The Undertone – Movie Review | Fantasia (4/5)

THE UNDERTONE is getting its World Premiere at Fantasia 2025, and you’ll want to check it out as soon as you get the chance. This is a paranormal horror thriller that gets under your skin in all the right ways. Read our full The Undertone movie review here!

THE UNDERTONE is a new horror movie getting its World Premiere at Fantasia 2025. Based on the plot, I wasn’t sure what to expect of it, but I was definitely pleased with what I got. Or rather, I was on the edge of my seat and often horrified.

The plot is about a true crime podcaster caring for her dying mother, but the main plot turns more towards the paranormal. We’re in the one house from start to finish, and it’s entirely possible our main character is losing her mind. But then again, we might be too.

Continue reading our The Undertone movie review below.

Awaiting the death of a loved one

With The Undertone, we meet Evy (Nina Kiri) as she has moved in with her mother to care for her in the final days of her life. Instead of a hospice, she wants to be in her own home, so Evy is there to care for her. However, her mom is no longer conscious, so the days are long.

In that sense, it’s good that Evy has a job that she can take on from any location. She’s a podcaster, and with a remote partner, Justin, they’re working on the next episode. It’s a podcast about true crime, but usually with a paranormal or supernatural twist.

The podcast is called “The Undertone”, and while Evy is the skeptic, non-believer, her co-host Justin (voiced by Kris Holden-Ried) wants to believe. While on this solitary deathwatch, Evy tries to focus on their next podcast, but it’s a very odd one that seems to awaken something in her.

Justin has received an email with mysterious audio files. There are ten in total, and as they listen to them, something very strange seems to unfold for the two people in the recordings.

The recordings are of Mike and Jessa, who experience something extraordinary at night and have recorded it. What happens in these recordings will involve superstition, hidden messages in children’s songs, religion, and lots of sinister connotations.

Slow-burn but very intense

While slow-burn can sometimes just be slow storytelling, it can also be that creeping sensation that something dark is just around the next corner. Think Paranormal Activity, the first time you watched it.

Sure, it’s slow, and you’re constantly scanning the background looking for movement, waiting for something to happen. This is also the case with The Undertone, but you won’t be waiting too long before the first clues that something dark and sinister is afoot.

You’ll want to keep your eyes open and stay focused throughout, but don’t forget to also listen and pay attention. After all, there’s the concept of a podcast being made as well, so we also hear a lot of strange and eerie things.

In that sense, it reminded me of the horror anthology Calls, though we always see things happening on the screen as well.

The Undertone is screening at Fantasia 2025

The Undertone is the directorial debut of established sci-fi author Ian Tuason. I haven’t read any of his books, but after watching this movie, I think maybe I ought to.

In the press material for this movie, it’s listed as a slow-burn nightmare that fans of Skinamarink and I Am the Pretty Thing Who Lives in the House will love. This is probably true, but I wasn’t crazy about Skinamarink, though I did enjoy the latter by Osgood Perkins.

For me, it’s more along the lines of Paranormal Activity, Presence, or Monolith. The overall story and storytelling are strong with this movie, while Skinamarink was much more about a vibe and sensation, and very little core plot.

To each their own, but The Undertone is much more me.

Also, I like to see the eyes and faces of actors, and Nina Kiri (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Heretics) is brilliant in the lead here. In fact, she is the only one in the movie, we both see and hear.

We’re watching The Undertone as part of our Fantasia 2025 coverage, and you’ll want to watch it whenever you get the chance. We’ll update this review with information on a wider release when this is known. Try not to read spoilers before you watch it.

The Undertone is enjoying its World Premiere at Fantasia 2025.

Details

Director: Ian Tuason
Writer: Ian Tuason
Cast: Nina Kiri, Michele Duquet, Kris Holden-Ried, Keana Lyn-Bastidas, Jeff Yung