Parents' Guide to Undertone

This unique horror movie relies largely on clever sound design and a limited setting, but it still conjures up a world of sympathetic characters, a strong story, and spine-chilling scares. The feature writing and directing debut of Ian Tuason, Undertone takes place entirely in one house, with only two characters seen on-screen, one of whom doesn't speak. And other characters are only heard over the phone or on recordings. (A nurse who comes to visit stands out of view behind a wall.) That places a great deal of weight on Evy, and Kiri finds the perfect center of gravity for her. It helps that Tuason's screenplay only hints at the tensions and conflicts between Evy and her mom, her boyfriend, and Justin; there's room for Kiri (and viewers) to fill in the blanks. The movie builds on this with its themes of strained relationships between mothers and children.

Even in such a limited setting, the camera always seems to have been placed for maximum effect and efficiency. Sometimes we watch Evy as she listens and thinks, and other times we look around at her mom's collection of faith-based knickknacks and cherubs. (It's an alien environment for Evy, who identifies as a realist.) Other times, we're given an odd or startling angle. But it's the sound design that's king here. When Evy puts on her headphones, viewers are in there with her. The sound doesn't terrify us because it's loud and sudden; rather, it's a symphony of terror that builds. The only drawback is that, in order to work at full capacity, Undertone has to be seen in a state-of-the-art theater with superior sound—it probably won't work quite as well at home (or without headphones). But to really hear it is an experience of sensory mayhem that horror hounds won't soon forget.