Undertone (1972) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The story is set primarily in Evangeline 'Evy' Babig's family home, a domestic space that serves double duty as both a caregiving environment for her ailing mother and the base for The Undertone podcast. The house itself becomes a character, manifesting creeping disturbances through flickering lights, strange noises, and eerie symbols that hint at a deeper curse.

• evy babig house
• haunted home
• domestic setting
• the undertone podcast location

Evangeline 'Evy' Babig is the protagonist, a caring daughter and skeptic-turned-investigator who hosts The Undertone podcast with her friend Justin. She juggles caregiving for her ailing mother with an unexpected pregnancy, which intensifies her vulnerability to the escalating hauntings. Her practical demeanor clashes with the demonic forces that exploit her fears and memories.

• evy babig protagonist
• evangeline babig character
• main character undertone

The Undertone is a podcast that functions as both a narrative lens and a dangerous gateway to the supernatural. Hosted by Evy and her friend Justin, the podcast investigates anonymous audio files that blur fiction and reality. Each file reveals a darker truth behind a lullaby, pulling the hosts deeper into a malevolent pattern tied to the demon Abyzou.

• the undertone podcast
• audio files
• found footage podcast
• jessa and mike audio

The motherhood theme centers on Evy's pregnancy and the demon Abyzou, historically linked to cursed mothers. The film uses pregnancy as a battleground where love, vulnerability, and fear collide, Evy must protect her unborn child while facing a demonic force that exploits maternal terror. The theme explores how the protective instinct itself becomes a vulnerability.

• motherhood theme
• abyzou demon
• cursed mothers
• pregnancy horror

The Undertone podcast serves as both storytelling device and dangerous conduit. The taped audio clues blur the line between fiction and reality, pulling Evy and Justin deeper into a malevolent pattern. The film's meta-theme examines how audience curiosity amplifies danger, each podcast reveal makes the listener complicit in uncovering the curse.

• media as conduit
• podcast horror
• found footage
• audio files danger

Undertone draws on myths surrounding Abyzou, a demon associated with cursed mothers, and historical hints about London Bridge's foundations. References to Eleanor of Provence and buried orphans suggest a curse tied to architecture and memory. These legends provide a mechanism for the haunting, linking present horror to ancient harm that outlives individual characters.

• abyzou demon
• london bridge
• eleanor of provence
• historical curse folklore

Justin Manuel is Evy's friend and podcast co-host who leans into belief in supernatural phenomena. He introduces the anonymous audio files to Evy and drives their investigation, framing the events as real rather than hoax. His skepticism transforms into mounting fear as the tapes reveal a pattern and malevolent entity, making him a partner in the investigation whose safety grows precarious.

• justin manuel character
• podcast co-host
• investigator character

Jessa and Mike are the couple whose voices populate the mysterious audio files. Jessa appears through recordings as someone who sings in sleep and speaks backwards, hinting at deeper disturbance. Their relationship and looming pregnancy suggest a motive and vulnerability exploited by Abyzou, making them both victims and participants in the growing horror.

• jessa undertone
• mike undertone
• audio files couple
• cursed couple

Evelyn Babig is Evy's ailing mother, bedridden and fragile, whose declining health anchors the film's stakes. Her late-night caregiving rituals blur into supernatural disturbances, suggesting she may be a vessel for or witness to the haunting. Her presence serves as both catalyst for fear and emotional pressure on Evy, representing the vulnerability of terminal illness.

• evelyn babig
• evy mother
• caregiving
• ailing mother character

Abyzou is a demonic entity in Undertone linked to cursed mothers and historical folklore about infanticide. The demon haunts Evy both from within, through her pregnancy, and through the audio files. The film draws on mythological traditions where Abyzou represents the fears surrounding motherhood, using the demon as a mechanism that connects ancient curses to modern-day terror.

• abyzou
• demon
• antichrist figure
• supernatural entity
• mythology

Evy's family home serves as both sanctuary and prison, the domestic setting grounds the horror in a tangible, lived-in space while the supernatural manifestations escalate within it. The house doubles as The Undertone podcast headquarters, blending daily caregiving with occult dread. Its familiar walls become a container for creeping disturbances that blur domestic safety with demonic threat.

• haunted house
• domestic horror
• evy home
• undertone location

Darren is Evy's partner, who is partially present but largely unhelpful during the caregiving crisis. His limited involvement highlights Evy's isolation and adds tension to the domestic setting. He becomes a counterpoint to Evy's determination, illustrating how personal relationships falter under the pressure of supernatural haunting and caregiving stress.

• darren character
• evy partner
• strained relationship