Follow-Up to 2026’s Cult-Hit Horror Confirmed (& It’s What Fans Want)

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Ian Tuason’s first film, undertone, premiered in March after receiving positive reviews at film festivals and securing a distribution deal with A24. A clever marketing strategy promoted the movie as “the scariest movie you’ll ever hear,” and it paid off – the film earned $9.3 million in its opening weekend on a budget of just $500,000, eventually grossing over $18 million domestically. It also sparked a widespread discussion about how sound can be used to create horror. The story centers on Evy (Nina Kiri), a host of a paranormal podcast, who returns to her childhood home to care for her mother. She starts receiving audio recordings from Jessa (Keana Lyn Bastidas) and Mike (Jeff Yung), a couple whose initial curiosity about a demon named Abyzou quickly turns into a terrifying and inescapable ordeal. Viewers debated the film, social media analyzed it, and horror fans celebrated it as a unique and impactful low-budget success.

Tuason shared with Phantasmag that the next film will focus on the origins of the story, telling the tale of Mike and Jessa. This confirms it’s a prequel, showing the events that led up to the story we’ve already seen. He also mentioned plans for a trilogy, stating he’s in talks with A24 about a third film and feels it’s likely to happen. Tuason explained he was inspired by the open-ended nature of the first movie and wants to provide answers to lingering questions.

Undertone Deserves All the Love It Gets

The acclaim for the film undertone stems from director Tuason’s focused approach to filmmaking. She built the movie around a single setting and limited on-screen actors to just Kiri, with most other characters appearing only as voices. This choice challenges viewers to create the visuals in their minds. Instead of using typical jump scares, undertone cleverly uses the audience’s imagination to build suspense in a way that traditional monsters or obvious threats couldn’t.

This careful approach extends to the film’s overall themes. The protagonist, Evy, is pregnant while simultaneously receiving audio recordings detailing a mother haunted by Abyzou, a folkloric demon known for harming children. Simultaneously, Evy’s own mother is passing away nearby, surrounded by Catholic religious symbols. The director, Tuason, subtly layers these connections, allowing the audience to intuitively grasp the emotional impact. This restraint is unusual in a horror genre often reliant on lengthy explanations at the end to make its scares feel earned. Ultimately, the film’s atmospheric focus and ambiguous ending sparked strong word-of-mouth, contributing to its success as an independent production.

Are you looking forward to learning more about Jessa and Mike’s story in the undertone prequel? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion now in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-04-10 15:10