Undertone
- Viktoria
- 21 hours ago
- 4 min read
Director: Ian Tuason
Year of release: 2026
Countries of origin: Canada, United States
Spoiler status: Light spoilers
Genre: Supernatural horror
Undertone is a supernatural horror movie about a woman who moves into her dying mother's house and finds herself facing an ancient evil. This take on the genre definitely isn't new, but they did manage to put a modern twist on the story. Evy's a podcaster who dives into creepy and scary stories with her friend, Justin. She's a sceptic, while he represents the people who believe there's something more out there. This time, they stumble upon some audio files that promise a great story for their new episode, but they have no idea what trouble these innocent-looking recordings will bring. The marketing team put a lot of effort into making us believe this movie's going to be something different and "the scariest movie you'll ever hear".
Did they actually manage to deliver on their promises? Let's dive in and find out!
The plot of Undertone
Undertone starts out as your ordinary, run-of-the-mill supernatural horror movie. Evy moves into her dying mother's house. At this point, it's not about trying to make her feel better; it's about easing her journey to the other side. The whole movie takes place inside this house, making it a bottle movie. This kind of production can be amazing for supernatural horror movies because it creates an eerie, high-tension atmosphere. Is this the case for Undertone, too? It definitely helped with creating a dread-inducing ambiance that often had me on the edge of my seat. The problem is that when it comes to bottle movies, the element that pushes the plot is the dialogue, which, in this case, wasn't the best. Most interactions between Evy and Justin sounded soulless and forced, which detracted from the eerie vibe the director created by engulfing half the house in thick shadows and silence. The story alone reminded me of something that would've been posted on Creepypasta way back in 2010 when the site was still at its peak. This means that the idea was great, it had major potential, but unfortunately, most deliveries flattened it to the point where it turned boring.
Is Undertone actually scary?
As I mentioned already, the movie definitely had moments that brought me to the edge of my seat, but it felt more like they were teasing, not actually delivering. The camera was panning around the whole time, making me believe a mild jump scare might occur, but it never happened. The same goes for shrouding half the screen in deep darkness most of the time. I'm used to directors using this trick to heighten the feeling of dread in the audience, but I'm definitely NOT used to not getting anything out of it. The movie's runtime is roughly an hour and a half. In all that time, we saw a human-shaped figure faintly appearing from the shadows exactly twice. And when it finally happened, it felt so mild because all the teasing took away from the intensity of the actual moment. So even though I appreciate the atmosphere building, after some time, it got annoying because I kept expecting a scare that just wouldn't happen.
Who is Abyzou?
This whole story is centered around a mysterious entity by the name of Abyzou. According to Near Eastern, European, and Jewish folklore, this being is to blame for infertility, miscarriages, and the death of infants. Before I started researching for this article, I was convinced this being was created just for this movie, but it seems the writers drew inspiration from actual folklore. It's a shame the villain didn't live up to its potential. A child-snatching demon that infests the home of pregnant couples and slowly drives them insane is a scary idea and is a great base for a horror movie, but unfortunately, the subpar acting sucked the dread right out of the plot. Abyzou has great horror and thriller potential, if only someone knew how to use it.
Is Undertone good?
Considering that this movie is a low-budget horror, I'd say it's okay. There is a lot left to be desired, good acting most of all. The worst thing about it to me is that it teases dread without ever getting the viewer to the point of an actual scare. I was sitting in front of the screen, following every camera panning, analyzing every Dutch tilt, trying to figure out the point of them because they led to nothing. It's one thing to use these techniques sparingly to raise tension, but it's a completely different thing to use them constantly throughout the movie and do absolutely nothing with them other than irritate the audience (not in a good way). So, no. Undertone isn't good, it's okay. I have to admit, though, it might be because I had high expectations of this movie. Their marketing team did a great job at hyping it to the point where I actually believed it's going to be one of the scariest movies out there. So if you weren't part of the hype train, you actually might enjoy it more than I did. If you haven't watched the movie yet, but you want to sneak a peek, make sure to check out the trailer below.
Rating: 🕯️🕯️
Undertone gets a 2/5 because even though it was a low-budget horror movie, I can't get over the fact that the acting was so flat. It definitely needs a remake with a bigger budget and actors who know how to affect the atmosphere using only their voice. You simply can't make a bottle movie with actors who don't know how to transfer emotions through their voice. The whole movie relies on their tone and expressions. That's literally the soul of the movie, because the whole plot is based within a confined space without major action. Without that, this movie is a boring dread tease.
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