'Undertone' Review: A Sinister, Ear Shredding Experience. Turn Up the Volume
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Shauna Bushe - April 17, 2026
As the newest addition to A24’s prestigious horror catalogue, Undertone marks an impressive feature-length debut from Canadian film-maker Ian Tuason. By weaving together psychological dread with visceral thrills, the film delivers a haunting impact that lingers long after the credits roll.
What is Undertone about?
The set-up closely follows Evy (Nina Kiri), a cynical podcaster who is dedicated to debunking the paranormal and urban legends whilst taking care of her ailing mother in her childhood home. Her co-host Justin (Adam DiMarco) joins her via remote link, providing the believer perspective to her hardened scepticism. The plot ignites when an anonymous source sends them a file of 10 audio tapes detailing the downward spiral of a couple decades prior. However, as Evy and Justin analyse the tapes, the line between past and present blurs and Evy realises the disturbances have begun mirroring terrifying occurrences in her own home.
The brilliance of Undertone lies in its audio centric storytelling. While the plot is propelled by a series of ominous recordings, the experience is defined by a pulsating, disorientating soundscape. In a genre where we usually scan the hallways and dark corners for visual jump scares, it subverts expectations by offering nothing to see. Instead, it replaces visual shocks with intricate silences, low-frequency vibrations and dreadful sound effects. This shift forces you to listen more intently, effectively turning the simple act of paying attention into a state of mounting anxiety. Furthermore, the films tension builds throughout subtle disturbances; with common household noises becoming easy to overanalyse like the hum of a fridge and innocent childlike nursery rhymes warp into violent hidden messages.
Nina Kiri delivers a transcendent performance, anchoring the film’s emotional weight with a transformation that is both intellectually questioning and physically demanding. Initially she embodies an identity built on logic, control and clinical deconstruction. However, as she encounters “the taker of children”, we see her armour of scepticism shatter, replaced with a visceral vulnerability as she unravels in the face of an entity she can no longer pretend isn’t real. Across the digital divide is Adam DiMarco who provides a vital connection to the outside world. His performance bounces between natural curiosity to an emotional tether, but he also transitions into sheer panic, mirroring the audience’s growing helplessness.
Beyond the technical mastery of utilizing sound design, Undertone also excels at fusing internal trauma with external horrors. The narrative functions as a deliberate pressure cooker, exploiting claustrophobic framing and a palette of bleak, suffocating colours to trap the viewer within the protagonists unravelling psyche. Here the walls do more than just enclose spaces, they breathe the weight of hidden secrets and echo a history of suffering that eventually shatters the boundaries of reality. Trauma is not merely a backstory, but the primary engine of the film’s supernatural dread, blurring the lines between a haunting and a nervous breakdown.
In closing, Undertone is a slow burning, unique horror film that understands what we hear, is far more terrifying than what we can see. While the ending is abrupt and the empty pacing might frustrate others (it did me in the beginning, but the ending was worth the wait) the fans with patience will find this to be a deeply haunting and intellectual experience.
'Undertone' is out now in cinemas.
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