Horror is one of the easiest genres to get creative in. From serial killers to monsters, there are tons of ways to scare audiences. Recently, one of the horror subgenres that has lacked creativity is the found footage genre. Films like Shelby Oaks and the V/H/S franchise have combined found footage and the paranormal to create a different type of horror experience, but have come off as pale imitations of prior films. Writer/director Ian Tuason seems to understand this current state, as his recent film subverts the standard subgenre cliché by directly attacking the audience’s auditory senses.

undertone follows Evy, played by Nina Kiri, a host of a horror podcast, who moves back home to take care of her dying mother. After listening to a series of ten audio clips sent by an unknown person, she discovers parallels between them and her personal life, leading her down a rabbit hole of paranoia and fear.

The film takes place solely within the confines of Evy’s mother’s house, with Evy and her mom the only two characters seen on screen. Films like Iron Lung have shown that one-location thrillers with only a few on-screen characters can come off as stale, but undertone finds the most creative ways to keep the film engaging. Evy and her podcast partner, Justin, slowly go through each audio clip, allowing the characters to organically digest what they’ve heard while building a sense of dread. Having a slow build in a movie taking place in one location is often a recipe for disaster, but the film has enough interesting substance that the pacing never drags.

The one-location gimmick allowed cinematographer Graham Beasley to experiment in various ways. The camera rarely keeps the subject centered in the frame, giving every shot a disjointed, unnerving feel. There are also a vast number of deep-focus shots, and because the subject is rarely in the middle, the eyes tend to wander in case something is hiding in the shadows. This builds an even larger, unnerving tone to the film, as there is never a moment when the characters feel safe. For a film about someone listening to audio clips, it could’ve been easy for the camera to stay steady, but Beasley’s dynamic work makes for a far more fulfilling horror experience.

undertone draws heavy inspiration from films like Sinister, but the shift from video tapes to audio clips makes it stand out much more than it otherwise would. The audio itself is creepy enough on its own due to the stellar sound work, but what makes it so effective is what the viewer takes away from it. Because there are no videos to complement the clips, the viewer is forced to picture what is going on, which makes for a far more frightening experience than the average horror film. Even though the audio clips tell a fairly generic ghost story, the assault on the senses is what leaves such an impact.

The film isn’t solely a skin-deep scare fest. Themes of trauma, regret, and the fear that can come with living in one’s thoughts are portrayed so effectively through the film, mainly due to Nina Kiri’s performance. It takes a lot to carry a film without a big ensemble, and Kiri excels without issue. Her balance between familial issues and her attempts at rationality makes for a compelling protagonist, delivering a reserved and fear-driven performance that fits the film perfectly. The third act in particular asks a lot from her character, especially in terms of reacting to what’s going on around her, and there was never a moment Kiri wasn’t selling.

There is a sizable number of religious motifs spread throughout undertone, including angels, crosses, and children. These inclusions could have solely been included as a backdrop to the film’s ghostly elements, but Ian Tuason uses them in a much more complex manner, expressing the relationship between children and parents, one’s fate, and seeking meaning through the extraordinary. It expertly delves into humanity’s relationship with faith and the power it can wield over someone. Although faith has often been depicted as sheltering someone, this film is the complete opposite, concluding in a bleak, psychologically torturous manner that ties the story in a sadistic yet satisfying bow.

undertone is not only one of A24’s most creative horror efforts but also one of their most terrifying films in recent years. Oozing dread in every frame, Ian Tuason’s directorial debut is the sensory overload many horror movies have been lacking, using sound to its full horror potential. With stunning cinematography and a darkly tragic screenplay, this is the kind of horror movie that stays with you long after the credits roll. Sound has never been this scary.

undertone will be released in theaters nationwide on March 13.

Rating: 9/10

Oscar Prospects:

Best Sound