Movie Review - Undertone
A24 did it again. My love/hate relationship with them continues, and with Undertone, I’ll admit they at least had me on edge.
The film follows Evy, a podcaster who starts receiving a series of mysterious recordings — and what she hears begins to creep into her reality in ways she can’t explain. That’s about all you need to know going in.
Where Undertone genuinely earns its keep is in the atmosphere. The lighting, the ambient dread, the sound design — they all work together to build a sustained sense of unease that got under my skin. This is essentially a horror movie you hear more than you see, and when it works, it really works. Without that emotional anchor, the scares feel like they’re happening to a stranger. And honestly, that’s where the good news ends. From there, Undertone goes downhill fast.
My issue? Evy. I never connected with her. Whether that’s the writing, the performance, or both, something kept me from caring about what happened to her — and when you’re watching a one-woman show for most of the runtime, that’s a problem.
One practical note: this movie is hard to hear. Dialogue gets swallowed up by the atmosphere, and there were moments I felt like I was missing something important. If you can catch it in a Dolby theater, that’s probably your best bet — apparently, A24 released it there specifically for the audio experience. Otherwise, watching at home with a rewind button is genuinely the smarter call.
It had the bones of something genuinely unsettling, but not enough came together to make it worth the trouble.
Grade: C-
| Rated: | (R) NA |
| Genres: | Horror |
| USA release date: | 2026-03-13 |
| Movie length: | 94 minutes |
| Starring: | Nina Kiri, Adam DiMarco, Michèle Duquet, Keana Bastidas |
| Director: | Ian Tuason |
| Writer(s): | Ian Tuason |
| Language: | en |
| Country: | US |
Plot
The host of a popular paranormal podcast becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.
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