Undertone (2025/2026)

DIRECTED BY

Ian Tuason

STARRING

Nina Kiri - Evy

Adam DiMarco - Justin

Michèle Duquet - Mama

Keana Lyn Bastidas - Jessa

Jeff Yung - Mike

Genre - Horror/Supernatural

Running Time - 94 Minutes

PLOT

The host of a popular paranormal podcast becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.

REVIEW

UNDERTONE? More like UNDERWHELMED.

UNDERTONE was one of my most anticipated horror films for 2026 due to a lot of positive buzz after it played in Canada last year and an interesting trailer that promised me some creepiness in podcast form. But I should have known by now that any film that’s marketed as the “scariest horror film in years” will end up disappointing me.

That’s not to say that this film is terrible. In fact, it’s far from it. The sound design for UNDERTONE, considering the horror is coming through a podcast, is absolutely incredible and some of the best I’ve heard in a horror film in a very long time. The sounds and noises that come across from the audio files, especially towards the end, are pretty unnerving as you’re trying to make out what the sounds are. It’s like some evil ASMR. If you do plan on watching this, definitely see it in Dolby or with noiseless headphones when it hits streaming at home. For a film about audio horror, UNDERTONE definitely succeeds in that aspect.

I also thought the cinematography was quite good as well. While there were some edit and pacing issues at times, it didn’t deter how nice the film looked. I enjoy looking at all angles of a single shot during a horror film, wondering if there’s anything dangerous lurking in the shadows. UNDERTONE makes you do that quite a lot once the audio files begin getting more demonic and strange.

I also felt lead actress Nina Kiri was very good in her role of Evy. She plays all emotional beats believably as she goes from supernatural skeptic to quick believer during the film’s final act. Kiri’s character can be a bit abrasive and unlikable at times, but you’re still willing to know more about her and her family situation. Dealing with a dying mother is traumatic, especially if you’re the single caretaker. Believe me, I know from personal experience with my own mom who sadly passed away over a decade ago. So I understood the mood changes and the defense mechanism of being a non-believer. Kiri handled all that really nicely, especially when she’s mainly the only actor that appears on screen from beginning to end.

I did have issues with Adam DiMarco’s portrayal of Justin, Evy’s podcast co-host. I liked him quite fine on his season of The White Lotus, but something about his voice in UNDERTONE kept rubbing me the wrong way. Maybe it was the audio mixing? Maybe it was the way he recited lines and reacted to things that were happening? It also helps that we barely know who he is, so it was really tough to care about what was going on with him over Evy.

In fact, the character development in UNDERTONE is seriously lacking. Despite spending 90 minutes with Evy, I still barely scratched the surface on who she was. Her mother is dying. She has her own medical situation that occurs in the film. She seems to have a boyfriend but he refuses to help her take care of her mom. Justin seems to care a lot about Evy but she pushes him away. How did they meet anyway? Why did Evy lose her closeness to her mom? Why did she shun religion as a teenager? These things are never really explored and it hurts the film because we’re supposed to care about a main character [really our only character onscreen] that we have very little info about. I wish the horror aspect would have created an opportunity to explore her life but the film never goes there really.

And I’m gonna be honest - I was drifting in and out of sleep watching this, despite a crowded theater and loud audio. Something about horror films like this one don’t do a whole lot for me unless the characters or the situation are super interesting and have a commentary that fleshes out the main narrative. This is just found footage ASMR - a film that wants to unnerve you for most of the film without showing you much, until the last 10 minutes where the shit hits the fan and the film finally becomes visually interesting. It’s the only time UNDERTONE felt alive for me because things were actually happening. Too much build up isn’t always a good thing, especially when all the real fun stuff is at the end. 

And is UNDERTONE an anti-abortion film? Is it a film about religious guilt and how not believing will result in terrible things? Look ladies - your body, your choice. I don’t care how a demon feels about that. You do you, ladies.

THE FINAL HOWL

I really wanted to like this film more than I did, but UNDERTONE is a pretty disappointing flick after all the buzz and hype for it. The sound design is fantastic and makes the film worth watching for that alone. And I liked the cinematography and the use of spacing within shots to make you peek to see if anything strange was hiding in the shadows or in corners of the room. And basically a one-woman show, Nina Kiri did quite well with what she was given as main character Evy.

But the script didn’t do a whole lot for me, as there’s a lack of development and unanswered questions about all the characters involved. The audio can be unnerving, but it gets kind of old by the end. And it takes a long time to get to the good stuff [the last 10 minutes or so] before it suddenly ends. When you make me quote “Miss You Much”-era Janet Jackson and ask “Is that the end?”, there’s something not quite right. I’m not a fan of films that have a promising build up that leads to a lacking payoff. But hey - I respect the filmmakers for making a solid profit out of a $500,000 budget.

If you loved UNDERTONE, then I love that for you. But for me, it’s just another overhyped horror film that didn’t reach the heights I was expecting it to. By the way, adding demonic entities to podcasts wasn’t necessary. Editing, scheduling and making sure episodes are recorded is hard enough for us already.

SCORE

2 Howls Outta 4

(6 out of 10)