Last year, the Science of Scare experiment from Broadband Choice sought to establish what could genuinely and scientifically be named as the most terrifying movie ever made, with Scott Derrickson’s Sinister coming out on top.
The method saw a selection of 40 classic films and those deemed as the scariest screened to 250 test subjects, including new entries to have been released since the last time Science of Scare was carried out. All the participants were fitted with heart rate monitors and asked to view the entire collection under the observation of researchers and medics, who then measured the average heart rate in BMP compared to a resting average of 64.
The title to knock Sinister from the top spot is Rob Savage’s Host, made all the more impressive by the fact that not only does it run for a mercifully brief 56 minutes, but it unfolds entirely via laptop screens. Six friends hold an online séance to stave off boredom during their COVID-19 quarantine, only to accidentally summon a demonic presence into their midst.
Host boasts a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 100% from 89 reviews, so you can’t say that it isn’t deserving of the top spot, after hitting an average BPM of 88, just ahead of Sinister‘s 86. With the spooky season almost upon us, science has demanded that you check it out for yourself.