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Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.
A24 is about to expose viewers to the sound of pure terror with its new horror film, Undertone. Right in time for the witching hour, the indie giant released the first trailer overnight, introducing The Handmaid's Tale alum Nina Kiri as Evy, a paranormal skeptic who's about to become a believer. The film follows the host of the titular popular horror-tinged true-crime podcast during a recording session when she's sent a series of terrifying audio files to review for the show. She soon realizes, however, that they are more than just deeply disturbing sounds, but legitimately haunted recordings that turn her life into a waking nightmare.
The footage begins with Evy, the in-house skeptic of the Undertone podcast, doing her intro and teeing up an episode focused on the files shared by her co-host, who's a believer in the supernatural. Everything they received came from an anonymous email, but as the pair starts digging into them, all Evy hears is a jumble of mildly creepy sounds. Her partner, however, believes he can pick up a message when playing the recordings in reverse. Everything quickly takes a turn as more words become discernible, a nerve-shredding version of "Baa Baa Black Sheep" plays, and the hauntings seem to spread into the host's house. The lights start to flicker, there's banging throughout the house, and the clock starts speeding back to 3 a.m., all signs that tell even Evy that something is horribly wrong and they should stop the session. It's too late, however, as the back half of the trailer sees the garbled words of the recordings spread beyond her headphones and throughout her home, teasing a demonic presence that demands to be heard.
Undertone marks the feature directorial and writing debut of Ian Tuason. Like fellow filmmakers Skinamarink's Kyle Edward Ball and Talk to Me's Danny and Michael Philippou, Tuason first gained recognition on YouTube, making virtual reality horror shorts that racked up millions of views and earned showcases at SXSW and beyond. While Kiri will get the bulk of the screentime in his first film and was the only person physically seen in the trailer aside from a haunting background figure, she won't be alone for the horror. The White Lotus and Overcompensating star Adam DiMarco is also on board, alongside Michèle Duquet, Keana Lyn Bastidas, and Jeff Yung. Dan Slater and Cody Calahan are set to produce.
'Undertone's Director Is Already Bound for a Legendary Horror Franchise
A24 jumped all over Undertone following its much-lauded premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival last year. The slow-burning horror mystery earned rave reviews for its haunting atmosphere and attention to detail, using the in-universe podcast to create a uniquely rich soundscape for terror. Tuason's debut feature was impressive enough that he's already set to make a massive step-up in his career with a legendary found footage franchise — Paranormal Activity. Back in December, he was tapped to helm the upcoming reboot entry being produced by James Wan at Blumhouse-Atomic Monster. Given Undertone's setup, it appears to be a match made in heaven for the filmmaker, and it's moving along quickly at the banner.
Undertone arrives in theaters on March 13. Check out the trailer in the player above.
English (US) ·