These are the scariest movies ever, according to science
Scare Score: 71 Average Heart Rate: 80 BPM Highest Spike: 123 BPM. This sequel ramps up the tension from the original, expanding the world but keeping the life-or-death silence. Perfectly crafted set-pieces and the constant threat of monsters make viewers hold their breath. Photo: Platinum Dunes
Scare Score: 72 Average Heart Rate: 79 BPM Highest Spike: 119 BPM. Grief, mental illness, and a sinister children's book collide in this Australian classic. The Babadook delivers unease with every frame, with its dread building relentlessly until it becomes nearly unbearable. Photo: Causeway Films
Scare Score: 73 Average Heart Rate: 80 BPM Highest Spike: 115 BPM. The found-footage phenomenon that reignited the genre. Simple setups, realistic acting, and those perfectly timed jump scares kept audiences glued to their seats while their BPMs shot up. Photo: Blumhouse Productions
Scare Score: 74 Average Heart Rate: 79 BPM Highest Spike: 121 BPM. Claustrophobia meets creatures in the dark. This cave expedition gone wrong uses pitch-black tunnels and brutal gore to keep viewers in fight-or-flight mode. It's a relentless stress test that rarely lets up. Photo: Pathé Pictures
Scare Score: 74 Average Heart Rate: 80 BPM Highest Spike: 88 BPM. Bleak and relentless, this film follows siblings returning to their dying father's farm only to face an unspeakable evil. It is a masterclass in slow-burn dread that unsettles viewers deeply. Photo: RLJE Films
Scare Score: 74 Average Heart Rate: 81 BPM Highest Spike: 96 BPM. A curse that walks slowly but never stops. It Follows creates tension by making every background figure a threat. Its originality and unrelenting pacing keeps you constantly scanning the frame, heart racing. Photo: RADiUS-TWC
Scare Score: 74 Average Heart Rate: 79 BPM Highest Spike: 116 BPM. Ed and Lorraine Warren head to England to investigate the Enfield haunting in this sequel. With the terrifying nun Valak and a relentlessly creepy atmosphere, The Conjuring 2 delivered big BPM spikes. Photo: New Line Cinema
Scare Score: 75 Average Heart Rate: 81 BPM Highest Spike: 107 BPM. Found-footage done right. A documentary crew investigates the deadly failure of a haunted house attraction. The result? Footage full of pitch-dark corridors, eerie clown mannequins, and slow-building dread that had audiences' heart rates steadily climbing. Photo: Terror Films
Scare Score: 75 Average Heart Rate: 79 BPM Highest Spike: 106 BPM. A fresh Australian horror hit. Teens discover an embalmed hand that lets them speak to spirits, but the price is steep. Gritty, emotional, and genuinely scary, Talk to Me combines possession horror with real human stakes that keep BPM readings elevated. Photo: Causeway Films
Scare Score: 76 Average Heart Rate: 82 BPM Highest Spike: 96 BPM. Part courtroom drama, part demonic possession horror, this film tells the tragic story of Emily Rose with chilling performances and terrifying exorcism scenes. Jennifer Carpenter's contorted physical acting remains nightmare fuel. Photo: Screen Gems
Scare Score: 78 Average Heart Rate: 83 BPM Highest Spike: 114 BPM. Trauma, curses, and that unsettling grin. Smile takes a simple concept and executes it with creeping dread and shocking visuals. It proved to be one of the biggest heart-rate drivers of recent years, with watchers holding their breath waiting for that next terrifying smile. Photo: Paramount Pictures
Scare Score: 81 Average Heart Rate: 82 BPM Highest Spike: 104 BPM. Ari Aster's debut shocked audiences with its portrayal of grief, family trauma, and satanic cults. Toni Collette delivers an unforgettable performance, while the film's visuals and sound design keep viewers squirming, heart rates steadily high throughout. Photo: A24
Scare Score: 88 Average Heart Rate: 84 BPM Highest Spike: 132 BPM. The film that launched a franchise. Based on real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring nails classic haunted house scares. With expertly crafted jump scares and a relentless sense of foreboding, it's no wonder it gets pulses racing. Photo: New Line Cinema
Scare Score: 90 Average Heart Rate: 85 BPM Highest Spike: 133 BPM. When their son falls into an unexplained coma, a family discovers demons in another realm trying to invade our world. James Wan's creative visuals, nerve-jangling sound design, and perfectly timed jump scares kept BPMs sky-high. Photo: Blumhouse Productions
Scare Score: 91 Average Heart Rate: 84 BPM Highest Spike: 113 BPM. A low-budget Canadian indie that turned viral sensation. Two kids wake to find their father missing and their home's windows and doors gone. With minimal lighting, unsettling audio, and lo-fi visuals, it delivers an atmosphere that burrows into your nightmares. Photo: IFC Films
Scare Score: 95 Average Heart Rate: 88 BPM Highest Spike: 130 BPM. Filmed entirely over Zoom during the pandemic, Host follows friends who hold an online seance that goes horribly wrong. It's lean, mean, and terrifying, making excellent use of the found-footage style to keep viewers' BPMs peaking. Photo: Shadowhouse Films
Scare Score: 96 Average Heart Rate: 86 BPM Highest Spike: 131 BPM. The champion once again. Ethan Hawke stars as a true-crime writer who discovers horrific home movies in his attic. The grainy, snuff-like footage, unsettling sound design, and slow-burn dread make Sinister the most scientifically terrifying movie ever tested. Viewers experienced consistent, elevated BPMs with massive spikes at the scariest moments. Photo: Blumhouse Productions
Tested as a new addition in 2024 but didn't crack the Top 50. This return to the Alien universe brings back claustrophobic sci-fi horror with plenty of xenomorph terror for fans. Photo: 20th Century Studios
Another 2024 newcomer that didn't make the Top 50 but still delivered unsettling psychological horror, proving social tension can be just as scary as monsters. Photo: Blumhouse Productions
Also tested in this year's experiment but landed outside the Top 50. Known for shocking body horror and disturbing visuals, it's one for those who want their scares truly grotesque. Photo: Universal Pictures
Well, that's the full rundown of the scariest movies ever tested. Whether you're into classic haunted houses, brutal slashers, or unsettling dread, there's something here guaranteed to get your heart racing. So grab a blanket, turn off the lights, and pick your next fright-night favourite. Sweet dreams.
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