On Friday the 13th This Year, Even Your Podcasts Can Kill You

The best horror movies find terror in the simplest of places. A summer camp. Your dreams. A quiet, suburban road. And, in the new film undertone (which is purposely lowercased), horror comes from somewhere even simpler: your headphones.

Written and directed by Ian Tuason (who is taking over the reins of the Paranormal Activity franchise), undertone tells the story of a podcaster, played by Nina Kiri, who is sent some mysterious audio recordings. Recordings that, when played the right way, unlock something terrible. It feels sort of like The Ring, but without the VCR. Check out the first trailer.

It’s hard to say what, exactly, is going on here. Is someone playing a cruel joke? Are the recordings actually unlocking something supernatural? If so, what’s the purpose behind it, and why send them to this specific person? Whatever the case, the trailer certainly has us interested to learn more.

Plus, the trailer itself is very impressive. We love all the layered voices and whispers you hear as the camera slowly pans around the room. You get this creepy feeling like you’re listening to something you’re not supposed to be listening to. Which is probably what the character feels, too.

Adding to the unsettling nature, A24 also released this clip that gives us a bit more of that scary audio. If you want to learn a bit more, this is probably worth a watch. If you’re still creeped out, we wouldn’t recommend it, though.

undertone made its debut at the Fantasia Film Festival last summer and, as you can see from the quotes in the trailer, got generally good reviews. A24 then scooped it up soon after. That branding, which brings to mind films and campaigns like Hereditary, Talk to Me, and I Saw the TV Glow, adds a huge seal of approval. Plus, the producers of Paranormal Activity must’ve liked it enough to hire Tuason to make the next installment. All that means you get a sense this is going to be worth seeing. And we’ll all get that chance on the year’s second Friday the 13th, March 13.

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