Science settles on the scariest horror movie based on viewers’ heart rates

Science Settles on Scariest Horror Movie Just in time for Halloween: Researchers have scientifically determined the scariest horror flick of all time. Hooking 50 people of different ages up to heart rate monitors and subjecting them to 120 hours of scary movies in 5.1 surround sound, the Science of Scare Project found that Scott Derrickson's Sinister was the most frightening of them all. Starring Ethan Hawke as a true-crime writer working on his next book, participants saw their heartbeats jump 32% from a baseline of 65 to 86 per minute, the highest recorded rate in the study.

Others in the Top 10 included The Conjuring, Hereditary, and Paranormal Activity. Which horror movie frightened you the most?