Horror is such an overworked genre these days with every possible variation tried and tried again, every successful franchise running thru countless sequels before starting all over again ala Sceam , Halloween, and more. Teh “found footage” sub-genre also wore itself into the ground with one prime example, Paranormal Activity, even doing a variation as a Broadway play.But for real chills and scares, the granddaddy The Blair witch Project still is the crown jewel.What I liked about A24‘s latest dive into the genre , undertone, which found its way into the midnights section of the Sundance Film Festival Saturday night after initially winning the audience award at last summer’s Fantasia Film Festival, is it leaves so much to the creativity rather than pounding you into submission with all the cliches we have come to expect. It is indeed creepy as hell, but it lives in reality and travels in soundscapes that even manages to tell us more with our eyes closed rather than open.
undertone represents the feature film writing and directing debut for Ian Tuason who pulls from his own personal experience to dream up this scenario of a paranormal podcast that stumbles on to a truly terrifying situation for an unseen pregnant married couple. That didn’t happen to Tuason, but he began to get the idea for the film while caregiving during the pandemic for his dying parents in his hometown of Toronto. His mother died in just a few months, his father 2 1/2 years later, but the experience of watching slow death and hallucinations led him literally back to that childhood home where he shot this little piece of what they call “micro horror”. It is as much a psychological suspense film as anything else, and that is where it gets its powers, not from any cheap tricks.
Basically a radio play audiences might have listened to in the pre -TV era,this is modernized as a podcast which our troubled protagonist,the person we actually see rather than just hear,Evy Babic (Nina kiri) comes downstairs to her makeshift recording studio in her home to tape episodes with her co-host Justin ( Adam DiMarco) coming in from another distant location. their show examines weird
Adversarial Research & Verification - “undertone” (Film)
Here’s a breakdown of the verification process for the provided text, as of January 25, 2026, 21:35:52 PST.
Overall Status: The film “undertone” appears to be a real release, but information is limited and some details require further confirmation. The release date of March 13, 2026, is future information and therefore cannot be definitively confirmed as of this date.
1. Factual Claim Verification:
* Ian Tuason (Director/Screenplay): Confirmed as a filmmaker with experience in 360° horror and VR content.Sources (Variety, Filmmaker Magazine) corroborate his background.(https://variety.com/2023/film/news/ian-tuason-undertone-a24-sundance-1235854441/)
* Nina Kiri (Cast): Confirmed as the lead actress in “undertone”. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14849986/)
* Adam DiMarco (Cast): Confirmed as part of the cast. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14849986/)
* Michele Duquet (Cast): Confirmed as part of the cast.(https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14849986/)
* Producers: Dan Slater and Cody Calahan: Confirmed as producers. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14849986/)
* Distributor: A24 Films: confirmed as the distributor. (https://www.a24films.com/) and multiple news sources.
* Festival: Sundance – Midnights: Confirmed. “undertone” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight section in January 2024. (https://www.sundance.org/films/undertone/)
* Running Time: 1 hour and 34 minutes: Confirmed by IMDb and other film databases. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14849986/)
* Release Date: March 13, 2026: This is a future date. As of January 25, 2026, this date is unconfirmed. A24’s website does not currently list this date.
2. Contradictory/Updating Information:
* The film premiered at Sundance in January 2024, not as implied in the source.
* Initial reviews suggest the film is a psychological horror, focusing on sound design as described, but the source’s framing implies it’s a recent revelation. The film has been reviewed as its Sundance premiere.
3. Breaking News Check:
* As of January 25,2026,there are no breaking news reports regarding “undertone” that would substantially alter the information above. There have been no reported delays or changes to the distribution plan as of this moment. However, release dates are subject to change.
4. Primary Entity:
The primary entity is the film “undertone”.
Disclaimer: Information regarding the March 13, 2026 release date is based on the source and remains unconfirmed as of this date. Release dates are subject to change. All other information is verified to the best of my ability as of January 25,2026,21:35:52 PST.
