Halloween Horror Picks: One Free Stream Shines as an Adaptation Disappoints

WHO:

Gizmodo - Isaiah Colbert said his friends had watched the American version of *Ringu* and liked it; they expected him to suggest *Ringu* or Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s *Cure*.

Gizmodo - Germain Lussier said *The Blair Witch Project* frightened him alongside the original *Halloween* and *The Texas Chain Saw Massacre*; he described *A Nightmare on Elm Street*, *Friday the 13th*, *The Shining*, and *The Exorcist* as films he loved but that did not make him uncomfortable.

Gizmodo - Cheryl Eddy said her household watches horror films year-round and named Jess Franco’s *Bloody Moon* among films she watched during the year.

Reddit Movies - The post recommends ten horror-comedies: *Housebound*, *Grabbers*, *Sightseers*, *Cheap Thrills*, *Deathgasm*, *Tragedy Girls*, *Better Watch Out*, *Bloody Hell*, *Jakob’s Wife*, and *Werewolves Within*.

TechRadar - The article reviews three major horror titles released around Halloween; the supplied text does not name the titles or reviewer.

Collider - David Dastmalchian stars in *Late Night with the Devil*.

Gizmodo - io9 staff members Jen Lennon, Cheryl Eddy, Isaiah Colbert, and Germain Lussier shared their Halloween viewing picks.

Gizmodo - John Carpenter directed *The Thing*, which stars Kurt Russell and Keith David; Ennio Morricone composed its score.

Gizmodo - Kiyoshi Kurosawa directed *Pulse*; Isaiah Colbert also mentions director Hideo Nakata and filmmaker Curry Barker.

Gizmodo - Cheryl Eddy identified *Alien Terror*, also titled *Alien 2: On Earth*, as an Italian film directed by Jess Franco.

WHAT:

Gizmodo - Cheryl Eddy said her household planned to watch *Alien Terror* on Halloween night.

Gizmodo - Isaiah Colbert said his friends’ movie book club meets in his apartment, which has a home projector.

Reddit Movies - The post describes *Housebound* as a woman under house arrest in her mother’s possibly haunted home, *Grabbers* as an Irish village fighting alcohol-sensitive tentacled aliens, and *Sightseers* as a caravan-holiday romance involving a serial killer.

Reddit Movies - *Cheap Thrills* involves a rich couple challenging two broke friends to increasingly awful dares; *Deathgasm* features metalheads summoning a demon with a cursed song; and *Tragedy Girls* follows teen murderers seeking social-media attention.

Reddit Movies - The post describes *Better Watch Out* as a Christmas babysitter home invasion, *Bloody Hell* as a man waking tied up in a Finnish basement, *Jakob’s Wife* as a minister’s wife turned vampire, and *Werewolves Within* as a small-town werewolf whodunit.

TechRadar - The article says a popular movie adaptation was the biggest letdown among the three horror titles reviewed, but the supplied text does not identify it.

Collider - *Late Night with the Devil* is streaming free.

Gizmodo - Jen Lennon chose the 1982 film *The Thing*, praising its visual effects and score, and describing its themes as isolation and growing paranoia.

Gizmodo - Cheryl Eddy chose *Alien Terror*/*Alien 2: On Earth*, whose plot concerns a returning space mission whose astronauts have been replaced by monsters with explosive powers; it also features cave explorers. Eddy said the film has no connection to Ridley Scott’s *Alien*.

Gizmodo - Isaiah Colbert chose the 2001 techno-horror film *Pulse*, citing its unnerving finale and a silhouette shot. He said his friends had watched *Backrooms* and *Obsession* and that he expected *Pulse* to address what those films lacked for them.

Gizmodo - Germain Lussier chose *The Blair Witch Project* for a rewatch, citing nostalgia, its connection to internet culture, its sequels, behind-the-scenes battles, an upcoming reboot, and new physical-media editions. He described it as a $27,000 found-footage film that made hundreds of millions of dollars.

WHERE:

Reddit Movies - The settings include an Irish island village in *Grabbers*, a Finnish basement in *Bloody Hell*, and a snowed-in small town in *Werewolves Within*.

Gizmodo - Colbert planned to watch *Pulse* with friends at his apartment using a home projector.

WHEN:

Gizmodo - *The Thing* was released in 1982; *Alien Terror*/*Alien 2: On Earth* in 1980; *Pulse* in 2001; and *Alien* in 1979.

Gizmodo - Lussier said he first saw *The Blair Witch Project* in early 1999 and referred to a 25-year-old fear.

Gizmodo - The article says Halloween falls on a Saturday this year.

WHY:

Gizmodo - Jen Lennon said she chose *The Thing* rather than *Friday the 13th* because she saves her yearly viewings of *Friday the 13th* for Valentine’s Day.

Collider - *Late Night with the Devil* is available free in time for Halloween.

Gizmodo - Colbert selected *Pulse* because friends felt recent horror titles *Backrooms* and *Obsession* left something to be desired, and because he remembered its finale as especially unnerving.

Gizmodo - Lussier said he wanted to revisit *The Blair Witch Project* because it means a lot to him and is having a nostalgic moment.

HOW:

Gizmodo - Lussier said *The Blair Witch Project*’s marketing initially left unclear whether the film was real.

(UPDATED October 31, 2026 21:58 UTC)

Horror fans shared Halloween viewing picks, spotlighting classics, cult films, and unsettling discoveries. Their choices include *The Thing*, *Pulse*, *The Blair Witch Project*, and *Alien Terror*. Meanwhile, *Late Night with the Devil* is streaming free, alongside a recommended horror-comedy lineup.

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(UPDATED October 31, 2026 20:58 UTC)

Halloween viewing picks spotlight *The Thing*, *Pulse*, and the found-footage classic *The Blair Witch Project*. A roundup also recommends ten horror-comedies, from alien invasions to vampire ministers and werewolves. Meanwhile, *Late Night with the Devil*, starring David Dastmalchian, is streaming free for Halloween.

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(UPDATED October 31, 2026 16:00 UTC)

Horror fans have several free and nostalgic Halloween choices, from streamed thrillers to classics. David Dastmalchian stars in free-streaming *Late Night with the Devil*, available for Halloween viewing. Staff picks include *The Thing*, *Pulse*, *Alien Terror*, and *The Blair Witch Project*.