Film Review – Undertone (2026)

      Undertone, 2026.

      Written and Directed by Ian Tuason.

      Starring Nina Kiri, Adam DiMarco, Michèle Duquet, Keana Bastidas, Jeff Yung, Ryan Turner, Brian Quintero, Marisol D’Andrea, Austin Tuason, Seled Calderon, Bianca Nugara, Jayda Woods, Sarah Beaudin, and Christina Notto.

      SYNOPSIS:

      The presenter of a well-known paranormal podcast becomes tormented by chilling recordings mysteriously sent to her.

      Ian Tuason's *undertone* presents a unique and refreshing take on horror, largely driven by dialogue and unexplained sounds from mysterious audio files sent to a paranormal podcasting team by an anonymous source with a cryptic email. This unsettling experience is enhanced by the eerie silence surrounding host Evy (Nina Kiri) while she wears noise-canceling headphones during her recording sessions, along with nursery rhymes that, when played in reverse or researched online, reveal horrifying hidden meanings. However, Tuason occasionally strays from this compelling idea.

      Unfortunately, this film frequently avoids fully engaging with its intriguing premise, undermining any momentum it could build. The recording sessions are surprisingly brief, leading to the question of how Evy and co-host Justin (Adam DiMarco, only heard via voice) manage to produce enough content for weekly episodes, let alone attract a substantial audience to encourage call-ins during live interactions.

      Outside the podcasting world, the film attempts to develop Evy's life as a young woman who has returned home to care for her bedridden, unconscious mother (Michèle Duquet, credited as Mama), while grappling with a discontented relationship with her inadequate boyfriend Darren (Ryan Turner, also only a voice). Evy struggles with insomnia and lives in isolation. The presence of religious imagery throughout her bedroom, along with her interactions with these items and old voice messages from her mother, hints at a complex relationship that has fostered both love and conflict.

      Given that Evy, while “in character” on the podcast, regularly prods Justin to delve deeper into paranormal cases, despite her apparent skepticism, it suggests that she may not be very religious. Nevertheless, the duo uncovers their most disturbing material yet: unsettling audio recordings of husband Mike (Jeff Yung) and his sleepwalking wife Jessa (Keana Bastidas), who may be speaking in tongues or potentially possessed. These recordings lead the podcasters into a dark exploration of twisted nursery rhymes that often involve harm to children.

      The audio is manipulated in various ways, such as being played in reverse, spliced, and enhanced for clarity, accompanied by striking visuals of laptop screens and sound spikes. The film also captures the unsettling sounds within the house, alternately quiet and filled with creeping shadows. The sound design, expertly crafted in Dolby format, utilizes nearly every noise a household object can produce, which could easily be dismissed as annoying jump scares if not for the masterful audio experience. This soundscape culminates in a chaotic and nightmarish outburst in the final 15 minutes—a sequence that, while perhaps lacking in narrative significance, almost makes *undertone* worth recommending.

      However, the film falls short in character depth and basic plausibility; it's hard to believe that two savvy podcasters failed to investigate the individuals in the audio files, which might have revealed a shocking tragedy. Justin emerges as a flat character, and the script does little to explore their dynamic.

      Moreover, *undertone* leaves several plot points unresolved, seeming more focused on unnerving the audience than providing insights into parent-child relationships or Evy's role as a skeptical podcast host. Are we to feel satisfaction when she receives repercussions for daring to play an obviously significant audio file? Even more troubling is the implication that Evy is being punished for something entirely different, sending a confusing moral message. The pacing is tedious, and it takes far too long to reach the one scene that could redeem *undertone*. The recordings certainly evoke a creepy atmosphere but do not achieve true horror.

      Ian Tuason disrupts this oppressive atmosphere so frequently that one can only ponder what might have been if the film had devoted itself to an intense exploration of the recordings. Had *undertone* committed fully to maintaining that tension-inducing atmosphere, the horror in those final 15 minutes could have been significantly heightened. In Dolby, the sound experience is truly immersive, feeling as if it is assailing the viewer from all directions, expertly calibrated for dread. However, 15 minutes do not define a film. There’s potential here, but serious refinement in narrative and structure is necessary.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

      Robert Kojder