Sinister Crowned Scariest Film of All Time by Science

The 2012 supernatural horror film Sinister has been officially crowned the scariest movie of all time, achieving a score of 96 out of 100 in The Science of Scare 2026 ranking.

The study, which gauged people's physiological reactions to horror films, monitored participants' heart rate, heart rate variability and peak heart rate. Researchers compiled a list of English-language horror films and screened them to 250 participants, recording their physical responses using heart monitors.

After gathering each film's average heart rate increase, largest heart rate spike and heart rate drop, the figures were combined to produce a Science of Scare Score out of 100. For context, Shrek holds a Scare Score of just 3, according to the Express.

How the Ranking Was Determined

Sinister pushed viewers' average heart rate up by 34%. The film establishes its dark and menacing atmosphere from the outset, opening with old home video footage depicting a family of four standing beneath a tree with sacks over their heads and nooses around their necks.

The story follows a true crime writer, played by Ethan Hawke, whose family relocates to a new house and uncovers a box of terrifying home movies in the attic. The film was directed by Scott Derrickson.

Séance horror Host came in second place with a score of 95, while Skinamarink claimed third with 91. The scariest new releases of 2026 were Undertone and Obsession, both scoring just 63.

Biggest Jump Scare of the Year

The biggest jump scare of all belonged to this year's Resident Evil, which sent viewers' heart rates soaring to 134 BPM — a 70 BPM spike, the highest surge ever recorded in the project's history. Despite this, the film failed to crack the overall top 50 scariest films.

While Sinister may be the most terrifying film ever made according to this experiment, it divided critics sharply. Writing in the Chicago Sun-Times, film critic Roger Ebert described it as "an undeniably scary movie, with performances adding enough human interest to give depth to the basic building blocks of horror".

Mark Olsen, writing in the Los Angeles Times, said: "As the best horror stories so often do, Sinister makes clear that we are our own boogeymen, the worst monsters of all."

However, not everyone was won over. In the Toronto Star, Peter Howell claimed Sinister is "more stupid than scary" and "can't even figure out who its real demon is", while Michael O'Sullivan in the Washington Post wrote: "The hero of Sinister is almost unaccountably dumb. So, unfortunately, is the movie."