Undertone

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★★

Rated: M

Directed by: Ian Tuason

Written by: Ian Tuason

Produced by: Cody Calahan, Dan Slater

Starring: Nina Kiri, Adam DiMarco, Michéle Duquet.

Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?

I had a screener sent through to watch, Undertone at home and am writing this review in my nice bright loungeroom instead of walking down the corridor to my study because while watching the film, the sensor light directed down that corridor activated.  I know my cat was down there but I’m still freaking out about it.

Yep, Undertone is creepy.

Set entirely in the home of Evy’s (Nina Kiri) mother (Michèle Duquet), the scenes are filled with religious paraphernalia: portraits of Jesus, rosary beads, statues of angels.  Evy’s mother is dying, silently, on her deathbed.

Evy hosts a podcast with Justin (Adam DiMarco).

Justin always calls her around 3am from London so they can record another spooky episode about supernatural recordings that get sent to them for discussion and analysis.  Justin’s a believer; Evy, a sceptic.

‘How’s your mum,’ Justin asks.

‘I just want it to be over, to be honest,’ Evy admits.  Then immediately dilutes the comment thinking it makes her sound terrible.  Evy loves her mama, she takes care of her.

The setting is bleak, the only modern features the equipment set up in a dated lounge area with a shiny chrome mike and shots of soundwaves on a computer as Justin and Evy record their podcast while analysing the recordings sent in.

This one’s a super creepy recording from an anonymous email.

There’re ten audio files.

They listen to each file while recording so each file becomes the thread through-out the film.

Writer and director, Ian Tuason makes sound a focus of the story; Evy isolated in the house looking after her mother, escapes into her podcast, leans in, as the audience is drawn into the audio with her.

Adding to the creepy sounds are panning camera shots that tilt into darkened rooms causing the eye to look for apparitions in the shadows.

It’s that use of sound and visual space that makes the film so successful, evoking the imagination of the audience to see glimpses of Evy’s state of mind as she tries to deny that flicking light coming from upstairs (or from down a creepy corridor).

Things, sounds try to take Evy’s attention from her mother: her phone ringing, the whistling kettle.

Then strange happenings begin to creep up while Evy denies the impossible while being drawn into the unfolding nightmare.

It’s a gripping ride, waiting for what comes next so, Undertone isn’t a gore film, or even violent, more a ritual inducing madness that takes over in slow steady steps.

Love it when a film manages a good scare.