Boffins use science to calculate the scariest scenes in horror movie history

With the spooky season well and truly upon us thrill seekers are on the lookout for the scariest movies to enjoy as the nights draw in.

But what to watch when you want to be truly terrified? With thousands of choices of out there its almost impossible to make an informed decision as to which film will give the biggest hair-raising experience.

Luckily science has stepped in to take the stress out of searching and named the scariest movie of all time. Boffins fitted 250 participants with heart rate monitors and subjected them to a spooky film fest, while researchers checked their vitals throughout.

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From the data collected the team found the scariest scene appeared was in the 2010 neo-classic Insidious , while the most horrifying film of all time was named Sinister.

The findings are part of the Science of Scare Project, which has compiled the scariest movies over the past four years.

This year's experiment scored on heart rate and heart rate variance.

"With heart rate (BPM), the higher the number, the faster the movie got our audiences’ blood pumping, an indicator of excitement and fear as part of your fight or flight instinct," the Science of Scare Project shared.

"On the other hand, heart rate variance (HRV) measures the time in between each beat of your heart.

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"The lower the heart rate variance, the more stressed our audience members became, a good indicator of slow-burn fear and dread."

The team then combined both scores to create a Science of Scare score out of 100.

"For comparison, Shrek holds a ‘Scare Score’ of three out of 100," they said.

Using these measurements, project heads found Scott Derrickson’s 2012 supernatural horror Sinister is the scariest movie ever made.

"Our audience experienced a 34 per cent uplift in heart rate when watching the movie, from 64 bpm up to 86 bpm across the movie, with the film's scariest moment sending hearts pounding to 131 bpm," according to project researchers.

"HRV dropped by 21 per cent among viewers, the second lowest of any film on the list, indicating a perfect balance of startling moments and slow burn scare."

Both combined to give Sinister a scare score of 96 out of 100.

While Insidious ranked fourth scariest, the researchers found the 2010 film had the highest spike overall.

This means the movie includes the scariest scene in horror movie history.

To see the full study click here.