Undertone Is Being Hailed as One of the Scariest Movies Ever — and Its Director Is Taking On Paranormal Activity Next
Undertone roars out of its Sundance premiere with rave first reactions and instant breakout buzz.
New Sundance horror alert: Undertone just premiered, and the early buzz is that it is the kind of movie that creeps under your skin and sets up shop. It is lean, mean, and apparently very into making your speakers do horrifying things.
The setup
Nina Kiri stars as a no-nonsense host of a paranormal podcast who has to move back home to care for her dying mom. While she is juggling grief and routine, she starts getting audio recordings from a married couple. Those messages are not cute. They ratchet her anxiety into full-blown paranoia, and from the reactions out of Park City, the movie leans hard into that unraveling.
What people at Sundance are saying
Critics are raving about the sound design and the way director Ian Tuason keeps the story confined to one space with a very small cast. One reviewer called it a showcase for how to make a single-location thriller feel huge and nerve-shredding, with a finale that plays like a roller coaster from hell. Another said it was the first movie since the original Paranormal Activity to give them full-body chills. A horror outlet dubbed it Paranormal Activity for the podcast generation and praised how ruthlessly it builds to a lingering, haunted final stretch. There was also a warning for podcasters everywhere: this one is coming for you.
"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."
- Standout elements people keep mentioning: razor-sharp sound work, a claustrophobic single location, a tiny ensemble, a dense mythos, and an ending that absolutely goes for the throat.
Why everyone keeps bringing up Paranormal Activity
The comparisons are not just vibes. Ian Tuason, who directed Undertone, is also steering Paranormal Activity 8, due out in May 2027. That will be the franchise's first entry in six years, and genre heavyweight James Wan has joined the team behind the scenes. So yes, if Undertone is a flex in sound and atmosphere, that tracks with where Tuason is headed next.
Release plan
Undertone hits theaters on March 13.