‘Undertone’ review: A horror experience built on sound and silence
By William Muthama, April 13, 2026Undertone is a psychological horror film that pulls viewers into a slow, suffocating spiral of fear built on sound, silence, and the collapse of certainty.
It marks the striking directorial debut of Canadian filmmaker Ian Tuason and arrives under the A24 banner as one of 2026’s most unsettling cinematic entries.
The film premiered at Fantasia International Film Festival in July 2025, later screening at Sundance 2026 before its wide theatrical release on Friday, March 13, 2026.
At the centre of the story is Evy Babic, a sceptical podcast host of All Things Creepy. While caring for her terminally ill mother (Michèle Duquet), Evy receives a set of ten anonymous audio recordings alongside her off-screen co-host Justin (voiced by Adam DiMarco).
What begins as material for content slowly mutates into something far more disturbing, as the recordings begin to reflect and infiltrate her reality.
Sound as horror
The horror in undertone does not rely on constant visual shocks. Instead, it leans heavily into psychological tension and sound design.
Whispered voices, reversed nursery rhymes, distorted domestic noises, and long stretches of silence create an atmosphere where the audience is never fully settled.
The film often feels like a podcast unravelling into a nightmare, forcing viewers to listen as closely as they watch.
Nina Kiri delivers a grounded and emotionally heavy performance, capturing Evy’s gradual descent from scepticism into fear and emotional fragility.
Her grief over her mother’s condition blends with the growing paranoia triggered by the recordings, blurring the line between emotional trauma and supernatural interference.
Tuason draws inspiration from real emotional experiences tied to caregiving and loss, giving the film its emotional weight beneath the horror structure.
It echoes elements of films like Hereditary and The Ring, but reshapes them into a quieter, more restrained form of terror.
While the pacing may feel slow for some audiences, that restraint is intentional. undertone builds its dread patiently, allowing silence and anticipation to do most of the work.
Verdict: 8.4/10