By Dan Skip Allen

Podcast horror isn’t necessarily a new thing, even though you might think it is. In the 70s, there was a little movie called “Play Misty For Me,” starring Clint Eastwood. Yeah, I know you’ll say it’s a radio show, but since then, radio has turned into podcast ingredients without the music and ads. “Monolith” is another one that deals with podcast horror as well, but the film I’m talking about in this review is “Undertone.” It’s an A24 film, so you know it’s got an interesting angle to it. They tend to greenlight or buy from festivals some fascinating and strange movies. This is another one of those for sure. It’s not going to be for everybody, though. You need to have a little patience with it.

Ivy (Nina Kiri), a relatively new actress to American audiences, is a woman who lives with and cares for her mother, who is in a comatose state. She stays in her bed all of the time. When she’s not taking care of her mother, she is a podcaster. She does a horror conspiracy podcast with her partner, Justin (Adam DiMarco). He presented to her some audio files he was emailed to by someone who is anonymous. They are meant to be played to figure out what is going on in them. Once they started playing them, though, they ended up going down a rabbit hole of creepy events. Wild noises, screams, sounds of babies crying, and others. This is just the tip of the iceberg in this story.

Ian Tuason, the writer/director of “Undertone” made a very good horror film on a small budget. He basically had one on-screen actor, and a few voices came together to give me the creeps. He used a lot of things I’ve seen before in films like “The Blair Witch Project” and, to a lesser degree, “Skinamarink” from a few years ago. The moody atmospheric story and creepy visuals were on full display. The camera work was a key element of this. The podcast itself was used to great effect, creating an intense  fear. A claustrophobic nature was at the forefront of this story.

The cinematography itself was a key element to the film’s success. Using darkness, reflections in mirrors, and crazy angles to give the viewer something not very easy to watch. Some closeups of the main protagonist show her genuine fear. She’s a newer actress who does a great job creating dread for the audience. I can honestly say if I were in her shoes, that being the character , I would have been scared out of my mind. I am not normally scared by horror films, but this one gave me a creepy feeling I normally don’t have. The camera angles used helped create that sense for me, and I’m sure others who will see this movie.

Another key technical feat that this film enlists is its sound design. Starting with the podcast itself. The files are full of weird happenings. As the 10 files are played, one by one, they get more and more complex regarding the sounds that are in them. These sounds are very noticeable in the theater where I watched the movie. A Dolby theater was used to perfection to throw sounds all over the place. I heard sounds coming from every direction in the theater. As a podcast is a media of listening, this plays a key aspect of the story. Most viewers take sound design for granted, but this film uses it better than any other I’ve seen this year.

Sometimes, in movies, you have to have a little patience for the story to unfold. For things to start happening. This is one of those kinds of movies. It starts out slowly and gradually picks up steam. Patience is a virtue, as they say. If the viewers let the story progress and some of the subplots start to unfold, then this will be a worthwhile watch. Even the unseen characters give very interesting performances. They make you believe that something crazy is genuinely going on. The panning of the camera helps in that regard as well. We, as the audience, will be more invested in this story as the characters are able to do what they are paid for. The Voice Cast is excellent here.

“Undertone” is a movie that may not be for everybody because most people don’t have that much patience.  This is a slow burn of a horror film that will test your patience as a filmgoer. The performance by newcomer Kiri is one I’ll be talking about to my friends and other filmgoers. She is a revelation in this film. The rest of the cast are all good as well. Writer/director Tuason creates a sense of dread using two specific techniques in his filmmaking. First, the cinematography is excellent with all kinds of shots that keep the scare factor very present. The second is the sound design. It, combined with the cinematography, gave me chills while watching this movie. This is some of the best sound design all year. Seeing this film in a Dolby theater will be the best experience  you’ll have watching this movie. This is another A24 indie achievement that no one was talking about but should. They once again found a writer/director who made a small budget film that seems like a big budget movie. 

4 stars