Study reveals the most heart-racing horror films
As Halloween nears, scarymovie-viewing tends to increase. In fact, a recent study by Gigacalculator.com found that searches for “horror films” are up 2,750 percent this year, based on an Oct. 13 Google Trends analysis.
Inspired by these Google searches, Gigacalculator.com— which provides online calculators to help solve various tasks— wanted to determine the scariest horrormovie, the one that gets pulses racing the most.
The company first invited 2,542 horror film fans to name the 10 scariest movies of all time. Fromthe survey results, they selected the top 10 films and then asked150 volunteers to wear a heart rate tracker while watching each of these flicks for the first time. Gigacalculator.com analyzed this data to deter-
mine which films increased participants’ heart rates the most, using a normal resting heart rate between 60-100 BPM as the baseline. The results: “Hereditary” was the scariest film, with participants having an average of 115 BPM.
“Saw” follows closely behind with an average of 113 BPM. Participants described the torture scenes as “harrowing” and “disturbing.”
“The Babadook” averaged110 BPM, followed by
“Insidious” at 108 BPM, “A Quiet Place” at 106 BPM, “The Descent” at 103 BPM, “Us” at 100 BPM, “It” at 99 BPM and “The Conjuring 2” at 97 BPM.
Rounding out the top 10 was the 1973 classic “The Exorcist,” with an average of 96 BPM.
Butwhy dowe like these frightening flicks that make our hearts flutter? Gigacalculator.com turned to psychologist and well being expert Lee Chambers for answers.
“First, it’s a form of entertainment. Our desire to seek sensations and avoid boredom draw us to a type of movie where something gruesome could happen any minute,” he said in a press release.
Chambers also noted that watching fromour homes provides comfort.
“You can be terrified but still be safe, you can even hide behind the sofa if it’s too much,” he said. “This emotional regulation activation is powerful, and it allows us to test our fear and anxiety in a controlled environment.”
Lastly, Chambers describes scary movies as powerful mindfulness devices.
“You’re unlikely to be worrying about anything else while watching one, and they are a distraction fromthe monotony of everyday life, creating a novel experience,” he said. “They are also a tense experience, andwe are able to psychologically distance ourselves aswe knowit is not reality, which gives us the shock sensation without the disgust.”
And with all the craziness of 2020, horror movies might be the escape from reality we all need.