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undertone

Play trailer 1:29 Poster for undertone R Mar 2026 1h 25m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 171 Reviews 50% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Verified Ratings
The host of a popular paranormal podcast is sent hidden messages within anonymous recordings, unleashing a demonic presence that is impossible to escape.
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undertone

undertone

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Critics Consensus

Masterfully using negative space and unsettling audio to build its creeping dread, undertone erupts as a diabolically immersive aural nightmare.

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Audience Says

Despite an original premise and an effective unsettling atmosphere undertone delivers a somewhat muted horror experience that may appeal to fans of slow-burn, moody fare.

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Critics Reviews

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John Nugent Empire Magazine 16h
4/5
A cautionary tale against the dangers of excessive podcasting, this is a supremely spooky sonic ordeal. As an allegory for Catholic guilt, it’s haunting; as an auditory experience, it’ll fuck you up. Go to Full Review
Hannah Strong Little White Lies 17h
2/5
Kiri is set up for failure by Tuason’s script, which draws straight from the most uninspired corners of Creepypasta forums with its ​“nursery rhymes played backwards contain demonic messages” premise. Go to Full Review
Mark Kermode Kermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube) 21h
The film really engrossed me. Go to Full Review
Casey Chong Casey's Movie Mania 3h
3.5/5
Ian Tuason's feature-length directorial debut thrives on a dread-inducing auditory experience. Go to Full Review
Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall 17h
2.5/5
With a detailed sound mix, this thriller attempts to frighten us with disorienting and abrasive noises. But while this establishes atmospheric dread, nothing about this is remotely scary, and there isn't a single jolt. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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William H 10h Worst movie that I have ever seen in my life. Please save your money and watch something else. See more Efrain 2d It was a cool theatre experience! Got scary at the end See more Jordan 2d I was bored the whole time I felt like I was just waiting for something to happen and left feeling confused on what I just watched See more Raven M 5d I loved how simple it was but still very captivating. See more tiffanie 6d It did not build any suspense throughtout the whole movie. I was quite bored but hopeful with anticipation that it would get better. It did not. See more Bryce Apr 6 Interesting topic that could have potential for something to really get under your skin, but just didn't have enough substance to make it feel worth while watching. I understand that the production may have had a relatively small budget to work with, so filming solely in one location makes sense, but it didn't feel like there was someone behind the camera that had a really good idea of where to point that camera ahead of time. There were more than a few times that the camera would intentionally leave space around and behind the actor where you are probably meant to think something is going to appear or happen. But time and time again, nothing happened, making it seem as though they were attempting to get your anticipation up and for something to finally happen that would subvert the expectations they were setting themselves, but that kind of payoff never really materialized in any kind of meaningful way. There were also times where the camera would use Dutch angles for seemingly no reason other than it was a different way to hold the camera for scenes where the same thing kept happening again and again. It just felt like the filmmakers were still learning as they were going with this one, which is fine and honestly more power to them, but it was disappointing that there weren't a few more truly inspired people working on this one, because it really did seem like a great idea in theory. The story itself was also pretty bland and it felt like it came secondary to the "vibes" it was going for. Nothing wrong with that, but it just didn't really work for me in the end. Felt like it would have been a great short film to put up online for people to watch, but a full length film in theaters was maybe a bit too ambitious for what they had to work with. One area that they did a truly fantastic job, and probably the biggest reason I'm glad I saw this in theaters, was the sound design throughout. With every whisper, or creaking floor, or audio from the podcast, they did an absolutely fantastic job at immersing me into the experience as-if I were the one wearing the headphones throughout. Had I waited to watch this until it came to streaming, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it a whole lot less because the sound would never come close to the theaters. All-in-all, glad I saw it in theaters, but had really hoped for a little more. Sucks because the marketing before this release had gotten me pretty excited to see it. See more Read all reviews
undertone

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Movie Info

Synopsis The host of a popular paranormal podcast is sent hidden messages within anonymous recordings, unleashing a demonic presence that is impossible to escape.
Director
Ian Tuason
Producer
Cody Calahan, Dan Slater
Screenwriter
Ian Tuason, Ian Tuason
Distributor
A24
Production Co
Black Fawn Films
Rating
R
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 13, 2026, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 14, 2026
Runtime
1h 25m
Sound Mix
Dolby Atmos
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