A24’s latest horror flick undertone puts a new twist on screen-life horror: instead of playing out the story via windows on a computer screen, the terrors in the film unfurl through a series of podcast sessions. Evy and Justin (played by Nina Kiri and The White Lotus’s Adam DiMarco) cohost a podcast dissecting paranormal events. When they begin to dive into a series of ten audio files sent by a mystery contributor, things start to shift in the home Evy shares with her ill mother (Michèle Duquet). Unfortunately, the story that follows is messy and cliched, failing to live up to the inventive horror films A24 is often known for putting out.

To the film’s credit, the sound design is excellent. It was a key piece of the marketing campaign, and it doesn’t disappoint. Dolby is the way to go with this one, as the audio is truly a key character in the film that is enhanced by a quality sound system. The movement of the sound is never predictable and really drives any sense of unease undertone can muster, going beyond simple jump scares and placing the audience within the confines of the film’s setting. It feels almost claustrophobic, like a pair of headphones has slipped over your ears and the rest of the world has been drowned out. What’s most impressive is that the sound team pulled this off within the constraints of a meager $500,000 budget for the entire film.

Visually, writer-director Ian Tuason struggles to find an identity here in his first feature film. Because the story is so rooted in sound, the camerawork almost feels like an afterthought. There’s an over-reliance on slow panning shots that are meant to build tension, but they pale in comparison to what is heard. It feels a bit derivative of a film like Paranormal Activity (perhaps fittingly, Tuason’s next project is the eighth entry in the franchise next year). A more interesting approach to undertone could have been completely removing the visuals more consistently, which would have heightened the aural experience even more. There’s a taste of that in the final act, but it’s not used as effectively as it could have been.

Of the 3 principal acting performances, Kiri has the best showing as Evy. Being one of only two characters we see on screen, she does a solid job centering herself as a protagonist to root for and is believable as a skeptical podcaster. The same cannot be said for DiMarco’s voice performance as Evy’s podcast partner Justin. Several of his line readings are unintentionally comical in moments when the tension is meant to ramp up. Rounding out the trio, Duquet has the toughest assignment as Evy’s mother, as she is mostly mute. She takes on that challenge well but is a bit underutilized considering the intrigue and mystery around her character.

Searching for any sense of conclusion that helps the events in undertone make sense or tie together in some way is a fool’s errand. Several pieces of lore and mythology are picked up along the way, as if to build a larger narrative around the events this podcast host is experiencing. Unfortunately, they are essentially dropped without further notice soon after introduction. An exploration of Evy’s mother and her condition initially seems like a vital part of the story but ends up feeling like a side plot by the end. Time after time the film fails to build anything narratively that sets itself apart from any low budget horror film you saw last year and have probably already forgotten about. If you’re there to appreciate the crafts and maybe jump in your chair once or twice, there’s some fun to be had—just check your brain at the theater door.

undertone will be released in theaters nationwide on March 13.

OSCAR POTENTIAL:

• While the sound mixing nomination for 2018’s “A Quiet Place” proved that the Academy can be open to recognizing the often-overlooked sound work in horror films, don’t expect that same love for Undertone. The former had more general awards buzz and was boosted by A-List celebrity actors such as Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. It’s hard to see a path to awards success for this film without additional recognition in other areas.