“Undertone” (2025)
“Undertone” delivers expert-level tension building while not having the most compelling storytelling.
For almost the entire 93-minute runtime of “Undertone,” tension builds. I felt it so much that I was sweating and I’m sure my heart rate was elevated. You know something is coming around the corner at any moment, so you enter fight or flight mode. And since you’re watching a movie, you opt for fight mode.
I’m not spoiling anything here, but for me, the exercise in tension was much more intriguing than the actual tension release moment the movie provided.
“Undertone” is a unique auditory experience, using sound effects to elevate the tension. For that reason alone, I must recommend you watch this either in a theater or in a home viewing situation that has at least a 5.1 channel sound system.
As someone who watches a lot of movies, I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced anything quite like this, and the Dolby Cinema surround sound presentation definitely helped.