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From slashers with heart-pounding jump scares to psychological horrors which leave behind a lingering sense of dread, the scariest movies of all time have been revealed for 2026.
Now in its seventh year, the Science of Scare Project measures people’s physiological response while watching horror films. Over several weeks each year, a 250-strong audience panel is subjected to some of the scariest English language releases ever with their heart rates tracked and monitored per each film.
The films are then given a total overall “Scare Score”, which combines how much the audience’s average heart was raised during the runtime compared to their average resting heart rate, the natural variation in time between heartbeats (the bigger the drop the stronger the stress) and their highest recorded heart rate, which signals the most scary, stressful or exciting moments of a film, such as jump scares.
Including Backrooms, Obsession, Hokum, and Insidious: Out of the Further, only five 2026 releases were able to crack to top fifty scariest films, with A24 horror Undertone named the most frightening film of the year so far.
Despite not ranking, Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil film delivered two record-breaking jump scares where heart-rates peaked at 134 BPM. The comedic tone of the latter portion of the adaptation played against it, however.
So if you’re looking to give yourself nightmares, here are 15 of the scariest horror films of all time according to the Science of Scare Project.
5. The Conjuring
Next up is The Conjuring, which sees James Wan reunite with Patrick Wilson, who plays Ed Warren while Vera Farmiga co-stars as Lorraine Warren. Based on the real-life paranormal investigators and sparking a huge franchise, the original 2013 film has an overall Scare Score of 88, with its scariest moment seeing heart-rates spike at 132 BPM. | Warner Bros. Pictures
6. Hereditary
The feature debut of director Ari Aster, A24 film Hereditary came out in 2018. It follows Annie Graham who is mourning the passing of her mother, alongside the rest of her family. They begin to be tormented by sinister paranormal happenings, with a horrifying truth about her ancestry coming to light. The film stars Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd and Gabriel Byrne, and holds a Scare Score of 81 with heart-rates peaking at 104 BPM during its biggest jump scare. | A24
7. Smile 2
The first sequel to rank above its predecessor, Smile 2 stars Naomi Scott as a global pop star who begins to experience terrifying events, and quickly becomes overwhelmed by escalating horrors and the pressures of fame. Directed by Parker Finn, Smile 2 has a Scare Score of 79 with heart-rates spiking to 110 BPM at their highest. | Paramount Pictures
8. Smile
Just behind its sequel is Smile, which stars Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Kal Penn and Rob Morgan. Released in 2022, it follows Dr. Rose Cotter who begins experiencing strange events after witnessing a bizarre and traumatic event involving a patient. While it had a scarier moment which saw audiences heart rates peak at 114 BPM, Smile’s overall Scare Score sits at 78. | Paramount Pictures