Color Out of Space (2019), which has been recently added to the Shudder app, is a cosmic horror film starring Nicolas Cage and based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft. For our next heart racing experiment we searched the universe to find a test subject who was unfamiliar with this trippy sub genre. Find out if the strange and unusual Lovecraftian world raised her pulse to terrifyingly high levels.
Where to Watch:
SYNOPSIS:
A secluded farm is struck by a strange meteorite which has apocalyptic consequences for the family living there and possibly the world.
Test Subject: Jen
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Fears: Thanatophobia (Fear of Dying)
Resting HR: 60-65bpm
Walking HR: 80-85bpm
ANALYSIS:
The film began with a semi-normal but quirky family facing typical life problems. The slow introduction kept our subject intrigued but still within her resting average heart rate. Twenty minutes in however, we recorded a brief spike as a strange phenomena excited her. This was followed by a long suspenseful build. Our subject clenched her teeth while she anticipated a gruesome outcome. The film delivered. After that gory moment our subject was visibly uncomfortable but still engrossed in the highly infectious storyline. Another notable spike came at 1:10 when a highly unsettling mother and son bonding experience produced an additional spike over 80bpm. In fact, the trippy finale continued to increase tension maintaining her rapid pulse through the end credits. It was an ending that required our subject to sit in silence and contemplate what she had witnessed.
CONCLUSION:
It may have been a cruel trick to introduce a non-horror junkie to Color Out of Space. What began as a familiar and predictable movie exploded into a disturbing nightmare lit with fantastic visuals. Even though the angry ‘Trumpish’ Nic Cage impression had our subject giggling, a haunting soundtrack and mesmerizing creature effects maintained her elevated heart race. The longer runtime and steady stream of colorful hysteria will be enough to burn through a significant amount of calories. And while we were told in the film that Alpaca meat is not to be eaten, our research has proven the movie and the meat to be one of the healthier cuts.
Color Out of Space: Burns an average of 238 Calories
Alpaca Meat: 103 Calories
How many Fear Calories did you burn watching Color Out of Space? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
