Independent and low-budget horror films are a unique art form all their own. Films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Evil Dead, and The Blair Witch Project were filmed for pennies in comparison to some of the other movies of their kind. It’s entirely possible to make something amazing for very little money. The latest horror movie to prove this is A24's Undertone. I won’t say that it’s destined for legendary status, it never quite reaches the heights that the true classics do, but it’s more entertaining than a lot of modern horror and much scarier.

The story is contained to mostly just one character, Evy (Nina Kiri), as she takes care of her dying mother. At night she hosts a horror podcast with her friend and collaborator, Justin (Adam DiMarco), who is heard but never seen. When the pair are sent a series of strange recordings, they decide to listen to them for the podcast. As they do, Evy begins to notice unsettling things happening around her mother’s house and must figure out what happened in the recordings before it also happens to her.

The decision to show almost nobody besides Evy on camera and to keep the entire film confined to one location is brilliant. It not only saves money but also draws the audience in and keeps them in a grounded location that makes sense. It really goes a long way toward making the movie feel focused and spooky.

Without question, the star of the show is the sound design. It’s rare that I get to throw praise at a specific production department, but the entire sound team knocked this out of the park. The podcast, the background noise, the way Evy’s headphones mute that noise, and the voices and sound effects on the recordings are all spectacular. In particular, I love how the various sound effects seem to move throughout the house, leading the audience around without having to move the camera.

Speaking of the camera, the cinematography also needs to be highlighted. The way that director Ian Tuason and his team use the negative space in his shots is very unique. He doesn’t make Evy the sole focus of most shots, and he’s happy to linger on empty space as a way to build tension. It makes the actual scares much more effective, because you’ve been building them up in your head thanks to the superb camera work.

My biggest complaint with the film is, unfortunately, the acting. Kiri does an admirable enough job. It’s never easy to act essentially by yourself, so I think she does about as well as one could hope. However, this is not going to be a voice performance DiMarco will want to show off. His inflection and vocal tone are wrong for nearly every scene. Not only did I not believe him as a podcast host, I didn’t believe him as a person. Voice acting is difficult in its own way, but there’s just no way to excuse such a distracting performance.

Despite the acting not blowing me away, the movie is just so well made that I really don’t care. If you are someone who enjoys the craftsmanship of horror movies or even just loves being scared, Undertone is an easy recommendation. Give it a try, you’ll see (and hear) what I mean.