20 Awesome Recent Horror Movies You Definitely Missed
8. Undertone
It's honestly impressive that a film as low-key as Undertone got a theatrical release at all, given that Ian Tuason's brilliantly experimental feature debut takes place in a single location with just two on-screen characters and consists largely of our protagonist listening to cursed recordings.
But this is an uncommonly engrossing film because Tuason fully leans into the limitations of his $500,000 budget, creating a discomfortingly claustrophobic experience that soars on the strength of its tactile, ultra-immersive sound design.
Nina Kiri is fantastic in the central role of Evy - a paranormal podcaster who receives a series of disturbing recordings of apparent supernatural phenomena - and, as the only character with substantial screen time, ably carries the entire film on her back.
Tuason uses both noise and silence to create an oppressive mood inside Evy's home, delivering a uniquely chilling experience that wraps up inside of a tight 94 minutes.
The film's success ultimately won Tuason the job directing the next Paranormal Activity film, and it's easy to see why.