A24 Acquires Ian Tuason Horror Movie After Fantasia Premiere

EXCLUSIVE: In a competitive situation, A24 has acquired genre writer Ian Tuason‘s horror film The Undertone, securing worldwide rights following its July 27th premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival.

While unconfirmed, we’re told that there were six buyers in the mix, and that the deal was for mid-7 figures — a momentous one for a young filmmaker unveiling his debut feature.

The Undertone stars Nina Kiri as Evy, a paranormal podcast host who returns home to care for her dying mother. Thereafter, she begins receiving recordings from a married couple plagued by strange noises in their house, pulling her into a spiral of fear and paranoia.

In her description of the film for Fantasia Fest, programming director Carolyn Mauricette wrote, “Fans of SKINAMARINK and I AM THE PRETTY THING WHO LIVES IN THE HOUSE will love this slow-burn nightmare that will make hackles on your neck rise and your blood chill.”

The film was produced by Dan Slater for Slaterverse Pictures and Cody Calahan for Black Fawn Films. Exec producers include Steven Schneider and Roy Lee for Spooky Pictures, Chad Archibald for Black Fawn Films, Brit MacRae and Daril Fannin for Kino Studios, and DimensionGate.

A Toronto-based writer-director active in the genre space, who won a Watty Award in 2016, Tuason’s live-action virtual reality horror shorts have garnered over 14M organic views on YouTube, showcasing at SXSW, Fantasia Film Festival, and the Marché du Film NEXT Pavilion in Cannes.

The deal was negotiated by Black Fawn Distro and 3 Arts Entertainment, whose Will Rowbotham and Luke Maxwell rep the filmmaker.