The sound design is the star in ‘undertone,’ a podcast thriller with too much dead air

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Everyone’s getting into podcasts — even demons.

Ian Tuason’s debut horror film, “undertone,” is a deeply personal and quietly unsettling movie made with a very small budget. Filmed in the house where Tuason cared for his parents before their deaths, the film uses the actual location as both a setting and a source of emotional weight. The house, filled with floral wallpaper and religious symbols, feels claustrophobic, and the camera stays entirely within its walls, mirroring the overwhelming pain, exhaustion, and grief experienced by the characters.

Evy, played by Nina Kiri, cares for her mother, who is seriously ill, while also dealing with her own sadness. As a way to cope, Evy co-hosts a horror podcast with her best friend Justin (voiced by Adam DiMarco), telling him it’s “the only thing keeping me sane right now.” But those words will soon come back to haunt her.

Kiri and DiMarco share a relaxed and believable connection, like longtime co-stars. One segment appears to focus on the story of Elisa Lam, the tourist tragically found dead in the water tank of the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles. They also mention a disturbing website featuring a creepy figure who uses hypnosis to make people harm themselves, which might be a hint from Tuason about a potential follow-up story.

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The main story revolves around Justin, a London resident, who receives an email containing ten audio recordings. These recordings were made by a couple, Mike and Jessa, as they try to decipher what Jessa says while she sleeps. The sender of the email is a mystery – perhaps someone trying to promote a mattress with a spooky campaign? Justin, who believes in the paranormal, is immediately disturbed by how the recordings quickly move from harmless chatter to unsettling sounds like crying babies and reversed speech. His friend, Evy, however, is skeptical and thinks the noises are either a prank or simply due to faulty plumbing.

Evy and Justin record their podcast early in the morning for him, but it’s 3 a.m. for Evy. The show’s atmosphere reflects this quiet, still time – a moment when even everyday noises like lawnmowers or ice cream trucks are absent. The sound design, by David Gertsman, is incredibly subtle; even a tea kettle sounds startlingly loud. The story itself is similarly subdued. One of the most dramatic moments in the first hour is simply a sink turning on.

It’s always puzzled me why I find many horror movies so boring, while others are genuinely frightening for viewers. I think it might be because those films connect with people who already believe the world is a dangerous place – they seem to confirm those fears. Personally, I tend to assume the world is generally good, which is probably why I enjoy horror movies with clear villains who actively try to scare you. When watching films like “Paranormal Activity” and “Skinamarink,” I found myself more interested in how they were made than actually scared. What did get to me was the sound design – things like a vibrating phone making my chair shake, or creepy, whisper-like sounds that were almost strangely soothing.

When Evy puts on headphones, she gets completely absorbed in analyzing the latest unsettling tape, listening to it in every way possible – forwards, backwards, and at different speeds. She’s so focused that she doesn’t notice strange noises in her own house, especially near her mother’s room upstairs where she’s in a coma. I believe the author, Tuason, strongly identifies with Evy and the feeling of being disconnected while constantly facing death. Tuason uses Evy’s refusal to accept what’s happening to explore how people cope with difficult truths. Even though Evy keeps trying to convince herself it’s not real, her hidden fear and need to compose herself show that she’s actually terrified.

The script briefly mentions Evy’s boyfriend, Darren (voiced by Ryan Turner), but he feels unnecessary and underdeveloped. Their strained relationship is interesting, but it’s as if the writer simply added him and then forgot about him. We only see a glimpse of their issues when Darren calls, urging Evy to skip time with her mother and join him at a party, claiming it’s to lift her spirits. (Honestly, a simple home-cooked meal would have been more thoughtful.)

I was really struck by the moment Evy finally left the house – we don’t see why, just that she does. It perfectly captured how alone you can feel when you lose a parent, especially when it feels like no one else understands because it’s happening before everyone else’s parents are gone. It really highlighted how much miscommunication can happen, even with people you love.

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The film is very focused on its stylistic choices—like having only two actors, slow camera movements, and dark lighting—to the point where it almost becomes repetitive. However, when the director relaxes these techniques, for example, in a scene where a character listens to a sleep podcast that unexpectedly turns terrifying, it reveals a real talent for variety and creativity.

The horror in “undertone” relies on building tension slowly and deliberately, creating a sense of anticipation. It doesn’t rely on jump scares, but instead asks viewers to find the creepiness in everyday scenes – like religious imagery or someone simply typing on a laptop, oblivious to a strange light. (Word is, the film’s cinematographer is also slated to work on the next “Paranormal Activity” movie.)

The film often has the audience simply watching the main character passively, sometimes for extended periods – like when she sits and waits for another character to research information for her on Wikipedia. We, the viewers, essentially become amateur detectives alongside them, discovering details about Sumerian demons, Catholic figures, and the histories behind familiar nursery rhymes like “London Bridge” and “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.”

The film “undertone” feels so distant from a traditional movie experience that it made me realize how much I enjoy the simplicity of telling stories around a campfire – at least that way, the audience can create the images in their own minds. However, production designer Mercedes Coyle did manage to create two genuinely unsettling props: a vintage talking doll and a small white statue of what appears to be the Virgin Mary, until a closer look reveals a horrifying, screaming mouth.

Even though I have some issues with how Kiri’s character responds during difficult moments, she’s compelling to watch, even with limited screen time. The best part of her performance is when she and Justin host their podcast and receive calls, including some upsetting news about Mike and Jessa, and another from someone facing a crisis that’s far beyond their expertise. It’s clear real danger is approaching, and these self-proclaimed paranormal investigators are completely unprepared. The show leans heavily into the podcast trend, and perhaps questions whether that trend is a good thing.

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2026-03-11 22:31