When paranormal podcasters Evy and Justin receive an email with disturbing audio clips, they begin experiencing a series of strange events that blur the line between real life, and the supernatural.
There are two genres of modern entertainment culture at the moment that have hit a point of real saturation… podcasts and horror films. So, it was only natural the two would cross paths at some point. I hadn’t heard of Undertone at all before seeing it, which is strange because we’re all perpetually bombarded with promotional material for every film and streaming service going, across a multitude of TV and socials platforms. So, walking into the new film by studio A24, only knowing the most basic of details actually made a pleasant change, and definitely worked in the films favour.
The film centres around Evy (Nina Kiri), a podcaster who has a popular paranormal investigation/debunk show, along with friend Justin (Adam DiMarco). Recording the podcast remotely in the middle of the night, due to time zone differences, and the fact that Evy is looking after her dying catatonic mother (Michèle Duquet). The film takes place entirely in Evy’s mother’s home, which is first-time director Ian Tauson’s ACTUAL childhood home, where he dealt with similar experiences of looking after his late parents.
We meet Evy while she’s already in the throes of a sleep-deprived, waking nightmare. The film is almost a one-woman show, as we never see her podcast host in the flesh, or even the nurse who makes a house call early on in the film. Besides her friend’s voice on the other side of the country, she is utterly alone. There’s even a boyfriend subplot who tries to get her out and socialise, but we never see those moments either. Evy heads out in one scene, to only be snapped back in the next as if it never happened… she’s always mentally and physically back in the house.
After their podcast is sent an anonymous email containing disturbing audio clips, the pair dive into the recordings over the course of several nights. But it becomes clear from the start that this is different to their normal content, with Evy experiencing apparent supernatural goings-on.
The film relies heavily on a lot of clichéd horror/supernatural tropes, like creepy nursery rhymes, demons and jump scares, however the way they’ve presented it all is what makes the film unique. The tight 90-minute runtime is an audio rollercoaster… sound design is top-notch and makes the film feel even more claustrophobic and tense. Evy puts her headphones on and the atmosphere changes, we’re inside her head now. The other podcast hosts audio, the banging and creaking of the house, the distorted music, it all subtly elevates and prolongs the horror.
All I could think about for most of the film was, “Why would she sit with her back to a dark hallway and kitchen, when she can’t hear what’s behind her??”. But that was all very intentional. The camera work is also subtly terrifying… while you’re lost in their conversation, the camera will suddenly drift left or right, peering into the hallway or a dark corner. It’s less of a jump-scare horror, favouring instead the long, slow build up. It lets the viewer fill in the gaps with your own dread. It’s a great new take on the tired found footage genre.
The deep seeded family trauma and Catholic guilt invade every aspect of the film, and as aspects of Evy’s situation become more apparent, you can feel her situation becoming more and more hopeless. Nina Kiri does a great job with Evy, when her character is podcasting, she’s chatty and quippy… she’s ‘on’ for the audience. But as soon as the headphones come off, she’s quietly paralysed by what’s happening to her life… shooting puzzled glances at the dark, watching for signs of life from her mother and struggling to keep herself sane.
As the film comes to a conclusion in a maddening audio/horror release of all the tension that’s been built up, questions are definitely left unanswered, but intentionally so I feel. I don’t feel like the film deserves all the glowing praise it’s been getting, but for a first time feature director, this is a solid effort. One definitely worth seeing in the loudest cinema you can go to.
Author: Arron, Marketing
