in “Undertone.” We hear the voice of Evy’s podcast co-host, Justin (voiced by Adam DiMarco), and of course, the enigmatic audio files. Like “Paranormal Activity,” “Undertone” opts for an intimate, minimalist, and stripped-down approach. However, unlike found-footage films, Tuason’s direction is visually striking. The camerawork features beautiful, deliberate pans and lingering shots, a style increasingly common among emerging horror directors like Damian McCarthy and Jordan Peele.
“Undertone” is undeniably well-crafted, with strong performances, particularly from Kiri, who provides a crucial emotional anchor for a film that hinges on its credibility. The sound design itself is expertly executed, featuring impactful, heavy bass that forms a robust narrative framework upon which the rest of the film is built.
It’s important to note that “Undertone” doesn’t offer conventional scares. The unease and tension are cultivated in the “negative space”—the silences and voids—rather than through overt visual cues. Even towards the conclusion, the film remains committed to its “audio-first” strategy, rarely deviating from it.
While some less successful horror films overexpose their unsettling elements too quickly, “Undertone” wisely avoids this pitfall. The final product showcases a director with a firm grasp of fundamental horror techniques. While it’s a success by these measures, it will be fascinating to see Tuason with more resources, allowing him to build narratives with more intricate “moving parts,” so to speak.
Undertone: The Power of Sound in Horror Filmmaking
Original Title: Undertone
Language: French (originally), translated to English
Summary: “Undertone” is an innovative horror film from A24 that leverages sound design as its primary tool for building suspense and terror. Directed by Ian Tuason, the low-budget film focuses on Evy, a podcast host investigating mysterious audio files, as she experiences increasingly strange occurrences in her mother’s home. The film prioritizes an intimate, minimalist approach, relying heavily on its excellent sound design and Kiri’s performance to create its chilling atmosphere.
English Translation:
When my adorable girlfriend and I watch horror films—and we’ve watched countless together over the past decade—she always puts a blanket over her eyes when the tension gets too high, while I always cover my ears. There’s no deep thought behind it, other than my instinct long ago recognized that it was a smarter way to pop the suspense balloon, by which scary scenes are inflated to the point of bursting.
It is therefore quite understandable that A24, in collaboration with emerging director Ian Tuason, has made a horror film that places the sound environment at the forefront. “Undertone” was made for just $500,000, and this is largely because the film’s basic mechanisms all use sound as their central point, much like “Paranormal Activity.”
The premise is also tailor-made for this setup. Evy, played by Nina Kiri, is looking after her dying mother, who apparently doesn’t have much time left, but in her intensely religious home, she doesn’t feel truly comfortable and spends her time recording and researching a podcast called ‘Undertone,’ which, in the authentic style of true crime, deals with strange audio files and speculates on whether there is anything more between heaven and earth. The atmosphere immediately becomes more intense when they receive 10 mysterious audio files, which form the backbone of the film, as the files themselves become increasingly bizarre and Evy begins to experience strange occurrences in her mother’s quiet home.
This is how “Undertone” unfolds, and apart from Evy herself and her mother (played by Michèle Duque), no other actors physically appear in this film. We hear the voice of Justin, her podcast co-host (voiced by Adam DiMarco), and the mysterious audio files, but “Undertone” is, much like “Paranormal Activity,” deliberately intimate, limited, and stripped down to the essentials. Unlike “Paranormal Activity,” however, Tuason does not adhere to the found-footage genre framework but is instead brilliantly filmed, with beautiful, simple pans and a camera that tends to linger a little longer, a style so prevalent among young horror filmmakers, from Damian McCarthy to Jordan Peele.
“Undertone” is beautifully set up, there’s no doubt about that, and it’s even well-acted, particularly by Kiri, who serves as a strong emotional anchor in a film that truly relies on its credibility. The sound design itself is also well-executed, with heavy, impactful bass, and forms a solid narrative framework upon which the rest of the film can build.
It must be stated, however, that “Undertone” is not a film that opens up in the conventional sense. It is in what is called ‘negative space’—the empty spaces, if you will—that unease and tension manifest, and not so much in the form of visual elements, not even towards the conclusion of the film, which remains true to its ‘audio-first’ strategy and only rarely deviates from it.
However, one could also say that some less satisfying horror films overexpose their unsettling elements too quickly and too often, which is certainly not the case with “Undertone.” The final result shows a director who has a perfect command of these basic techniques, and although it is a success by these criteria, it will be interesting to see Tuason command a little more resources to build scenarios with a few more ‘moving parts,’ if one can say so.