How could we resist the temptation to monitor a film named after Halloween’s most recognizable yet controversial treat? Love them or hate them, these colorful candies are a traditional holiday snack. But could Josh Hasty’s new film Candy Corn (2019) embody the same symbolic flavor of the season?

Our test subject for this monitoring hates candy corn but loves carnivals. She’s also a scaredy cat when it comes to creepy slashers and gore. Find out if this Halloween flick raised her heart rate higher than a ferris wheel or spun her on a carousel of confusion.

SYNOPSIS:

It’s Halloween weekend and a group of bullies are planning their annual hazing on local outcast, Jacob Atkins. When they take things too far, he’s resurrected to seek revenge against those that wronged him.

Test Subject: Leah

Age: 35

Gender: Female

Fears: Clowns / Gore

Resting HR: 62-65 bpm

Walking HR: 80-85 bpm

ANALYSIS:

A rather slow start to the film kept our subject’s numbers low but the brutal inciting incident kicked her heart rate into second gear. Several lengthy scenes dragged her vitals back down as the characters unfolded the mystery. A mystery our subject was already well aware of. It wasn’t until the 37:00 mark that she was introduced to the potentially brutal nature this film could produce. Each shocking moment can be seen on the scale bringing respectable spikes often exceeding 80bpm. These gory scenes raised our subject’s pulse comparable to a brisk walk.

CONCLUSION:

Candy Corn (2019) had all the Halloween vibes we look for in October. The film established the mood of a 1980’s slasher and carried the nostalgia throughout. The eerie soundtrack along with recognizable cameos for horror fans had all the makings of a Halloween classic. Unfortunately the film’s slow pacing failed to raise our subject’s heart rate to record breaking numbers. The slasher had more qualities of a protagonist which lessened the empathy and emotional impact for characters being killed. But even with the lulls in the scale, there were still enough creepy shocks to satisfy our craving for a Halloween treat. And speaking of treats, the multiple peaks above 80bpm helped burn off nineteen pieces of candy corn. That’s a holiday bonus we can support.

Candy Corn: Burns an average of 144 Calories

19 pieces of Candy Corn: 140 Calories

How many Fear Calories did you burn watching Candy Corn? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook