This is the scariest movie in the world, according to science

Can you put numbers to fear? The scientists behind this study did it and with it, scored which is – in the vast world of horror cinema – which is the scariest movie in the world.

Through the British project Science of Scare and the entertainment platform Spoiler, the physiological reactions of hundreds of viewers were measured while they watched some of the most recent horror films.

Using cardiac sensors and an algorithm called Scare Score, the researchers were able to analyze the participants’ heart rhythm and variability (HRV). These indicators made it possible to establish how many times the heart races during a movie, how long it takes to calm down and which titles maintain the tension for the longest.

The scariest movies

The result of this analysis of the Spoiler entertainment platform is the following list:

In seventh place is the film smile 2 (2024), which explores fear as an emotional transmission and in this ranking obtained 79 points.

The sixth place is occupied The Devil’s Legacy (2018), by Ari Aster, with a Scare Score of 81. Its effect on viewers lies not so much in the shocks, but in the emotional discomfort it causes.

Other notable titles from the studio include The spell (2013) y The night of the demon (2010), both by James Wan, which reachedn Scare Scores of 88 and 90, respectively. In third place is The Conjuring, the combination of classic setting and psychological tension allowed it to raise more than 320 million dollars and remain one of the most successful horror films of all time.

In second place was Host (2020), by Rob Savage, filmed during the pandemic and set over a video call. His Scare Score was 95, with peaks of 130 BPM and an 18% decrease in heart variability. He followed Skinamark (2022), a minimalist proposal by Kyle Edward Ball that obtained 91 points on the horror index. With a budget of just 15 thousand dollars, it managed to gross more than 2 million in theaters.

In the terrible and long-awaited first place, the result placed Sinister (2012), directed by Scott Derrickson, which obtained a Scare Score of 96 out of 100. Although it is not usually among the most popular lists of the genre, the film grossed more than $82 million at the box office.

Viewers went from an average of 64 to 86 beats per minute, with peaks reaching 131 BPM. The study highlighted a 21% drop in HRV, a sign of sustained fear.

According to the data collected, the most effective terror does not depend solely on sudden scares. Science suggests that what is truly disturbing is what keeps the body in a state of constant alert, where tension does not dissipate.

Do you agree with this selection? Which ones were missing?

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