SPOILER WARNING

On March 9, an early screening of the horror film “Undertone” hit AMC Deer Valley. Moviegoers flooded the seats, anticipating the so-called “scariest movie of the year,” according to Cinapse.

“Undertone” follows Evy (Nina Kiri), a paranormal podcast host. While caring for her bedridden mother, Evy receives a series of disturbing audio messages on her show to cover. As she digs deeper, hidden meanings and eerie sounds begin to blur the line between reality and fiction.

With haunting sound designs, the film's slow-burn tension allows the audience to feel every beat that is portrayed. Focusing on the auditory aspect mostly kept the movie unique and aided in the idea that, for some viewers, this film is the scariest movie they’ve ever seen.

Although it is still early in 2026, Collider referred to the film as “the scariest movie you’ll ever hear.”. Considering every horror movie ever made, all horror films claim themselves to be the ‘scariest’ compared to all of their contenders.

However, this movie is different. As stated previously, this film primarily focuses on audio and whether or not the viewer is hearing correctly, making the viewers contemplate the possibility that some things aren’t meant to be heard.

The immersive audio cues made me feel as if I was listening to these cryptic messages myself. There were times that it seemed to get a little too relatable.

The characters in the film would look through old childhood nursery rhymes and play them in reverse to look for subliminal messaging. This felt extremely familiar to me as I related to doing that same thing when I was younger.

Everyone remembers being afraid of the dark at some point in their lives, but how often does a film make you close your eyes and open your ears?

Some online reviews tend to compare this film to works such as “The Blair Witch Project” and “Paranormal Activity.” Both films have their own distinct approach to the horror genre and have become well known pieces of fiction.

Despite this, I’d argue that this film is most similar to one of the scariest horror movies I have ever seen — “Skinamarink.”

In a similar style, “Skinamarink” takes place in a house where things start escalating terribly through a demonic entity.

“Undertone” doesn’t shy away from the focus on religious symbolism. The demon that appears to be tormenting the protagonist is brought up throughout religious texts, like the Holy Bible.

The use of religious imagery can deeply affect those who follow it, including me. Anything with creepy dolls, crying babies or the occasional elder relative always tend to give me the creeps.

Some horror flicks tackle the subject, but fall short. Meanwhile, “Undertone” takes this topic in an interesting way that doesn’t seem blatantly obvious or bland. The film doesn’t even need to show the demon to make its presence known.

I’d say this film is the scariest film I have ever heard so far in 2026. Compared to some of the latest horror flops that have been released in theaters, it’s safe to say that this film surprised me in the best ways.