The music tightens, something is about to jump out of the dark, and your whole body braces before your brain catches up.
That split-second reflex has a quiet side effect few viewers think about.
That reflex can burn real calories. In a 2012 study at the University of Westminster, viewers of "The Shining" burned an average of 184 calories per screening. That is roughly the same as a 30-minute walk, Fox News reports.
The study was led by Dr. Richard Mackenzie, a senior lecturer in cell metabolism and physiology at the University of Westminster.
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It tracked heart rate, oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output in 10 viewers watching popular horror films.
The research was commissioned by the former movie rental service LoveFilm. With only 10 viewers, the numbers are best treated as a fun indicator rather than clinical evidence.
Why fear briefly turns up your calorie burn
The mechanism sits in the body's fight-or-flight response.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, adrenaline released by the adrenal glands in response to stress makes the heart pump harder and faster.
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Stored glycogen in the liver is also converted to glucose for extra energy.
A jump scare triggers that cascade within a second or two. Heart rate climbs, breathing speeds up, and metabolic rate ticks upward for a brief window.
Across a 90-minute film with repeated scares, those short spikes add up.
That is also why the Westminster group found films with more jump scares at the top of the ranking. The bigger the startle, the bigger the hormone surge, and the more calories burned over the sitting.
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The horror films that burned the most calories
"The Shining" topped the list. Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" and the 1973 original "The Exorcist" came in close behind, followed by older slasher and found-footage films.
Film | Calories (90 min) |
|---|---|
The Shining Also read: Women who reach menopause early may carry a mental health burden that too often goes unrecognized | 184 |
Jaws | 161 |
The Exorcist Also read: Sleeping outside this window may raise your dementia risk by up to 28 percent | 158 |
Alien | 152 |
Saw | 133 |
A Nightmare on Elm Street | 118 |
Paranormal Activity | 111 |
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | 107 |
The Blair Witch Project | 105 |
[Rec] | 101 |
Even at the top, 184 calories matches a brisk half-hour walk, not a gym session.
The sample was tiny, metabolism varies between people, and the study was funded by a company with a direct interest in people watching more films.
This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.