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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.
9. The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Another entry to the scariest films of all time from Sinister director Scott Derrickson is The Exorcism of Emily Rose. From 2005, this film is a supernatural horror — and legal drama — which follows Reverend Moore after he performed an exorcism on a girl believed to be possessed by demons, but who the prosecutor argues was suffering from schizophrenia. It stars Jennifer Carpenter, Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson and more, with an overall scare score of 76 but a peak heart-rate of 96 BPM. | Sony Pictures / Screen Gems
10. Talk To Me
In joint tenth place with another film, A24’s Talk To Me was the feature-length debut of YouTubers turned directors Danny and Michael Philippou. Released in the UK in 2023, the supernatural horror follows a group of teenagers who discover they can conjure spirits with an embalmed hand. It’s a high-stakes party game right up until one of them takes it too far and unleashes terrifying forces. Starring Sophie Wilde, Miranda Otto, Joe Bird and more, the film has a Scare Score of 75, with its top jump scare spiking heart-rates to 106 BPM. | A24
11. Hell House LLC.
Also in joint tenth is found footage horror, Hell House LLC. Sharing a Scare Score of 75 — with heart-rates peaking at 107 BPM for audiences — this film follows a documentary crew who decide to investigate a haunted house where 15 people were killed five years ago. Spawning a series of Hell House films, this one was released in 2015 originally, and only received cinematic release in 2026. | Terror Films
12. The Conjuring 2
We then skip a place with The Conjuring 2, another James Wan film, coming in joint 12th place with two other horrors. Released in 2016 and with Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reprising their roles as the Warrens, the second instalment in the franchise takes the action across the pond to the UK where they investigate the Enfield poltergeist case. It has a Scare Score of 74, with audience heart-rates peaking at 116 BPM. | Warner Bros. Pictures