Sinister named scariest horror film by scientific study

The Sinister movie, directed by Scott Derrickson and starring Ethan Hawke, has been ranked as the scariest film of all time according to the Science of Scare Project. For the fourth consecutive year, the 2012 film topped the list, recording a peak heart rate of 131 BPM and an overall scare score of 96.

Other top-ranking films in the study include the 2020 found footage horror Host, which achieved a scare score of 95, followed by Skinamarink with a score of 91, Insidious with 90, and The Conjuring with 88. The study utilizes heart rate monitors and a panel of 250 viewers to measure psychological responses to horror cinema.