Modern Horror Dominates: 10 Scariest Movies of All Time, According to Science

How the study measured fear

The Science of Scare study aims to measure how frightening films are through viewers’ physical reactions. Researchers fitted 250 participants with heart-rate monitors while they watched a selection of horror movies.

The study combined average heart rate, heart-rate variability and peak heart-rate spikes into a Scare Score out of 100. The measure accounts for sudden shocks as well as sustained psychological tension.

Supernatural stories and real cases

Talk to Me scored 75, tying for tenth place. The film follows teenagers who use an embalmed hand to contact the dead, but their experiments become dangerous; its unsettling moments include Mia’s dependence on the experience and Riley’s possession.

Smiles that turn threatening

Smile scored 78. Sosie Bacon plays psychiatrist Rose Cotter, who becomes convinced an unseen entity is following her after she witnesses a patient’s suicide. The entity’s unnaturally broad smile turns a familiar expression into a source of menace.

Smile 2 scored 79, surpassing its predecessor. Naomi Scott plays Skye Riley, a pop superstar. The study’s top 10 is made up entirely of modern horror films, although the available details here cover only these four titles.