If you’re a dedicated horror movie buff, you’ve probably experienced the letdown of finishing a scary film without having been scared at all. The best ones really get your heart racing—and thanks to BroadbandChoices’ “Science of Scare” project, we now know exactly which movies those are (and even how fast your heart might race while watching them).
In 2021, researchers first compiled a list of 30 must-see horror movies based on Reddit recommendations, critics’ picks, and the previous year’s “Science of Scare” list. They then had 250 participants watch all 30 movies while hooked up to heart rate monitors, in order to assess how pulse-pounding each film actually was.
The winner was Host, a 2020 British movie filmed completely over Zoom and released on Shudder in the midst of COVID lockdowns. It’s not even an hour long, but you can plan on being in a state of fright from beginning to end: Viewers’ average heart rate throughout the movie was 88 beats per minute (BPM), a good 24 beats more than the resting average.
Sinister (2012), the Ethan Hawke-starring supernatural horror movie known for its jump scares, came in second place with an average heart rate of 86 beats per minute (which was good enough to land it in the top spot in 2020). As for the highest single spike, third-place finisher Insidious (2010) took the blue ribbon: Viewers’ heart rates climbed to a downright alarming 133 beats per minute at some point during the film.
Classic horror films made appearances, too. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Halloween (1978), and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) all tied in 10th place with an average of 77 beats per minute. But in general, the list was dominated by newer offerings—14 of the top 20 were released in 2010 or later.
In 2022, the scientists of scare were at it again to create an updated list of what their research determined to be the scariest movies of all time. Below are the top 25 of those titles, plus the average viewer heart rate. You can explore the full list, plus more stats from the study, including the highest spikes in BPM, here.
1. Host (2020) // 88 BPM
2. Sinister (2012) // 86 BPM
3. Insidious (2010) // 85 BPM
4. The Conjuring (2013) // 84 BPM
5. Hereditary (2018) // 82 BPM
6. Terrified (2017) // 82 BPM
7. It Follows (2014) // 81 BPM
8. DASHCAM (2021) // 81 BPM
9. A Quiet Place Part II (2021) // 80 BPM
10. Paranormal Activity (2007) // 80 BPM
11. The Conjuring 2 (2016) // 79 BPM
12. The Babadook (2014) // 79 BPM
13. The Descent (2005) // 79 BPM
14. Hush (2016) // 78 BPM
15. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (TK) // 78 BPM
16. A Quiet Place (2018) // 78 BPM
17. The Ring (2002) // 78 BPM
18. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) // 77 BPM
19. Halloween (1978) // 77 BPM
20. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) // 77 BPM
21. [REC] (2007) // 76 BPM
22. It (2017) // 75 BPM
23. The Exorcist (1973) // 74 BPM
24. 28 Days Later (2002) // 73 BPM
25. Oculus (2013) // 73 BPM
A version of this story ran in 2021; it has been updated for 2023.
This article was originally published on www.mentalfloss.com as The 25 Scariest Movies Ever Made, According to Science.
