Post · 2026-10-29

Fear Tiers: seven Halloween horror deals, ranked by how hard they hit

Five $14.99 4K horror deals and two 2-for-$16 Blu-ray picks at Gruv, sorted from "lights on" to "worthy of a scream", with notes on how each was shot.

Halloween's Saturday, and Gruv has horror on sale in two flavours: 4K at $14.99 and Blu-ray at 2 for $16. Here are our seven picks, tiered from "least scary" to "worthy of a scream". We like the film look around here, so each one comes with how it was shot and how it lands on disc. No spoilers, promise.

Tier 1: Least scary

**Sinners (2025)* · 4K, $14.99 Shot on film, and lots of it: 65mm in both 5-perf and 15-perf. Ultra Panavision 70 anamorphic cameras give the wide shots a sweeping 2.76:1 frame, and IMAX film cameras handle the expanded shots, which open up to 1.78:1 on the disc (cropped from the 1.43:1 IMAX theatrical frame). It's spiritually a musical, and Ludwig Göransson's score and songs become another star of the film. Michael B. Jordan does double duty as twins Smoke and Stack, Hailee Steinfeld stuns as Mary, Stack's old flame, back in town with a past of her own, and Jack O'Connell, on a run of terrific turns, burns up the screen as Remmick, a mysterious man just looking for home. A barn burner of a party turned frightful encounter with the supernatural. Thrilling, and you can't turn away. Full review coming soon. *Disc: Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos (TrueHD).

**Shaun of the Dead (2004)* · Blu-ray, 2 for $16 Edgar Wright pairs Simon Pegg and Nick Frost into an all-time buddy duo in this horror comedy. There's an excellent 4K out there, but at eight bucks this one deserves a spot on your shelf. Unlucky Shaun (Pegg) gets no respect from his colleagues or his stepfather, and he's just been dumped by his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield). So he drowns his sorrows at the pub with best mate Ed (Frost). One hangover later, the wider world has gone very wrong, though it takes Shaun and Ed a while to notice. Don't stop them now. Full review coming soon. *Disc: SDR, DTS-HD MA 5.1, 2.35:1.

Tier 2: Edge of your seat

**The Shining (1980)* · 4K, $14.99 As infamous for its filming as for its terror. Kubrick shot his masterpiece on 35mm and released it in 1.85 flat, the same frame you get on the 4K. Jack Nicholson's Jack Torrance arrives with wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) to spend the winter as caretaker of a remote Colorado hotel. Its haunted past is about to come back to bite the unassuming family, and leave your blood cold. *Disc: Dolby Vision, DTS-HD MA 5.1.

**Nosferatu (2024)* · 4K, $14.99 Robert Eggers does justice to the 1922 original with a gorgeous gothic horror, shot on 35mm with Arricam cameras in an intimate, stately 1.66:1. Lily-Rose Depp gives an incredible performance as the fragile Ellen Hutter, wracked by fits and dreams of a hulking presence. Her husband Thomas (an also excellent Nicholas Hoult) leaves her side anyway, sent to Transylvania to serve the whims of the mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård). The strangeness and beauty mount from there. It will leave you horrified, and too entranced to look away. This disc carries the extended cut. Full review coming soon. *Disc: Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos (TrueHD).

Tier 3: Queasy but still standing

**The Exorcist (1973)** · 4K, $14.99 The movie that shocked America, and it still puts the fear of God in people. Shot on 35mm and released in 1.85 flat, which is how you can watch it at home now. Fifty years on, it's still the title collectors name when you ask for the scariest film they've seen; one forum.blu-ray.com member put it simply: "Absolutely the scariest movie ever." This set includes both the theatrical cut and the extended director's cut. One honest caveat on the picture: per Blu-ray.com's review, the 4K keeps the disputed bluish regrade (now leaning slightly purple), and the exorcism finale looks chalky and filtered, with noise, smearing and crushed blacks. The other 70% or so still looks better than ever, and the theatrical cut keeps the original mono. Disc: HDR10, Dolby Atmos (TrueHD).

**Trick 'r Treat (2007)* · Blu-ray, 2 for $16 Arrow Video's excellent 4K scan of the 35mm film gets the spotlight these days, but nobody should sleep on this fun and frightful anthology, especially for eight bucks. Director Michael Dougherty and an ensemble cast weave four tales of terror through Warren Valley, Ohio, on a single Halloween night. Trouble finds anyone who doesn't honour the spirit of the holiday, so respect the old traditions, or you never know who might take offence. Small-town neighbours are often more than they seem. Don't get greedy, and always check your candy! Arrow 4K review coming soon. *Disc: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, 2.35:1 scope.

Tier 4: Worthy of a scream

**The Thing (1982)* · 4K, $14.99 John Carpenter shot The Thing on 35mm with Panavision anamorphic lenses, and you get the full 2.35 scope frame at home. Kurt Russell magnetically leads this iconic horror masterpiece as R.J. MacReady, helicopter pilot at U.S. Outpost 31 in Antarctica. The flat white of a blizzard hides friend from foe, and fear lurks around every corner, for the doomed crew of Outpost 31 and for you. *Disc: HDR10, DTS:X.

Prices from Gruv on October 29. Sales can end without warning.

<!-- CHANGES from the owner's copy (Growth, 2026-10-29) Facts

Sinners: IMAX film theatrical frame 1.45 -> 1.43:1 (IMAX 15/70 is 1.43). 1.78/2.76 on the disc left as written, per owner.
Sinners: "a passe blanc" -> "a woman passing for white" (plainer for readers). Owner: revert if you prefer the term.
Shaun: Liz is played by Kate Ashfield, not Lucy Davis (Davis plays Dianne). Fixed.
Shaun: removed the doubled "to drown his sorrows".
Shaun: "Can't Stop Them Now" -> "Don't stop them now" as a Queen nod ("Don't Stop Me Now" is the song in the film). Owner: was the original line intentional?
The Thing: "US Antarctic Research Base 31" -> "U.S. Outpost 31" (the film's name for it); "Macready" -> "MacReady" (film's spelling).
Nosferatu: introduced Thomas by name (copy used "Thomas" without introducing him); added Bill Skarsgård as Orlok; noted the Gruv listing is the Extended Cut.
Exorcist: noted the set has both cuts (per Gruv listing title).
Years added by every title.

Verified against stored back-cover reads: Sinners Atmos TrueHD (UPC 883929835768); The Thing DTS:X (UPC 191329106914); Trick 'r Treat Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (UPC 883929524655). Exorcist HDR10 CONFIRMED (no Dolby Vision on disc; DV is streaming-only; 2023 WB two-disc set). TRANSFER FLAG: several reviews say the picture has problems in the final ~30 minutes (e.g. hometheaterforum.com/the-exorcist-uhd-review/, dvdcorner.net/2023/09/19/the-exorcist-4k-uhd-review). The theatrical cut also carries the original mono. Owner call: mention it honestly, or keep as is? NOT verified today (Gruv returned 429; I stopped): Shining/Nosferatu/Shaun disc specs, and every price. Recheck on the 31st. Structure / marketing

Reordered by tier (owner's tiers unchanged) so the post reads as a countdown.
Added an intro and a film-look framing line. Disc specs moved to an italic line under each entry.
Exorcist: added one short attributed forum quote (from junior brief 31a4fa67, quote checked word for word). Needs owner approval as a quotation.
I did NOT add further critic/audience reactions: the community research found scariness evidence only for The Exorcist, and I wouldn't put reactions in without a source. Owner's "synthesize with research" asks for Sinners and Exorcist are partly open.

Owner edits 2026-10-29 (thread fb843d): date -> 2026-10-29 (publish day), footer "Prices from Gruv on October 29"; Mary rewritten without "passing"; Queen nod kept; Exorcist transfer caveat added, citing Blu-ray.com; tagged deals (thread 5354de). STILL TO DO on the morning of 10-31: recheck prices/sale membership and Shining/Nosferatu/Shaun specs, then update the footer date. -->

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