Aahana Swrup
In ‘Undertone,’ podcast hosts Evy and Justin stumble across a strange set of audio recordings, which becomes the focus of their upcoming episodes. The files follow the strange occurrences unraveling around an expecting couple, Jessa and Mike. However, what should’ve been a time of unbridled joy for the parents-to-be becomes a nightmare when an unseen force starts haunting their lives.
While Evy goes through the couple’s audio recordings for the podcast, she remains confined in her childhood home as her dying mother’s primary caregiver. At the same time, she also finds herself with an unexpected pregnancy. Therefore, when she learns about Abyzou, the demonic entity linked to the files, her own reality spirals out of control. The film employs Abyzou and its demonic folklore as a foundational element in the story. Thus, the possible origins of the entity in reality remain worth exploring.
Abyzou is a Real Demon From Near Eastern and European Folklore
Despite being a story with supernatural horror at its center, ‘Underone’ retains a notable basis in reality. The character’s personal journey in the film remains rooted in Ian Tuason, the writer/director’s real-life experiences. Furthermore, the story strives to instill a sense of realism to heighten the story’s fear factor. Consequently, even the demonic aspect of the storyline finds some roots in reality. In the film, the paranormal entity behind the growing horrors is revealed to be Abyzou, a child-stelaing demon. This entity is an actual mythological demon, originating from the Near East and Europe.
Notably, Abyzou finds credible mentions in the ‘Testament of Solomon,’ a historical composite text dating all the way back to the 1st millennium AD. In folklore, the demon is believed to have been infertile herself. As a result, she preys on young or expecting mothers, targeting them and their babies as her victims in a fit of jealousy. For the same reason, she is considered to be the source of infant mortality and miscarriages. ‘Undertone’ takes inspiration from this same myth, expanding upon it and infusing it within the narrative to add a sense of realism to the paranormal aspects of the storyline.
In a conversation with In Review Online, Tuason spoke about the inclusion of the entity in the film. He shared, “I wanted to find a demon from ancient folklore that killed children. The idea was that Evy doesn’t want to have a child, and maybe she’s unconsciously summoning this demon to take away this burden that she has. That was the original idea. And then I found Abyzou, which was a demon from the Testament of Solomon, which is an ancient book, an ancient scripture. She was perfect for this movie.”
Furthermore, Tuason observed another point of relevance between the real-life demonic entity and his film, which focuses on the nature of inherited stories through the concept of nursery rhymes. He added, “(Again,) It’s just like nursery rhymes. The Testament of Solomon is passed on through oral tradition. Solomon’s Testament was his oral rendition of what he says he went through. Then that gets passed on from generation to generation until we have this being that exists only in our imagination. But since we’re all connected in many ways, in language and culture, who’s to say that this entity doesn’t really exist?” Ultimately, the folklore and demonology surrounding the existing idea of Abyzou informs the film’s fictitious depiction of the entity.
Read More: Is Undertone Based on a True Story?
