A24 Turns Sound Into a Weapon in undertone Trailer
A24 has quietly dropped one of the most nerve-fraying trailers of the year, and it is not interested in holding your hand through it. The newly released preview for undertone does not rely on rapid edits or flashy imagery. Instead, it does something far more unsettling. It forces you to listen.
Set for theatrical release on March 13, 2026, undertone positions itself as a horror film that understands how deeply sound can get under an audience’s skin. The trailer plays more like an audio assault than a traditional tease, built around low hums, distorted recordings, and moments of silence that feel deliberately hostile. It is the rare horror trailer that feels less watched and more endured.
undertone Uses Sound as Its Primary Horror Weapon
The film centers on a paranormal podcast host who relocates to her dying mother’s house to act as her primary caregiver. While attempting to balance emotional responsibility with her work, she begins receiving disturbing audio recordings from a young pregnant couple experiencing unexplained noises in their home. As she studies the recordings, she becomes increasingly aware that the woman’s experiences echo her own in ways that are impossible to ignore. What begins as research quickly turns personal, and then dangerous.
That emphasis on audio is not accidental. undertone is built around the idea that sound is memory, trauma, and threat rolled into one. The trailer makes this clear without spelling it out, allowing the audience to piece together the terror through tone rather than exposition. It is a confident approach, and one that fits neatly with A24’s ongoing interest in slow-burn, concept-driven horror that prioritises atmosphere over excess.
Ian Tuason Makes a Striking Feature Debut for A24
Leading the cast is Nina Kiri, known for her work on The Handmaid’s Tale. Based on the trailer alone, her performance leans heavily into restraint, selling fear through reaction rather than spectacle. She is supported by Kris Holden-Ried, Michèle Duquet, Keana Lyn Bastidas, and Jeff Yung, rounding out a cast that blends genre familiarity with dramatic credibility.
undertone also marks the feature debut of writer-director Ian Tuason, and it is an arrival that has already turned heads. The film premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival, where it drew strong reactions, particularly for its sound design. Critic Joe Lipsett was among those impressed, praising the film’s ability to generate sustained tension through silence and audio manipulation rather than traditional horror mechanics. That early buzz has only heightened anticipation around its wider release.
Tuason’s momentum is already carrying forward. He has been tapped to direct the next installment in the Paranormal Activity franchise, making undertone something of a proving ground for his ability to generate dread through minimalism and atmosphere. Watching the trailer, it is easy to see why producers would view him as a natural fit for a series built on suggestion rather than spectacle.
A24 Backs undertone With Strong Genre Pedigree
Production duties on undertone were handled by Dan Slater for Slaterverse Pictures and Cody Calahan for Black Fawn Films, with an experienced slate of executive producers that includes Steven Schneider, Roy Lee, and Chad Archibald. It is a team well-versed in genre filmmaking, and the trailer suggests a level of polish that belies the film’s status as a debut feature.
Before its theatrical run, undertone will also screen for Sundance audiences, giving it another high-profile platform ahead of release. Landing in cinemas on a Friday the 13th feels intentional, as though the film is daring viewers to test their nerves.
If the trailer is any indication, undertone is not interested in quick scares or easy thrills. It wants to sit with you, hum quietly in the background, and make you regret every sound your house makes after the credits roll. As far as early looks go, this is one of the most promising and unsettling horror previews aimed at 2026.
