‘The scariest moment shook their hearts at 131’: Longlegs and Terrifier 3 failed to topple the scariest horror film.

Whether it’s zombies, ghosts or serial killers, horror movies use all means to scare us. But which of them wins the prize for scariest movie? Scare Science has the answer. Created in 2020, the project is an experiment to identify the scariest movies out there by measuring your heart rate.

Every year, Science of Scare compiles a list of the scariest movies (English only) and presents them to a panel of 250 people who are tested during special screenings equipped with heart rate monitors. Screenings are held for several weeks throughout the year before results are released in October, just in time for Halloween.

In previous years, the average effect of pre-selected movies on subjects’ heart rate (measured in BPM) was compared to the average resting heart rate (64 BPM) of the entire sample per minute. However, from 2023, the project will follow a more detailed measurement method, creating a “Science of Scare Score”.

A new method

One of the main criticisms of the test from horror fans was that the use of only one physiological factor (heart rate) meant that the study favored films based on intense bursts of fear rather than horror films that focused on slow tension.

That’s why, as MoneySuperMarket reports, the Science of Scare score was introduced, a system that now incorporates both heart rate (BPM) and heart rate variability (in milliseconds or m/s), which measures the time between each beat of your heart. . First, the higher the number, the more the movie will make your heart race and therefore literally scare you. In the second case, the lower the heart rate variability, the more stressed the viewer is, which is a good indicator of the fear that is slowly building up.

These two scores are then combined to give the famous Science of Scare score out of 100. In comparison, Shrek has a “fear score” of 3 out of 100.

96 out of 100 for the scariest movie of all time

According to this new and improved study, Scott Derrickson’s 2012 supernatural horror film Wicked reclaims its crown as the scariest film it held last year.

In pitifulEthan Hawke plays an author of detective novels inspired by true events who discovers family murder films in his new home. When ancient images suggest that a supernatural force is at work, he and his family find themselves in danger.

Test audiences experienced a 34% increase in heart rate while watching the film, from 64 bpm to 86 bpm throughout the feature film, with the film’s scariest moment sending hearts racing 131 bpm. Meanwhile, heart rate variance dropped 21% among viewers, the second-lowest of any film on the list, indicating a perfect balance of surprising moments and slow-burn scares. These two elements combined gave pitiful Fear score 96 out of 100.

pitiful It was initially crowned the scariest film of all time during the project’s original run in 2020, before losing the top spot to the host in 2021 and 2022. But by 2023, it was back on the list again. According to the study, the film’s ability to provide viewers with a sense of immersion allowed it to retain its top spot.

Despite the 10 new films in the 2024 panel, only one feature, Oddity, made the top 20, meaning there was no significant change at the top of the table: host Remains in second place with an overall score of 95, just one point behind first place. however, host At least it made the test audience’s hearts beat faster than any other film on the list!

Skinamarink (or house Main), released in 2023, is a high-concept horror film that divides and frightens the audience. Skinamarink Affected the heart rate of the audience more than the other films on the list, 22%, causing the most stress and fear in the audience with a fear score of 91. , LLC Hell House and The Hand (or Talk To Me in the original version) complete the top 10.

And only in 2024?

In total, 10 new horror films from 2023/2024 made it into this year’s study, respectively, and seven made the list of the 50 scariest films of all time. According to research, if we only count 2024, the scariest movie of the year is therefore oddityDamian McCarthy’s Irish horror film, which made it into the top 20 with an overall score of 69, thanks to its creeping sense of isolation and amazing jolts of dread.

Two more new films entered the top 25, including Damien Leone’s all-new Terrifier 3, which achieved the same overall score as the previous installment in the franchise, at 68, and Stopmotion, the director’s first feature, with an overall score of 67.

Other recent films to make the top 50 include Immaculate with Sydney Sweeney with an overall score of 55, Longlegs with Nicolas Cage with a score of 54, The First Omen (Curse: Origin at home) with 50 points and exorcism horror talk show Late Night with the Devil with 49 points.

FYI, James Wan and Scott Derrickson Appearing more times than any other director on the list (4 times for the first, 3 times for the second), Tobe Hooper also appeared twice.

We’ll let you explore the full 2024 results table below (via MoneySuperMarket).

The top 3, Sinister, Host and Skinamarink (The House), should be (re)discovered on VOD – if you dare.