THE UNDERTONE
Established sci-fi author Ian Tuason brings his chilling directorial debut to Fantasia 2025 audiences. The film follows Evy, a full-time carer for her ailing mother and part-time spooky podcaster. Alongside her co-host Justin, Evy is the skeptic in the pair, searching for logic in the strange and unusual. THE UNDERTONE has arrived to f*ck you up.
They receive an anonymous email with 10 audio files attached and decide to listen to them as they record. They feature a couple named Mike and Jessa, and the seemingly incoherent overnight ramblings of the latter. They are undeniably creepy, each one more unsettling than the next, and the physical and emotional toll on Evy is palpable, while she tries to keep a calm head. Even Justin starts losing his shit. Tuason weaves musical folklore into the conversation, with both Evy and Justin looking up information in real-time.
Despite living on opposite coasts, Justin and Evy have a trusting relationship. Tuason provides enough information to suggest he knows her very well. Their podcast, also titled The Undertone, feels like a collaborative effort with a clever premise. They even have open phone lines for listeners to call in. All of this built-up chaos happens as Evy’s mother is on her deathbed upstairs. There is an inkling of unresolved trauma that perhaps mirrors the tapes, Evy’s childhood, and her current state of mental wellness.
Kris Holden-Ried‘s voice is a nostalgic earworm. I loved him in THE RETURNED. His tone is eerily similar to radio legend Shadoe Stevens. It is alarming and brilliant. His ability to be the perfect foil for Evy is mindblowing. Bravo. Nina Kiri is spectacular. Almost the entirety of the film is visually a one-woman show for Kiri. She easily compels you to root for her with a naunced mix of sadness, exhaustion, and defiance.
Evy sits in front of a blurred open doorway as she listens. This trope alone keeps your heart in your throat. Graham Beasley‘s overall framing is jarring as hell. Darkness plays an important role. Beasley rarely places Evy in the center of the frame and uses odd angles and stationary camera pans to keep you off balance in every way. It almost suggests the camera is haunted.
Like darkened doorways, mirrors, and religious iconography all figure prominently. Evy and Justin even record at the universal witching hour of 3 am. Then you have a “child’s” bizarre crayon drawings. Tuason has turned innumerable genre tropes into a horror triumph.
Not even 9 minutes into the runtime, and I noticed I was digging my nails into my palm. For as much horror as I consume, I was not ready for THE UNDERTONE. I cringed, forced myself not to cover my eyes, even though I desperately wanted to. The finale visibly raised the hair on my arms.
The sound editing is masterfully immersive. I am convinced that watching the film on a laptop with headphones on, similarly to Eny, makes THE UNDERTONE even more terrifying. I’m unsure how the theatre experience matches up. I made the same recommendation in 2020 for a proper viewing experience of HOST. I can only imagine that the meticulous sound team makes the appropriate adjustments.
THE UNDERTONE earns its jumpscares and heart-racing tingles, even when I watched in the daylight. There is no denying the atmospheric similarities to Skinamarink, but Tuason gives us a much more defined story. Regardless of how you choose to view it, Tuason delivers a film that is complex and next-level scary.
Director: Ian Tuason
Executive Producer: Al Akdari, Chad Archibald, Charlie Bern, Anthony Eu, Daril Fannin, Douglas Lee, Brit MacRae, David Sproat, Matthew Sterling
Producer: Cody Calahan, Dan Slater
Writer: Ian Tuason
Cast: Michele Duquet, Nina Kiri, Keana Lyn-Bastidas, Jeff Yung
Cinematographer: Graham Beasley
Composer: Shanika Maria
Editor: Sonny Atkins
Production Designer: Mercedes Coyle
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