The scariest horror films named

For Halloween, horror film fans are once again looking for ways to scare themselves. But everyone's tastes are different: what makes one viewer close their eyes might only make another laugh. In that case, can we determine which film is truly the scariest?

The creators of the *Science of Scare* project have been seeking the answer to this question for the seventh year. Instead of simply asking viewers about their impressions, they measure the physiological reaction of the body while watching horrors, writes Euronews.

Hundreds of volunteers participate in the study. They watch English-language horror films with sensors that record their heart rate.

However, heart rate alone is not enough for evaluation. Researchers also consider heart rate variability — how the intervals between heartbeats change. In addition, they pay attention to the maximum heart rate recorded during the most intense moments.

Based on these indicators, each film is assigned a score according to a special Scare Score index, on a scale from 0 to 100 points.

Which film turned out to be the scariest

This year, the study included 15 new horror films. The scariest among them was "Undertone" — a story about a podcast host covering supernatural phenomena who receives mysterious audio recordings and soon encounters inexplicable events herself. In the overall ranking, it took 33rd place.

And for the fourth consecutive year, "Sinister" remains the leader — a horror film directed by Scott Derrickson, released in 2012. It tells the story of a writer who moves with his family into a house where a brutal murder occurred and finds old film reels with recordings of other crimes.

During its viewing, the average heart rate of participants increased by 34% — from 64 to 86 beats per minute, reaching 131 beats at the scariest moment. According to the totality of indicators, "Sinister" scored 96 out of 100 possible points and was again recognized as the scariest horror film.

However, if the ranking were based solely on the maximum heart rate, the winner would be "Resident Evil" directed by Zach Cregger. During one of the scenes, viewers' heart rates reached 134 beats per minute. This is more than during the viewing of any other film in the history of the study.

It is noteworthy that the top twenty exclusively included films from the 21st century. However, the extended ranking also features horror classics from the last century, including "The Exorcist" (1973), "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974), "Halloween" (1978), and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984).

Top 20 Scariest Horror Films according to Science of Scare

1. "Sinister" (Sinister, 2012)
2. "Host" (Host, 2020)
3. "Skinamarink" (Skinamarink, 2022)
4. "Insidious" (Insidious, 2010)
5. "The Conjuring" (The Conjuring, 2013)
6. "Hereditary" (Hereditary, 2018)
7. "Smile 2" (Smile 2, 2023)
8. "Smile" (Smile, 2022)
9. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, 2025)
10. "Talk to Me" (Talk to Me, 2022)
11. "Hell House LLC" (Hell House LLC, 2015)
12. "The Conjuring 2" (The Conjuring 2, 2016)
13. "It Follows" (It Follows, 2014)
14. "The Dark and the Wicked" (The Dark and the Wicked, 2020)
15. "The Descent" (The Descent, 2005)
16. "Paranormal Activity" (Paranormal Activity, 2007)
17. "The Babadook" (The Babadook, 2014)
18. "A Quiet Place 2" (A Quiet Place 2, 2020)
19. "The Autopsy of Jane Doe" (The Autopsy of Jane Doe, 2017)
20. "Insidious: Chapter 2" (Insidious 2, 2013)

Nevertheless, even such a ranking does not provide a definitive answer to the question of which film is the scariest. An unexpected sound or the sudden appearance of a monster can cause a strong bodily reaction. But this does not necessarily mean that such a film will frighten more than one that gradually builds anxiety and lingers in memory for a long time.

Therefore, while the study allows for comparing viewers' reactions to different films, each person can still have their own scariest horror.

You can find the full ranking here.

• 7
• 1
• 3
• 1
• 2
• 0
• 1
• 0