Undertone should be on every horror movie enthusiast’s list. The movie marked Ian Tuason’s directorial debut, but there’s one thing that sets it apart, and that is its creative process. Tuason discussed the entire thought process behind his movie, including his inspiration.
Ian Tuason’s creative process behind Undertone
Ian Tuason spoke to Discussing Film about using EVP recordings as an influence on his film, Undertone. He said, “I was watching this show about the security camera footage in a Toys’ R ’ Us, and there was a voice that was heard, which said, ‘I’ve come here with Betty. I’m so cold.’ I took the line I’m so cold. I put it into the film, and it’s the last thing you say that you can understand something’s wrong, Justin, I’m so cold, so yeah, I did. I stole from a ghost. That’s an actual line that a ghost said, or that was on the recording.”
EVP, as it is commonly called, is a device that helps transmit unintelligible voices into messages. It helps paranormal investigators interpret radio frequencies as spirit messages. But where have we heard that before exactly? Well, Ghost Adventures (2008) used this device at haunted places.
Another great example would be Buzzfeed Unsolved, co-hosted by Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej. Tuason’s use of the recordings for dialogues adds an eerie undertone to the movie, a pun intended. The film blends the mishmash of whispers and screeching to make it a nerve-chilling yet thrilling experience!
What makes it even better is Evy, the main character, who is positioned in the middle of this chaos. Played by Nina Kiri, the character is utterly skeptical until she is driven into a state of extreme fear.
The film relays the binary of the skeptic versus the believer, but it does so differently. It puts Evy, Justin, and Evy’s mother into the scenario while other characters remain secondary or even tertiary to the scene.
They do not appear as solid characters but haunting voices that amp up the horror quotient of the movie.
