Have you checked out Shudder's recent selection lately? The streaming giant currently has a psychological horror film available that's sure to leave you unsettled. The Dead Thing transforms the familiar concept of online dating and twists it into a nightmarish descent into obsession, paranoia, and the unknown.
Alex lives a mundane life. She works a dead-end job as an office worker and spends the other part of the day hooking up with guys through a dating app called "Friktion." One day, she comes across the dating profile of an attractive barista named Kyle. They hit it off and take things back to Alex's place where they get to know each other more. The following morning, they go their separate ways, but Alex can't seem to stop thinking about Kyle. This leads her to send him multiple texts to which he doesn't reply. However, Alex refuses to give up.
Kyle is the first real romantic connection she's had since she started using the dating app, and she's determined to see him again. But what she doesn't know, and what she will soon find out, is that Kyle may not be who he seems. If you watched The Dead Thing but didn't quite understand the film's eerie ending, we've got you covered and are here to explain it.
Spoilers from The Dead Thing ahead!
Is Kyle dead or alive in The Dead Thing?
Alex had finally found Kyle when she was on a date with another person from the dating app. However, Kyle was on a date with someone else. Alex followed him and his date to the date's house but left after they went inside. She even confronts Kyle's date later, but the woman freaks out and Alex leaves.
After showing up at Kyle's job at a cafe to ask about his whereabouts, a worker informs Alex that Kyle had passed away just around the corner from the cafe. Alex checks out the area where he passed away and finds his old, beaten-up earphones up against a curb. However, she's confused about how this could be true if she just saw him the other night. To get to the bottom of everything, she creates a new profile on the dating app and matches with Kyle again. They meet up, but Kyle has no idea who she is. Alex even tries to show him pictures they drew together on their date, but that doesn't help either. She leaves, but now Kyle is curious about how she knows him.
Later, Kyle appears at Alex’s workplace, seeking more information. Alex reveals that a few months ago, something tragic occurred to him. While it's never directly explained, it's implied that Kyle died after being struck by a vehicle. When Kyle glances at his reflection in a nearby window, he sees his true form—bruised and bloodied, a chilling reminder that he has been dead all along.
He had been going on dates with various women, unaware of his own death and that he was just a ghost roaming the mortal world. But after meeting Alex and learning the truth, it became hard to continue this pattern. He and Alex eventually start a passionate relationship, but things go dark when Kyle begins to fixate and become obsessed with her. He even kills those closest to her, like her best friend, Kara, and her secret ex-fling and Kara's ex-boyfriend, Paul. Alex breaks things off with Kyle, and initially it seems like he is okay with the split. Kyle disappears from her life, and Alex forms a friendship with a new co-worker (Chris) that eventually turns into something more romantic. That's when Kyle reappears.
Does Alex die in The Dead Thing?
Alex and Chris decide to spend time together at a motel. While spending time in the motel's pool, Chris basically asks Alex out, but Alex tells him she's not ready for a relationship just yet. She then heads into their motel room to take a shower. An invisible Kyle appears and drowns Chris in the pool before possessing his body and scaring Alex.
Alex manages to get away from Kyle and runs out the motel door, but Kyle ends up capturing her. He lays her on the ground and chokes her until she passes away. Later, Alex is shown on a date with a new man from the dating app. Everything appears normal until she looks at her phone. She sees her reflection, which shows her actual appearance. One of her eyes is red, and her neck is badly bruised. She's not actually alive. She's dead and is now haunting the mortal world just like Kyle.
The Dead Thing is streaming now only on Shudder.