The Science of Scare: Unveiling the Scariest Horror Movies
“What’s your favourite scary movie?” Ghostface repeatedly asks his unsuspecting victims. If you, or perhaps whoever is wearing the iconic Scream franchise disguise, have ever wondered what the scariest horror movie of all time is, look no further. The Science of Scare study, now in its fourth year, monitors the heart rates of hundreds of volunteers who watch hours of English-language horror films while fitted with heart rate monitors. It’s not a bad gig, right? However, here at Euronews Culture, we’re a little envious, as many of us are seasoned horror aficionados, and our steady heartbeats might skew the results of this fascinating study.
The Science of Scare Project meticulously tracks the heart rates of 250 participants to establish a comprehensive Scare Score system. This system combines both heart rate (measured in beats per minute – BPM) and heart rate variance (HRV – measured in milliseconds), which gauges the time interval between each heartbeat. According to this year’s riveting findings, the title of the scariest horror film of all time goes to Scott Derrickson’s 2012 supernatural horror masterpiece, Sinister. Audiences experienced an astonishing 34 percent increase in heart rate on average while watching this chilling film—rising from a relaxed resting BPM of 64 to a pulse-pounding 86 BPM. The film’s most terrifying moment sent hearts racing up to a staggering 131 BPM, while HRV dropped by 21 percent among viewers, culminating in a remarkable Scare Score of 96 out of 100 for Sinister.
Here’s the complete list of the 20 scariest horror movies according to the study:
- Sinister
- Host
- Skinamarink
- Insidious
- The Conjuring
- Hereditary
- Smile
- The Exorcism of Emily Rose
- Talk To Me
- Hell House LLC
- The Conjuring 2
- It Follows
- The Dark and the Wicked
- The Descent
- Paranormal Activity
- The Babadook
- A Quiet Place 2
- The Autopsy of Jane Doe
- Insidious 2
- Oddity
As evident from the list, modern horror films dominate the rankings. Interestingly, the only 2024 release to break into the Top 20 is one of our personal favorites here at Euronews Culture. Damian McCarthy’s Irish supernatural thriller, Oddity, centers around a blind psychic who investigates the mysterious death of her twin sister. The film recorded a resting BPM of 64 and a movie BPM of 77, with the highest spike reaching 108 BPM. This fright-filled feature was the standout winner at this year’s Lisbon Horror Film Festival, MOTELX, where it was awarded the prestigious Meliès d’Argent, recognizing the best European film.
Stay tuned to Euronews Culture as next week, we’ll be sharing our curated list of favorite underseen horror films from the past decade—just in time for Halloween. You can probably predict that McCarthy’s film will make the cut.
The Science of Scare Project list also includes films that heavily rely on jump scares, which seems fitting considering the study’s methodology is centered around heartbeats. However, while well-timed jump scares, like those found in Oddity, can be effective, they are often criticized by horror enthusiasts as cheap and overused tactics designed to elicit easy frights.
What Exactly Is a Jump Scare, and Why Does It Get Such a Bad Reputation?
A jump scare is when something suddenly appears on screen, catching you off guard. These moments are typically prefaced by a quiet build-up, followed by a loud and startling sound effect that can make you jump out of your seat. While this momentarily effective tactic can provide a quick adrenaline rush, it often lacks depth. Jump scares straddle the line between genuine fear and mere surprise. Spoiler: it’s usually the latter.
Too often, jump scares are employed for instant shock value, and due to their overuse in many recent horror films, they can feel unearned and predictable. This tendency reduces the scare to a mere cattle prod tactic that frequently bypasses character development and plot, relying instead on reflexes and the audience’s startle response. As a result, these moments can feel like a quick fix for filmmakers struggling to devise more creative scares or build sustained tension.
Nonetheless, despite the jump scare’s tarnished reputation, some horror films utilize this technique effectively to evoke true fear rather than mere surprise. Like many overused tropes, there are exceptions that demonstrate the art of crafting a well-calibrated jump scare. Iconic examples include the audience-jolting Lewton Bus in Cat People (1942), the shocking emergence of Mrs. Bates in Psycho (1960), and Ben Gardner’s bloated corpse surfacing in Jaws (1975). Additionally, the masterful long shot in the hospital hallway of The Exorcist III (1990) showcases expert camera placement, tension-building, and precise editing, while an unexpected cough in Se7en (1995) remains one of the most shocking moments in cinema.
Looking at the Science of Scare Project list, films such as Oddity, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Babadook, The Descent, and It Follows exemplify how jump scares can enhance the narrative instead of merely serving as a fleeting shock. Ultimately, like any tool, overuse of jump scares dulls their impact. Much like comedy, the effectiveness of a jump scare hinges on proper setup, timing, and a well-deserved payoff.
Do heart rate variations necessarily equate to a film’s scariness? While it is a valuable metric, it does not always correlate with films that manage to burrow under your skin and linger long after the credits roll. Those are the truly long-term scares.
What are your thoughts on this year’s Science of Scare list? Which pulse-raising films will you be revisiting this Halloween?
