Paranormal Podcast Film ‘Undertone’ Upends the Horror Movie Genre, To Creepy Effect

How familiar are you with “creepypasta?” The term is mentioned in the press notes accompanying “undertone,” the debut feature by Canadian filmmaker Ian Tuason, and this is the first time this clueless boomer has come across it.“Creepypasta” is a shortened variant of copy-and-paste and refers to an online mash-up of old wives tales, urban legends and stories we tell each other around the campfire. However technologically advanced mankind might become, its members still like to be scared by things that go bump in the night.One facet of “creepypasta” that appealed to Mr. Tuason was how a select group of believers listen to songs played backwards in the attempt to divine messages buried within them. Are these young ‘uns familiar with the phrase “Turn me on, dead man?” Back in the day we were told that it derived from playing a Beatles’ sound collage, “Revolution 9,” backwards, thereupon confirming that Paul McCartney had met his great reward in 1966. Creepy this malarkey may have been; pasta is another matter.Be that as it may, Mr. Tuason owes the conspiratorially-minded a high-five. “Undertone” is a nifty horror film. The picture is a variation on the found footage genre, stories that take as their basis ready-made videos ostensibly culled from documentary sources. “The Blair Witch Project” (1999) directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, and the infinitely better “Paranormal Activity” franchise are standards of the genre.This time around sound provides the basis for both an exploration and dissemination of otherworldly goings-on. Mr. Tuason’s movie relies more on suggestion than the typical creature feature, and he’s dependent on a host of editors, mixers and designers to amplify, invent and otherwise orchestrate sound to carry dramatic weight. The ticking of clocks, rasping of breath, and creaking of floors are given prominence, as is, conversely, the silence afforded by noise cancelling headphones.“Undertone” is, essentially, a one-woman show, albeit with two on-screen actors. Michèle Duquet portrays a catatonic woman on her deathbed who is under the care of a daughter, thirty-something Evy (Nina Kiri). Evy skews a bit younger, particularly when she cohosts a supernatural podcast with a colleague, Justin (Adam DiMarco). We know Justin solely through his voice: he’s a believer in this kind of hocus-pocus. Evy, the rationalist, is Justin’s counterpoint.Ms. Kiri is very good as the axis of “undertone,” bringing nuance to a character attempting to find equilibrium between love and guilt, duty and resentment. Her health isn’t all that it could be — mom isn’t the only person in need of medical care — and Evy is more rattled than she’d like to admit by the receipt of an anonymous email that contains 10 audio files. They’re the home recordings of a married couple, Mike and Jessa (respectively, the voices of Jeff Yung and Keana Lyn Bastidas), that were begun as a lark and end as something else entirely.Mr. Tuason is, as screenwriter and director, an immensely clever fellow. He both relies upon and upends horror movie conventions, and the results are rewarding in form and unnerving in their particulars. The relationship between Evy and her mother will ring true to anyone who has had to care for a parent, and it provides grounding for a narrative that takes some wild turns. “undertone” should prove impressive even for those who don’t typically flock to genre films. Mr. Tuason has a promising career ahead of him.

Paranormal Podcast Film ‘Undertone’ Upends the Horror Movie Genre, To Creepy Effect

More from the New York Sun

One War Aim Might Require Boots on the Ground

Reckoning Ahead for Democrats Over Soaring Energy Costs

‘Insanity’: White House Blasts CBS News for Hiring Former Liz Cheney Staffer for Prestigious Job

More from the New York Sun

One War Aim Might Require Boots on the Ground

Reckoning Ahead for Democrats Over Soaring Energy Costs

‘Insanity’: White House Blasts CBS News for Hiring Former Liz Cheney Staffer for Prestigious Job

Trump Walks Back Welcome After Iran Says It Won’t Play in U.S.-Hosted World Cup

Trump Administration Plans Jones Act Waivers in Effort To Lower Skyrocketing Fuel Costs

Tsunami Survivors in Japan Reflect on the Double Disaster of Flooding and Meltdown at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant 15 Years Ago

Gunman Slams Truck Into Michigan Synagogue, Dies After Shootout With Guards

James Clyburn To Run for Re-Election at Age 85, Solidifying His Power Broker Status in 2028