Horror movies are one of the many genres of film where directors can create a masterpiece that fulfills the thrill of jump scares and the adrenaline rush that so many people seek. The Science of Scare performed a heart monitor test to see which film gets the most fright. First, they measured the highest, lowest, and average heart rates during a scary movie.  A list of movies was created and tested, with researchers measuring the heart rates. 

Insidious was ranked at the top of the tested movies, with the highest spike average of 133 bpm (beats per minute). The “classic jump scare horror movie” is described by viewers as a “relentless and explosive watch.” Fans wrote about how well-executed the film was with frightening scenes. However, the cliffhanger left viewers anticipating the next movie. 

Conjuring was extremely close on the charts with 132 bpm. Fans loved the “modernized supernatural horror film,” and many valued how the actors portrayed the characters in the movie. Hannah Dowaliby, a junior at Castaic High School, loved the first movie in the franchise. “It is probably my favorite movie,” she expressed. Kendra Leroux, a senior at Castaic High school, spoke about how the movies were each different in their own way, but overall, she was a fan of the series; her favorite was Conjuring two “because it was the scariest.”

Number three on the list is taken by Host and Sinister, with 130 bpm. Many opinions were shared concerning Host. Some thought it wasn’t scary enough, while others thought it was horrifying. Jocelyn Rodriguez, freshman at Castaic High School, had a fascinating view of the movie, saying, “it was not too gory, but some scenes were. The jump scares made it terrifying. I would give it a 6/10.” Sinister reviews are claiming it to be the “best horror film,” and fans loved the “creepy vibe it has, and the plot was amazing..” Audience members express how the movie is different from other horror films. Kendra Leroux said her opinion of the film was “excellent…and very eerie.”

The 2020 film, A Quiet Place II, is ranked number four, with viewers experiencing a heart rate average of 123 bpm. Nicole Mobasser, freshman at Castaic High School, talked about the film being “awkward when watching it with other people, but it’s a good, very intense movie.” The triumphant sequel was loved by many. The directors and actors were praised for a job well done. Fans wrote about how they liked that the story picked up where it left off. There were no unnecessary plot twists or scenes that did not make sense. 

2016 film Autopsy of Jane Doe and the 2017 film Terrified are number five on the list with 122 bpm. Reviews say Terrified “will make you sleep with your lights on..” The horror films got heart rates dangerously high with their antics. Although Autopsy of Jane Doe is known to have “few jumpscares,” many reviewers didn’t categorize the film as horror but better as “physiological terror.” Both movies have frightening factors that are more physiological than typical horror films.

Nevertheless, all seven films were over 100 bpm, which is potentially dangerous for getting people’s heart rates that high. Only two out of the 30 films watched were under 100 bpm. One film under 100 bpm is Hush which had 89 bpm.  “Hush was overall a boring horror movie to me…More thriller than anything else,” Skye Roughen, freshman at Castaic High School, commented. After a well-thought-out experiment, the heart rate monitors discovered, Insidious to be the most frightening.