January 8, 2025, 9:16 am | Read time: 3 minutes

When it comes to horror films, everyone probably has their favorite. Whether psychological horror, slasher, or other – if you ask friends about the scariest movie they have ever seen, the answers will be very subjective. However, scientists wanted to find out exactly and conducted a study to measure the physical reactions of participants when watching horror films.

In total, participants had to watch 40 horror films. The selection of films was based on lists from film critics and suggestions from the Reddit community. The researchers measured how much the heart rate or pulse rate changed while watching. The average value of the test subjects at rest was 64 beats per minute (BPM). The higher the average increase, the scarier the movie is considered.

The results produce the following top 30 scariest horror films on a scientific basis:

1st place: Host (2020), +24 BPM

In first place is Host by director Rob Savage. The film was not only released during the coronavirus pandemic but also indirectly dealt with it. Six friends book a séance with a medium. This takes place via Zoom during the lockdown. The plot makes you smile at first. However, the movie itself quickly turns creepy with the appearance of a ghost and the fear of dying.

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2nd place: Sinister (2012), +22 BPM

Sinister was still in first place last year, but the story about crime novelist Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) still promises quite a lot of creepiness. He specializes in true crime cases and wants to solve them. One day, he finds a box of videos. What he sees on it leaves him speechless and takes his current case a step further.

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Read also: How do films end up on the Index?

3rd place: Insidious (2011), +21 BPM

Evil spirits want to imprison a comatose child in a realm called “The Further.” The family wants to prevent this. The result is a terrifying horror film.

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4th place: The Conjuring (2013), +20 BPM

A family is terrorized by a demon creature in their farmhouse. Ed and Lorraine Warren are demonologists and want to help.

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5th place: Hereditary (2018), +18 BPM

Coming in at number 5 is Hereditary, a movie full of family drama, horror, and mystery. It all begins with the death of the female head of the family. Strange things then happen to the grieving family, and dark secrets come to light.

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Source

• broadbandchoices.co.uk