A24 has done it again. Undertone, the Canadian debut feature from writer-director Ian Tuason, hit theatres on March 13, 2026 and is already being called one of the most unsettling horror experiences in years — not because of what you see, but because of what you hear. If you’ve just walked out of the cinema completely shaken and desperately searching for answers, you’re in the right place.
Table of Contents
Undertone (2026) — At a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Title | Undertone |
| Director / Writer | Ian Tuason (debut feature) |
| Lead Cast | Nina Kiri (Evy), Adam DiMarco (Justin, voice) |
| Distributor | A24 |
| Release Date | March 13, 2026 (US/Canada theatrical) |
| Runtime | 84–94 minutes |
| Budget | ~$500,000 |
| Festival Premiere | Fantasia Film Festival, July 2025 (Gold Audience Award) |
| Genre | Psychological / Auditory Horror |
What Is Undertone About?
Undertone follows Evy Babic (Nina Kiri), co-host of a niche paranormal podcast called The Undertone, who has returned to her childhood home in Toronto to care for her dying, mostly unresponsive mother. When anonymous encrypted audio files begin arriving — ten recordings from a terrified pregnant couple named Jessa and Mike, claiming their home is haunted by violent supernatural noises — Evy and her off-screen co-host Justin start listening. The recordings start innocently with faint bumps and distant crying, but quickly escalate into reversed lullabies, guttural whispers spelling out personal details about Evy’s life, and distorted breathing synced to her own. Fox Baltimore
As a film, Undertone belongs to the rare psychological horror tradition — think The Ring meets Late Night with the Devil — where the act of consuming cursed media becomes the trap itself.

What Happens to Evy? The Ending Explained
By the time the final audio recording plays, the entity that has been haunting the pregnant couple has started to haunt Evy. Strange voices, distorted cries, and violent disturbances fill the recordings — and at the same time, Evy starts experiencing the same inside her own home. Doors creak, objects shift, and shadows move through empty hallways. Her mother, who was supposed to be dying and immobile, can suddenly walk — and is walking backwards. Rolling Stone
The ending of Undertone deliberately leaves Evy’s fate open to interpretation. The film strongly hints that the supernatural force has completely taken over Evy — blurring the line between what is real and what is manipulated. The entity, possibly a devil, appears to have been controlling victims through media and sound. Evy and Justin are still under the entity’s spell, and the film abruptly ends without confirming their fate. Netflix Tudum
The sound of someone falling down the stairs in the darkness — and then silence — is the film’s final, gut-punch moment. No jump scare. No resolution. Just dread.
Why the Ending Works So Well
The climax builds to an auditory assault — overlapping screams, reversed prayers, nursery rhymes warped into threats, and a final barrage implying the entity has “handed off” its presence, possibly to Evy herself — closing a loop where she becomes the new source of the recordings. The screen cuts to black on her frozen, horrified face as the sound fades into silence. Fox Baltimore
The genius here is that the entity targets mothers — and Evy is unexpectedly pregnant, just as Jessa was. Director Ian Tuason drew from his personal experience of caregiving for dying parents during the pandemic, weaving grief, bodily autonomy, and maternal fear into something deeply personal and deeply terrifying.
There is no post-credits scene. The film ends as it begins — in suffocating silence.
For more horror film breakdowns, new release reviews and the best A24 movies to watch right now, check out our complete movie review hub on TechnoSports and our list of the best horror movies of 2026 so far.
FAQs
Q: Is Undertone based on a true story?
No — the film is entirely fictional, though it draws inspiration from internet horror culture, paranormal podcasts, and modern urban legends. Director Ian Tuason’s personal caregiving experiences shaped its emotional core.
Q: What is the demon in Undertone?
The entity is strongly implied to be Obyzouth — an ancient demon from religious texts with a particular obsession with mothers and unborn children, spreading its curse through sound and recordings.





