Okay, so I just saw the trailer for this new A24 horror film, and it’s seriously creepy – it centers around podcasts, which is a really interesting idea. Everyone who’s seen it early is saying it’s genuinely terrifying and deeply unsettling, and honestly, the buzz is incredible. They’re even starting to call it a potential frontrunner for the scariest movie of 2026! The trailer does a great job of setting up the story and highlighting those amazing initial reactions. It’s coming out soon, and I’m already counting down the days!
Undertone is a Canadian horror film and the first feature from director Ian Tuason. The movie centers on Evy, played by Nina Kiri (known from The Handmaid’s Tale), and her friend Justin (Adam DiMarco from The White Lotus), who co-host a podcast about the supernatural. Nina usually plays the role of the skeptic, while Justin believes in the paranormal. When Nina moves in with her ailing mother, she begins investigating a potential haunting, which might unleash demonic forces into her life and onto their show.
New undertone Trailer Showcases Its Unique Style of Horror (& Critics Are Loving It)
The new horror film undertone is gaining a reputation as truly terrifying, largely due to the innovative sound design by Ian Tuason. Like the classic thriller Blow Out, the film relies on sound editing to create its scares. The story follows Evy, who discovers unsettling low-frequency sounds in a recording. Once noticed, these subtle “whispers” reveal a supernatural presence that’s impossible to ignore.
The horror film Undertone explores a uniquely modern fear: the idea that our constant use of headphones and screens could open a doorway to the supernatural. Even before the movie’s release, the concept that advanced audio and video technology might allow us to perceive the demonic is unsettling. Some reviewers suggest the film also delves into broader themes, questioning whether we can truly trust what we see and hear in an age of misinformation and fabricated content.
Many viewers have commended Tuason for creating the film with a remarkably low budget of only $500,000, and its success has led to him being chosen to reboot the Paranormal Activity franchise with Atomic Monster and Blumhouse. The film undertone is also receiving attention for featuring Nina Kiri as virtually the only actor on screen throughout most of its runtime (aside from brief appearances of her mother). The movie’s effectiveness largely depends on Kiri’s ability to keep the audience engaged through her performance and facial expressions, as she carries the emotional weight of the story.
Ross Bonaime from Collider believes the film undertone deserves serious consideration for the Oscars next year. He notes that the sound design is incredibly effective in a theater, blurring the line between the movie and the audience’s reactions, particularly during intense scenes. He suggests the film would be even more unsettling when viewed alone with headphones. Given the Academy Awards’ increasing openness to recognizing horror films, Bonaime feels undertone should definitely be a contender for the Best Sound award at the 2027 Oscars.
While it might sound like an overstatement to compare this film to an early Academy Awards winner, the 2024 Oscars did recognize Zone of Interest, a movie with a similar approach. It tells the story of Rudolf Höss, a Nazi officer, and his family who lived next to the Auschwitz concentration camp while he was in charge. The film uses a detailed sound design to constantly remind viewers of the suffering within the camp—the work, the cries, the torture, and the killings—but the Nazi family carries on with their everyday lives as if nothing is wrong.
If Undertone successfully blends a cinematic feel with genuine horror, audiences will likely be left genuinely frightened by everyday sounds at home or even while using headphones. The movie hits theaters on March 13th. Join the discussion about horror in 2026 on the ComicBook Forum!
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2026-02-05 19:41