A24 just dropped the trailer for Undertone, a chilling indie horror film that leans hard into sound, silence, and psychological dread. This unsettling paranormal thriller will take horror fans on an unnerving ride.
The film first premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival in 2025, where it stood out as a nerve-shredding audio-driven experience. It’s now gearing up for another major showcase at the Sundance Film Festival later this month as part of the Midnight section, which feels like the perfect home for a movie this dark and intense.
Undertone follows Evy, played by Nina Kiri, a supernatural podcast host whose life is already fraying as she moves back home to care for her dying mother. Her podcast, fittingly titled The Undertone, becomes her anchor while everything else slips out of focus.
Things take a disturbing turn when her co-host Justin, voiced by Adam DiMarco, sends her a new batch of audio recordings. These tapes come from a pregnant couple documenting what appears to be a paranormal presence invading their home.
As Evy listens, the recordings start to mirror her own experiences in ways that are impossible to ignore. Each tape digs deeper, blurring the line between coincidence and something far more sinister. As one chilling moment in the trailer puts it, “It wants to be heard!”
What makes Undertone especially creepy is its commitment to sound as the primary vehicle for horror. Evy is the only character ever seen on screen. Everyone else exists purely through voice recordings, phone calls, and audio files.
That creative choice turns the film into an immersive nightmare where what you hear is far more terrifying than anything you could see. The trailer makes it clear that the sound design is the engine driving the fear.
The film is written and directed by Ian Tuason, marking his first feature after previously directing The Occurrence on Hollow Road and several short films.
The cast also includes Kris Holden-Ried, Michèle Duquet, Keana Lyn Bastidas, Sarah Beaudin, Seled Calderon, and Adam DiMarco, all contributing voice performances that layer into the film’s eerie audio tapestry.
Here’s the official synopsis: “Strained by the responsibility of having to care for her dying mother, Evy (Nina Kiri) seeks respite from the loneliness of her fragmented reality. Now living in a house full of keepsakes & memories, her sanity and structure lies within her work on a supernatural podcast, The Undertone.
“While she usually plays skeptic to the creepy (and often disturbing) audio files sent to her by co-host Justin (Adam DiMarco) for podcast fodder, the latest submission hits differently. A series of 10 recordings from a young pregnant couple are unfurled one by one, each more ominous than the last.
“As Evy draws parallels to her current plight, hidden messages manifest, pushing her further toward madness.”
A24 will release Undertone in select U.S. theaters starting March 13th, 2026.
