UNDERTONE Is Being Called One of the Scariest Movies Ever and Its Director Is Taking on The PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Franchise Next
A new supernatural horror movie has stormed Sundance and left audiences rattled, uneasy, and questioning every strange sound they hear.
Undertone has just debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, and the first reactions are intense, with multiple critics already calling it one of the scariest horror films in years. Even better, the filmmaker behind it is heading straight into familiar genre territory next.
The film centers on a skeptical paranormal podcast host, played by Nina Kiri, who returns to her childhood home to care for her dying mother. While trying to keep her life together, she begins receiving unsettling audio recordings from a married couple.
What starts as content for her podcast slowly spirals into something far more disturbing, pushing her into paranoia as sound, space, and isolation close in around her.
Early viewers have been vocal about how hard the movie hits, especially with its sound design and confined setting. Critic Cody Dericks wrote, "UNDERTONE got me good. Crazy scary with incredible sound design. A really impressive directorial showcase, staying effectively locked-in on its singular location and (very) minimal ensemble. The finale is a terrifying roller coaster. Podcasters, beware, this is coming for us."
/Film’s Bill Bria shared, "And if I said UNDERTONE was the first movie since the first PARANORMAL ACTIVITY to give me full body chills? What then?"
That comparison keeps coming up, and not by accident. Slasher Reviews summed it up by saying, "undertone is PARANORMAL ACTIVITY for the podcast generation. Orchestrated from a place of pure evil that build to a final act that will leave audiences feeling haunted themselves in a masterclass of audio/visual horror. I couldn’t look away no matter how badly I wanted [to]."
James Preston Poole pushed things even further, writing, "UNDERTONE might be one of the scariest movies I have EVER seen. Isolating, dense lore, and a heavy emphasis on sound collide for an experience that curses the audience with pure terror. Sick to my stomach (complimentary). I’m shaking. A24 you have an all-timer on your hands."
The Paranormal Activity parallels don’t stop with tone and technique. Director Ian Tuason is officially set to helm the next Paranormal Activity movie, which is currently scheduled for release in May 2027.
It’ll mark the first entry in the long-running franchise in six years, and it brings some serious genre muscle with it. Horror heavyweight James Wan is also on board as a producer.
If Undertone is any indication of what Tuason can do with atmosphere, sound, and slow-burning dread, Paranormal Activity fans might be in for something truly nasty.
Undertone hits theaters on March 13, and if early reactions are any clue, it might be smart to watch it with the lights on.