A new study has attempted to rank the scariest horror films of all time by monitoring viewers’ average heart rates.

The broadbandchoices ‘Science of Scare’ project followed the heart rates of over 50 people across more than 100 hours of horror films to try and determine the 35 scariest films of all time.

According to the findings, 2012’s Sinister comes out at the top of the table.

The Ethan Hawke film follows a true-crime writer who investigates a string of gruesome murders on film footage, and according to the study audience members experienced a 32% uplift in heart rates – from 65 beats per minute (bpm) to 86 bpm.

The biggest increase during the film’s scariest moment was to 131 bpm, a little behind Insidious‘ biggest jump to 133 bpm.

However, the latter film sits just behind Sinister in overall rankings due to its average heart rate increase to 85 bpm, followed by The Conjuring at three (84 bpm), Hereditary at four (83 bpm) and Paranormal Activity at five (82 bpm).

Only four films more than 20 years old are in the rankings – The Exorcist, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – while James Wan in the most popular individual director, with three films in the top 10.

“With more people than ever facing a Halloween at home, our Science of Scare study was designed to help people find the most scientifically scary films ever made, to save them the time of searching through thousands of titles across streaming services like Amazon, Netflix and Shudder,” said study creator Daniel Clifford.

“Our list found that modern horror movies sent heart pounding faster than classics, with movies like Sinister, Insidious and the Conjuring series scoring particularly high on the list. While horror fanatics might be surprised to see some iconic movies such as Halloween chart comparatively low, it’s worth bearing in mind that while incredible films, they may not have the same instant impact years later.

“If you’re easy startled, then this definitive list of horror is not for you, but if you’re looking for something to get your heart racing this Halloween, then turn the lights off, but the sound up and remember to check under your bed before you go to sleep.”

The study was created by collating a list of the 50 greatest horror movies – based on IMBD, Rotten Tomatoes, critics ‘best of’ lists and Reddit lists – and screening each one to a panel of 50 viewers across a variety of ages.

Audience members were then fitted with a heart rate monitor, tracking their heart rate throughout the film vs their average resting heart rate. The data was then averaged for each film.

The full list is as follows:

1. Sinister
2. Insidious
3. The Conjuring
4. Hereditary
5. Paranormal Activity
6. It Follows
7. The Conjuring 2
8. The Babadook
9. The Descent
10. The Visit
11. The Ring
12. A Quiet Place
13. A Nightmare on Elm Street
14. Halloween
15. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
16. 28 Days Later
17. The Exorcist
18. Hush
19. It
20. Scream
21. The Grudge
22. The Witch
23. The Blair Witch Project
24. Alien
25. The Thing
26. Poltergeist
27. Annabelle
28. Friday the 13th
29. The Orphanage
30. Dark Skies
31. Wolf Creek
32. The Omen
33. The Shining
34. Get Out
35. Audition