Cinematic Point Of View

I went to see ‘Undertone‘ (2025) last week. When the end credits rolled, I sat there kinda stunned, for several reasons, and thinking about what just happened in the final act. What a trip. I really did not expect to be moved by this film. In my mind, director Ian Tuason and his crew have created a instant indie classic. They do so much with so very little.

The story is pretty simple. A woman named Evy (Nina Kiri) co-hosts a paranormal podcast with her friend Justin. Evy is the skeptic and Justin (Adam DiMarco) is the believer. Evy moves into her dying mother’s house to take care of her and, during this emotionally draining period of her life, the podcaster receives an email containing 10 audio clips of a man recording his pregnant wife sleeping, trying to prove to her that she talks in her sleep.

As the duo begins listening to the clips during the podcast things quickly start to go downhill. Creepy supernatural sounds. Babies crying. Children’s lullabies. Voices played backward shouting out the name of a demon named “Abyzou.” The two podcasters dive into researching the darker meaning of children’s songs and just who this “Abyzou” demon was. (Probably not the best use for some downtime while taking care of your dying mother, but hey that’s just my two cents.)

Anyway, I won’t go any further with the plot as things start to get much worse and Evy slowly becomes more paranoid and emotionally exhausted.

And this is where you will either love or hate this movie. It’s a real slow burn, shot almost entirely indoors (I genuinely can’t recall a single exterior shot) and anchored by one actor. I think you need this expectation set before going into it to really appreciate and enjoy it. Some of the advertisements are misleading.

Much of what unfolds does so through fantastic sound design and amazingly strong voice performances. Those voice actors deliver solid supporting work, but it’s Nina Kiri who carries the film, and her performance drives nearly every scene.

If you’re looking for blood and gore, you’ll probably want to pass. If you’re into something more cerebral, then this is gonna be your cup of tea.

There is probably two minutes of actual, balls-to-the-wall on-screen horror. When that time finally comes, after all the build-up, it incredibly effective. It’s such a night and day experience from the rest of the film. I found myself covering my face and tearing up. Not an experience I’m used to in a film like this. I was truly shocked by my reaction.

This is a film that will leave you asking questions. It doesn’t give you all the answers. I’m excited to watch this again at home with headphones to experience the sound design and see what sort of little touches I might have missed the first time around.

From a filmmaking perspective, the way that cinematographer Graham Beasley uses his camera within 2.12:1 BeezVision aspect ratio is truly awesome. (Yeah, I looked that technical bit up as I could tell this wasn’t your normal aspect ratio.) It’s a wider ration but it feels more claustrophobic to me.

Beasley maintains an over-the-shoulder fixed position for much of the audio clip segments and then slowly pans right or left leading your eye (and mind) away from Evy and into those dark places all around her. It keeps you on guard.

I would compare this film, in some ways, to something like the original ‘Blair Witch Project.’ It’s a low-budget movie that uses a bare-bones cast to create a slow burn feeling of dread and horror. I have fond memories of seeing the original Blair Witch in the theater that opening weekend, and I will have fond memories of seeing this film as well.

On a final note, ‘Undertone’ surprisingly touches on several emotional subjects in such a limited space and time. Mothers and daughters. Grief and dying. Pregnancy. Faith and lack of faith. Underneath the camerawork and scary sounds there are a lot of very universal human questions being pondered. It snuck up on me.

If you couldn’t tell, I really loved this movie.

It’s a moody, immersive, effective creeping horror that I won’t soon forget. I’m still thinking about it and kind of wishing I had the time to go back and see it again right now. I read that the director has been tapped to direct a new ‘Paranormal Activity‘ movie. I haven’t seen any of those films since the first, but I am excited to see what he does with the concept.