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Channeling pain into art is a process for many filmmakers, including Ian Tuason, writer and director of A24. low voice. Tuason’s horror film came after one of the darkest periods of his life. Tuason served as his parents’ caregiver during the pandemic after they were diagnosed with terminal cancer. Tuason returned to his childhood home in Toronto and helped his parents during their final moments. His mother died months after the initial diagnosis and his father died two years later.
Later, Tuason tells me how he expressed his trauma through horror movies. Tuason originally planned for his horror story to be a radio play. However, it was eventually transformed into the script for his feature debut, a possession film built around found audio.
In low voiceEvy (Nina Kiri) is one half of a popular paranormal podcast with her friend Justin (Adam DiMarco). Evy broadcasts from her childhood home, where she serves as caretaker for her dying mother (Michèle Duquet). For their next episode, Evy and Justin listen to mysterious recordings sent by a couple. Investigating the terrifying audio files causes Evy’s life to fall apart when paranormal forces infiltrate her home.
Later, Tuason explains the patience needed to build suspense and fear in an atmospheric horror. The sound, or lack thereof, is nuances greatest asset. Tuason also tells me about a film that inspired an important decision in low voice. Tuason has created one of the scariest movies of 2026, so it’s no surprise that Paramount hired him to write and direct the next Paranormal Activity.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Undertone uses an effective beat for atmospheric horror.
Patience is key
DAN GIROLAMO: What I really admired about this movie is that it showed so much patience. I think there’s a natural inclination even in movies today to deliver a big scare and they have to create a big moment in the first 5 to 10 minutes to grab the audience. With this movie, it really takes its time to establish the atmosphere and generate that sense of dread. During the writing process, how did you determine the right moment to scare the audience?
IAN TUASON: Yeah. I mean, I watched four or five of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen in my life and I noticed a formula there. A series of what I call “chills”: small clues that lead to a bigger scare, which could be a jump scare or just a really scary revelation. Then, I started counting them for each movie, like Hereditary and The Babadook. I noticed that the ratio of chills to scares and how many there are in the movie seem very similar in these types of movies. And then in these other types of movies, it’s like it’s out of place. It’s a big difference.
I kind of defined the formula of the movie I wanted to make, which is this creepy, slow burn movie. So I used a proportion similar to Paranormal Activity and The exorcist but not as much as Hereditary and He babadook. It’s more about jumping from one place to another. The ratio is more like 2 to 1 instead of 5 to 1.
I’m sure you’ve lived with this movie for so long. Is there a scene that still scares you when you watch it again?
TUASON: (Smiles) No. Nothing scares me anymore. I’ve seen it too much. I mean, I’ve seen it in my head a lot more over a longer period of time than the year it was made. I wake up in the middle of the night, have a thought, imagine something, and scare myself to the point of not being able to go back to sleep. Then I write it down. I think that’s how I came up with all the scares in low voice. But yes, once the scare was over…
It’s over.
TUASON: Yes. It’s over. I’m sick of it. (laughs)
Horror is a genre of personal stories.
Ian Tuason turned the tragedy into a movie
Why is the horror genre such a good vehicle for a story about death, loss and grief? I feel like we’ve seen it so many times: writers and directors use horror to express their feelings. In your case, why do you think the horror genre was the one you decided to bet on?
Well, you know, it was a personal movie for me because I experienced it. I experienced care with my parents. It was the darkest period of my life. I couldn’t express that story in any other genre. I could try, but then I wouldn’t get the essence of that experience, especially since I was doing it alone, right?
I have another brother and he has three children. I’m not married. I don’t have kids. Evy was experiencing isolation, feeling trapped, and struggling with emotions such as guilt. You want to get out of that situation, but you love your parents and now you’re starting to feel guilty for wanting to get out of that situation. You fall into a downward spiral and any good horror movie is just a descent into darkness.
I love the idea you had with him. noise canceling headphones. That first time the sound cut out, I even looked around as if something was going to come towards me. Explain to me the origins of that in the script. I know you wrote a lot of the instructions on it. Have you always wanted the sound to cut out like this the first time you put on the headphones?
TUASON: No. At first, I was toying with the idea of whether the found footage could be audio-only. I found some supposed apparitions recorded on a tape recorder, I only listened to the audio. I would listen closer and then anticipate something terrifying, and that was even scarier than what I heard. So I started playing with that first.
then I saw As. (Steven) Soderbergh, I saw you put on noise canceling headphones. I thought he was perfect for this movie. While I was imagining Evy listening to these scary audio files, and not being able to hear what’s going on around her in her house, that just added another layer of fear that I didn’t know until I saw as, and I started writing it with that in mind. I was lucky there. It’s good that I saw As. (laughs)
How does Ian Tuason get out of a horror mindset?
Comedy, romantic comedy or more horror?
When you make a horror movie like this, are you someone who likes to relax by doing the opposite, like, “I want to watch a comedy or a romantic comedy”? In your experience, what do you like to do after being scared by “you know what”?
TUASON: Yes, definitely. I’m going to a comedy. I have to see a comedy. I have to watch something funny, even if it’s just cat videos on YouTube. So, that’s going to get me out of there and get me out of that mindset. But I always return to horror. (Laughs) You want that thrill again, right?
Ride the wave.
TUASON: Cats are too safe.
low voice opens in theaters on March 13, 2026.
low voice
- Release date
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March 13, 2026
- Execution time
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84 minutes
- Director
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Ian Tuason
It’s been a popular month for horror.
Horror movies are having a moment this month. In a week, James Wan’s billion dollars Saw The franchise comes to Netflix. Elsewhere, the latest Shout The movie inspired our entire ranking. from the iconic franchise.
