Undertone: Toronto Directors Grief-Inspired Horror Debut

A new horror film, Undertone, directed by Toronto filmmaker Ian Tuason in his feature debut, explores the chilling effects of mysterious audio recordings on a paranormal podcast host. Starring Nina Kiri as Evy, the story unfolds in a Toronto home where Evy cares for her dying mother while co-hosting the podcast with her friend Justin, voiced by Adam DiMarco. The film, now playing in theaters, centers on the duo receiving an anonymous email with 10 audio files detailing eerie nighttime experiences of a pregnant couple, leading Evy into a descent marked by hallucinations and hauntings.

Tuason drew inspiration from his own grief while caring for his ailing parents in their north-end Toronto home, where the movie was shot. As he processed the loss, which both parents ultimately succumbed to, he turned to creepypasta stories, user-generated internet tales of the paranormal, for solace. "Creepypastas were the only things that scared me," Tuason said in an interview. The script incorporates real urban legends, such as theories linking the children's song "London Bridge Is Falling Down" to human sacrifice rituals, with audio elements derived from unaltered public domain recordings...