A24 has dropped the first official trailer for one of its latest acquisitions, The Undertone, the debut feature from director Ian Tuason, which teases a film far more interested in creepy atmosphere and implication than outright shocks.
The studio acquired worldwide distribution rights following a competitive bidding process, finalising the deal shortly after the film premiered to a strong reception at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival on July 27. Reports place the sale in the mid–seven-figure range, a home run for a first feature and an indication of the confidence A24 has in the project.
The film stars Nina Kiri (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Heretics) as Evy, a practical, clear-thinking woman caring for her seriously ill mother in a house that becomes steadily more oppressive. Evy also co-hosts a paranormal podcast with her friend Justin, approaching its subject matter with scepticism.
But that detachment is tested when the pair receive a sequence of anonymous audio recordings, their contents both childish and disturbing. The tapes, which appear to document the nighttime behaviour of a couple named Mike and Jessa, begin to intrude on Evy’s everyday life, eroding the boundary between observation and participation.
Produced by Slaterverse Pictures, Black Fawn Films, and KINO Studios, The Undertone marks Tuason’s first feature-length outing and also initiates a broader collaboration between Black Fawn and KINO, with further genre projects planned. The film is produced by Dan Slater and Cody Calahan, with executive producers including Chad Archibald, Daril Fannin, Brit MacRae, Anthony Eu, Douglas Lee, Al Akdari, Charles Bern, Mathew Sterling, David Sproat, and Tuason himself.
The Undertone is scheduled for theatrical release on March 13, 2026.
