Science Reveals the “Scariest Movies”
It's Halloween and time to sit back and watch some scary movies.
We've all seen the lists compiled by various sources on just what they consider to be the scariest movies, but this time they let science determine the movies that frighten us the most.
Broadband Choices recently released their "Science of Scare" study. They started this research by putting together a list of 30 "must see" horror movies based on things like Reddit recommendation, picks from critics, and last year's "Science of Scare" list.
Next they gathered 250 people -- or "victims" -- to watch a total of 40 films. While viewing these movies, the viewers were hooked up to heart rate monitors. This would show how the movies affected the heart rate of the person watching the movie.
Are you ready for the Top 5 Scariest Movies? Here is that list...
- 1
Host (2020)
"Host" is a a 2020 British computer screen supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage. The movie takes place on a screencast of a video call on Zoom. Six friends get together during lockdown for their weekly zoom call. The friends attempt to escape a supernatural force inadvertently spawned during a séance.
The film was shot over 12 weeks directly on the Zoom software during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The film is a short one...only 56 minutes long.
The average movie viewer had a heart rate of 88 beats per minute while watching this film. That's 24 beats more than the average beats of a person at rest.
Here is the trailer...
- 2
Sinister (2012)
"Sinister" was directed and co-written by Scott Derrickson and stars Ethan Hawke. The is about a true-crime writer named Ellison Oswalt who discovers home movies, found in the attic of his new house, that show brutal murders.
This film gave viewers an average heart rate of 86.
Here is the trailer...
There is a sequel to this film called "Sinister 2" that was released in 2015.
- 3
Insidious (2010)
"Insidious" is an American-Canadian supernatural horror film directed by James Wan, starring Patrick Wilson and Barbara Hershey. The story centers on a couple whose son enters a comatose state. After a few months of treatment with no results, the parents bring their son home. At that point the family starts to experience disturbing paranormal events.
This film delivered a heart rate of 85 beats per minute.
Here is the trailer...
If you like this film, there is a sequel called "Chapter 2" (2013), and two prequels, "Chapter 3" (2015) and "The Last Key" (2018).
- 4
The Conjuring (2013)
"The Conjuring" is an American film was directed by James Wan. It stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as paranormal investigators and authors
The team helps a family that moved into a farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island, with their five daughters. The family dog refuses to enter the house and they discover the entrance to a cellar which has been boarded up.
This film had viewer heart rates at 84 beats per minute.
Here is the official trailer...
A sequel, "The Conjuring 2", was released in 2016.
- 5
Hereditary (2018) & Terrified (2017)
There is actually a tie for the #5 spot on the list between two different movies. Both of these movies produced a heart rate of 82 beats per minute.
"Hereditary" is an American film written and directed by Ari Aster, starring Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, and Gabriel Byrne. This film is about a family haunted by a mysterious presence after the death of their secretive grandmother.
Here is the official trailer..
The other movie that gave viewers a heartbeat of 82 beats per minute was "Terrified".
This is an Argentine horror film written and directed by Demián Rugna. The film follows aseries of supernatural events in a neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
Here is the official trailer...
You'll have to read the subtitles to watch this movie.