Your alarm clock might be haunted

• Hatch’s “Goodnight, Phone” advertisement
• Another autumn ad stirring up controversy
• Hatch’s response

Nothing says Halloween like haunted house — or… a haunted smart clock? On October 13, Hatch, a sleep wellness brand, released a spooky new ad, and suddenly the internet was flooded with videos of TikTokers tossing out their rather expensive alarm clocks.

After the “Goodnight, Phone” ad premiered, some frightened users began pointing fingers at their Hatches, claiming that their sunrise clocks were possessed by dark forces — and that Hatch itself was demonic. Once the rumor mill gets going, it’s hard to grind it to halt, but Hatch pulled out a genius PR move that alleviated some fears while also launching a clever new campaign: The Hatch RePOSSESSion Program.

So what was all the fright about? Let’s break down Hatch’s latest videos and what exactly has people spooked.

Hatch’s “Goodnight, Phone” advertisement

Goodnight gone wrong

Hatch premiered its “Goodnight, Phone” campaign on October 13 in select theaters, on YouTube, and on its website. Directed by horror filmmaker Meredith Alloway, the video is edited like a movie trailer starring Kiernan Shipka and depicts doomscrolling as a “waking nightmare.” The synopsis is as follows from Hatch:

When Ava moves into a new house, her only source of comfort is the familiar pull of her late-night scroll. But what begins as harmless distraction warps into something far more sinister, as the content on her screen begins manifesting in real life — and watching her back. Each swipe unravels her world until even her own reflection turns against her. The only thing in the house left untouched by the algorithm’s grasp? The quiet, steady glow of her partner’s Hatch smart sleep clock on the nightstand.

Sounds scary, right? Well, since it was directed by a rising horror filmmaker, the trailer certainly hit the scary movie mark. The trailer includes jumpscares, sharp audio cues, tense music, and light body-horror elements (including pulling a charging cord from her mouth). It feels like a real movie trailer, and one that would certainly stack up nicely against another horror promo in a movie theater.

But the video ends with one of Hatch’s signature peaceful alarms and implies that calm beats the doomscroll when you have a Restore 3 on your nightstand. Is it overkill for an alarm clock commercial? A little bit, yes. But are people stirring up the word about Hatch now? Also yes.

Dozens of Hatch owners have since posted TikToks “disposing of” their devices for their “demonic ties.” Responses on this Reddit thread imply that some users have since claimed their alarm clocks are making strange sounds, playing voices, or going rogue when it comes to user controls via the Hatch app.

The internet reacted (predictably). As all controversies go on the World Wide Web, opposing viewpoints and satirical stitches popped up just as quickly to combat the claims of Hatch’s ‘demonic’ nature. Some users offered to “take care of” or “properly dispose of” concerned Hatch owners’ alarm clocks — particularly ones that light up the entire room.

Hatch’s newest model, the Restore 3, retails for $170, which is no small investment for something that sits on your nightstand. These jokesters are ‘graciously’ offering to alleviate the ‘burden’ of the very expensive devices from concerned users.

Another autumn ad stirring up controversy

This is the alarm clock of a killer, Bella

Hatch also recently released a limited edition alarm and wind-down routine in a collaboration with Lionsgate and Twilight, the sparkly vampire movie famous for its Hoa Hoa Hoa track, blue filter, and notorious baseball scene. The content was exclusively for Hatch+ subscribers, and included “The Twilight Saga” Alarm and Cue for waking up and winding down — plus respective light shows to go with each.

A vampire movie? Sounds somewhat demonic, right? Where have you been Loca — Twilight is a campy cult-classic released almost two decades ago that spurred memes almost as popular as the franchise itself, not a seance. The collaboration was part of a promotion for Twilight’s short-lived return to theaters this week from October 29 — November 2.

Hatch’s response

The RePOSSESSION Program

If you’re feeling less than certain about the pureness of your alarm clock, don’t worry — Hatch came out of the shadows with an official statement on TikTok, complete with haunting audio that, admittedly, earned a chuckle from me.

The perhaps King of sleep wellness brands has also been appearing in various comment sections of the users posting satirical videos like the one offering to take people’s devices from them and “dispose of them” properly. The program itself takes inspiration from those videos and offers to take their devices and send them to people who actually want them. Pure genius, Hatch.

Could this have been the marketing ploy all along? I don’t think so, but Hatch’s social media team didn’t miss a beat when it came to the backlash. In fact, they didn’t even pull the ad — it’s still featured proudly on their website.

So, is your Hatch device truly demonic? I don’t know about yours, but mine definitely isn’t, and it won’t be seeing the bottom of my trash can anytime soon. However, if you’re feeling uneasy about your sunrise alarm clock’s demeanor, you can always take advantage of the RePOSSESSION Program. At least someone else will be waking up to Hoa Hoa Hoa — I’m way too obsessed with the Love Island alarm to change my morning routine.