The fear of midterms is a big one, but the fear of a child-killing demon is on a whole other level of scary. If you want to procrastinate on studying for midterms this week, go see A24’s new feature, “undertone.”
Evy (Nina Kiri) is a podcaster caring for her dying mother. When Evy and her podcasting partner Justin (Adam DiMarco) listen to a series of audio files from a couple experiencing paranormal activity, Evy realizes the files reflect her own life.
Director and writer Ian Tuason created a captivating, subtle horror film with “undertone.” The significance of the horror is in the layer of sound — every crevice of your ear will beg you to leave the theater.
Bursts of loud noises are sporadically placed through the film, almost acting as jump scare sequences. The score is perfectly eerie as well.
What kept my attention most in this film was the story. Although the voice acting isn’t the greatest, it didn’t take away too much from the initial concept, which never failed to keep me wondering what would happen next.
If you want something scarier to take your mind off of the horror of looming midterms, then go see “undertone.”
Undertone released to theaters on March 13, 2026. Picture by PopHorror.