Undertone review
Undertone does what it wants to do very well…but that won’t win over plenty of viewers anyway.
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Undertone
Directed by Ian Tuason
Screenplay by Ian Tuason
Starring Nina Kiri and Adam DiMarco
Undertone Review
Undertone is going to be a tough movie to review. Not because it’s hard to say how well it does or doesn’t accomplish its goal…because that goal will divide viewers. I can tell you that Undertone is a good movie…and probably half of the people who see it, even if they love horror, will disagree. The other half will thoroughly enjoy the minimalist audio heavy style of the movie. It’s unique…and roughly as many people who appreciate that will dislike it for that very reason. This is one of the times when the Rotten Tomatoes’ scores really tell the story. While Undertone has been certified fresh by critics…it has an almost evenly divided audience score. That’s because Undertone does succeed at delivering what it wants to. And there’s no way half the audience is going to like what that is.
Evy (Nina Kiri) is the skeptic co-host of a horror podcast. She’s dealing with two personal issues right when the show’s strangest case crosses their path. An email containing ten weird audio files…that Evy and her co-host Justin (Adam DiMarco) listen to on the show. With a dying mother upstairs and finding out she’s pregnant on her mind…Evy begins to see and (most importantly) hear unexplainable things everywhere. Phenomena that get worse the more clips they click play on.
Evy is practically the only physical character in Undertone. Her mother is there…but she’s bedridden and unable to speak. Justin only appears via audio as they record the podcast. No one else appears onscreen. As is made clear through its marketing…audio is the key to Undertone. Visually, the movie utilizes empty spaces and dark corners to help with the atmosphere…but there is little to no onscreen action. Aside from checking on her mother (and observing the results of sone strange occurrences) you’re going to watch Evy sit at a table with headphones on most of the time.
This is why it’s easy to have guessed that a large portion of the audience wouldn’t be on board with what Undertone is doing. It’s also a credit to how well Undertone does things that the movie largely works anyway. This is a movie that slow burns itself into a genuinely unnerving time at the movies. If you can be patient and accept that nothing is going to happen for a very long time. We spend several recording sessions watching Evy react to the audio we’re listening to. That isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea…and it will be even less people’s speed. Undertone is fully committed to letting things you don’t see tell the story.
For that to work…its audio element to be truly great. The story that unfolds over the ten audio clips is engaging enough…but it’s the mysteries included in them that makes Undertone work. Evy and Justin stumble onto something truly demonic…if you believe what you’re hearing. It’s some dark stuff too. Children’s songs doubling as tales of death. Babies being murdered. And a specific demon that is trying to enter through the very clips Evy and Justin are listening to.
Evy’s personal life troubles provide some breaks in between the podcast tapings. The subject of the show often touches upon what’s happening to Evy away from recording. It paints a picture of what might end up happening if she keeps pursuing this story. Little clues and bits of lore drop with each new audio clip. It keeps Undertone pointed in the right direction even as it slowly forges ahead. Eventually things pick up, of course. You can’t knock on a demon’s door without having it answer eventually. The climax of Undertone brings in all the audio and imagery we’ve been getting pieces of throughout the story. It’s an exciting payoff to the slow burn. But, again, I can see many having issues with how the film itself ends. That’s the risk of doing something new…something slight. For those who are into what Undertone has to offer…they’ll find something worthwhile here. Those who can’t…should just walk right on by.
Scare Value
Undertone isn’t for everyone. A lot of people are never going to be satisfied with its bare bones visual even if the style helps create atmosphere. It’s weird to say a movie that involves so much sitting and waiting should be seen in a theater…but the audio quality will be diluted in home viewing unless you’ve invested in a professional setup. Or wear headphones. Which would add another level of immersion to the proceedings.
3.5/5
Undertone Link
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