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- Early Dolby Cinema rollout and dates to know
- Why Dolby Cinema matters for this auditory horror
- What the director wanted: a communal scare
- From festivals to a bigger stage: Sundance and Fantasia buzz
- Story, cast, and creative process
- How Tuason engineered the scares
- What to expect at the Dolby Cinema screenings
- Industry perspective: Dolby and A24 on the partnership
Ian Tuason’s latest horror film, Undertone, leans on audio to deliver chills. The movie plays like a serialized ghost story you listen to, not watch. A24 is staging early Dolby Cinema screenings on March 9, before the nationwide release on March 13, to make sure audiences hear every whisper and creak the way the director intended.
Early Dolby Cinema rollout and dates to know
A24 confirmed that Undertone will arrive in more than 100 Dolby Cinema locations for advance viewing on March 9. The film opens broadly in theaters on March 13.
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- Advance screenings: March 9 in 100+ Dolby Cinema venues.
- Wide release: March 13 in standard and premium locations.
- Ticketing: Advance tickets are available through theater box offices and usual online sellers.
Why Dolby Cinema matters for this auditory horror
Undertone’s scares come from layers of sound, and Dolby Cinema pairs Dolby Atmos audio with Dolby Vision picture to amplify those layers. The studio aims to replicate the intimacy of listening through headphones while you sit in a shared theater.
How Dolby Atmos changes the experience
- Speakers above, around, and behind the audience create a 3D soundfield.
- Vertical movement of sound makes noises feel like they pass over you.
- Precise audio placement reveals subtle details in whispers and silences.
Dolby Vision adds deeper blacks and sharper contrast, helping the film’s dark frames hold more visual information without losing detail.
What the director wanted: a communal scare
Tuason approached Undertone with the goal of making a theater feel like a haunted attraction. He built the sound design to play with timing, silence, and sudden bursts to provoke group reactions.
He shot the film on a small budget in his own house and shaped it around the intimacy of podcast listening. That personal context informed the story and the sound choices.
From festivals to a bigger stage: Sundance and Fantasia buzz
Undertone debuted at Fantasia Fest and returned to screens at Sundance after post-acquisition tweaks. Festival reactions praised its audio-forward construction and inventive use of silence.
- Fantasia Fest: early premiere and genre attention.
- Sundance: updated cut shown after A24 acquired the film.
Story, cast, and creative process
The plot centers on a popular paranormal podcast host who begins to receive disturbing audio recordings. As the tapes escalate, the line between investigation and obsession blurs.
- Writer-director: Ian Tuason.
- Lead: Nina Kiri.
- Supporting: Adam DiMarco, Michèle Duquet, Keana Lyn Bastidas, Jeff Yung.
Tuason has described the film as rooted in his own life. Caring for aging parents and turning to podcasts during that time inspired the film’s emotional core. He also mapped the rhythm of classic horror to shape Undertone’s pacing.
How Tuason engineered the scares
Rather than relying on visual jumps, Tuason coded the script to layer tension. Small, unsettling beats accumulate and lead to sudden audio-driven frights.
- Micro-events build dread: a light flicker, distant noise, odd silence.
- Strategic placement of screams and quiet moments controls audience expectation.
- Sound editing and mixing were tuned for Atmos to preserve nuance.
What to expect at the Dolby Cinema screenings
Viewers can expect an experience designed for maximum auditory fidelity. The mix aims to feel immersive across the whole auditorium.
- Consistent sound field from front row to rear.
- Sharper image detail in low light from Dolby Vision.
- A communal atmosphere that encourages live reactions.
Industry perspective: Dolby and A24 on the partnership
Dolby and A24 framed the Dolby Cinema run as a chance to showcase the film’s sound-first design. Executives stressed that Atmos reveals small cues that are vital to the storytelling.
Industry takeaway: Presenting Undertone in Dolby Cinema highlights how immersive audio can be central to modern horror.
