'I think audio is 90% of what scares people in horror movies': Undertone director Ian Tuason on why he chose to focus on sound for his directorial debut

Date:
Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:17:00 +0000

Description:
Undertone's sound design has been a huge selling point for the horror movie, and director Ian Tuason explained why he wanted to focus on it.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Undertone is one of the most unique new movies this year, because its focus has largely been on its creepy sound design.

The movie follows a woman who hosts a paranormal podcast with her friend. She is a skeptic while he is a believer, but events that unfold throughout the movie make her start to question everything. Sound is at the forefront of Undertone, and the result is terrifying. Evy's fun paranormal podcast soon turns dark as she experiences noises that she had always brushed off as
myths. Article continues below You may like Iron Lung's success shows we need to start taking independent horror seriously The Mortuary Assistant director on turning the horror game into a movie A24 has dropped a tense trailer for the Backrooms movie adaptation and I think it's perfect I spoke to Undertone 's director, Ian Tuason, about why sound was such an important focus for his first feature film. He said, "I do think audio is 90% of what scares people
in horror movies. And I also have a background in creating virtual reality experiences, and I really wanted to use what I learned there, creating 3D soundscapes. "And using that for a movie, putting people into a space and playing around with the direction of the sounds, and also how far away the sounds are, how close they are. Whether the sound's on top of you or shaking your seat, stuff like that."

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A photo posted by on Undertone definitely left an impression on me, and I mentioned to Tuason that I couldn't wear my noise-canceling headphones on the walk home from the theater because I was too freaked out. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

When I asked if he'd had a similar experience after working on such a creepy, sound-focused movie, he told me, "You know what, I actually did recently. I put on headphones, and then I said, 'No, I'll just take them off, and I'll just I'll just watch the movie without headphones. That way I know what's behind me.'"

Periods of silence are also an effective horror tool, especially when you're building suspense and tension. Tuason spoke about his thoughts on jump scares and the element of surprise, as well as his favorite shocking movie moment.

He said, "Jump scares, I don't really enjoy them too much. You know, you
could surprise someone, but it's far more uncomfortable to tense someone up. And keep them tense." What to read next 6 new 4K Blu-rays from January 2026
to add to your collection The Mortuary Assistant is my top Shudder recommendation in February The Mortuary Assistant director says the game's developer was enormously supportive

"So if I had to choose a favorite jump scare, I like the scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey when Hal kills the astronaut, and then we see the astronaut fly across the window, but we hear the hissing of the oxygen.

"And then, when we cut outside, it's the dead silence of space, and we just see the astronaut spinning, trying to put his oxygen thing back into his helmet, and he dies. That silence was pretty jarring. For me, that was kind
of a jump scare."

Undertone is best experienced in a theater with great sound or, if you're feeling brave enough, at home with headphones when the movie gets a streaming release.

If you do manage that last one, you're definitely braver than me. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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