After our extremely high monitoring results from Evil Dead Rise, we were excited to put the newest entry in the Evil Dead universe to the FearScale test.

Unfortunately, we had a little trouble finding someone willing to sit through another two hours of demons, dismemberment and enough gore to make a butcher nervous. (We try to find test subjects who don’t regularly watch horror for the best FearScale results.)

Luckily, we found a subject brave enough to take on another brutal entry in the series. One of her biggest fears is being burned alive, or pyrophobia, which made her a little hesitant about volunteering. But with a little coaxing, we had her strapped to a heart monitor before she had a chance to escape…I mean, change her mind.

If you’d like to be a part of the FearScale experiment, sign up to Become a Test Subject!

SYNOPSIS:

After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws. As one by one they transform into deadites, she comes to discover that the vows she took in life – survive even in death.

FearScale™ Methodology

FearScale measures how frightening a horror film truly is by monitoring real-time heart rate data from human test subjects during controlled viewing sessions. Each subject’s baseline resting heart rate is recorded prior to the film, allowing us to identify meaningful spikes caused by tension, dread, shock, or sustained unease.

Heart rate increases are tracked throughout the runtime and correlated with specific scenes to determine when fear responses occur, and how intense they are. This data-driven approach helps separate genuine physiological reactions from subjective opinions or post-viewing impressions.

Because fear is personal, FearScale does not claim universal results. Instead, each session offers an objective snapshot of how a film impacts the human body under consistent conditions, providing a unique, measurable lens on horror.

Where We Monitored: At Home

Test Subject: Kathy

Age: 39

Gender: Female

Fears: Pyrophobia or the fear of being burned alive

Resting Baseline HR: 61-65bpm

Walking HR: 80-85bpm

FEARSCALE ANALYSIS:

The film opened with a savage hook before the title even rolled. Our subject began with a resting heart rate of 64 BPM, but within the first five minutes, it had climbed to 83 BPM.

The hot lake eventually transitioned into a heated argument, giving our subject a brief opportunity to recover. But about ten minutes later, a fiery crash brought the fear, and a fresh dose of intense gore, roaring back.

According to our FearScale readings, we recorded a noticeable heart-rate spike roughly every five minutes during the early portion of the film. While the story continued to build, our subject became increasingly aware that something evil was lurking nearby. And knowing that another gruesome moment could strike at any time kept her firmly on the edge of her seat.

40:00 – Dinner Is Served

A suspenseful dinner scene sustained mild tension while the unnerving camera work slowly built the dread.

Then came a doggone disturbing scene that shook our subject to her core. (Trigger warnings abound.) Her heart rate began climbing toward the 90 BPM range as the tension became harder to ignore.

1:00 – Peak Heart Rate: 96 BPM

An everyday household appliance suddenly became the focus of a long, drawn-out sequence that pushed our subject to her limits.

Her heart rate reached a peak of 96 BPM. Apparently, even the most innocent appliance can become terrifying when the Evil Dead gets its hands on it.

1:03 – Look Away

At this point, the gore had become so intense that our subject finally had to look away. And it wasn’t just the amount of blood that affected her. The seemingly endless barrage of brutality began taking a toll. At several points, she held her breath, which caused her heart rate to temporarily drop. But as soon as she released it, another spike followed.

FearScale observation: Sometimes the anticipation of what’s coming can be just as effective as the scare itself.

The Finale – How Much Is Too Much?

The finale delivered a full-blown family bloodbath, with the gore dial turned firmly past 11. But there was an interesting shift in our readings.

Eventually, the sheer volume of violence began to desensitize our subject. After so much blood, guts and mayhem, the shock factor started to wear off.

“When is enough enough?” we heard her exclaim.

And with her interest beginning to fade, her heart rate started to falter as well,  although it remained elevated above her baseline. Sometimes, even FearScale subjects can reach their gore limit.

Best Viewing Environment

The over-the-top practical effects and gruesome visuals are made for the big screen, so a movie theater would be our first choice. And this is definitely a movie where having a few friends sitting nearby wouldn’t hurt. Especially if you need someone to hold onto when things get…heated. Watching alone in a dark room? That’s going to turn the FearScale difficulty up another notch.

Calorie Burn Comparison

Our FearScale test subject burned an average of 297 calories during the monitoring session.

For comparison:

297 FearScale Calories = approximately 4 ounces of burnt ends (300 calories).

So technically, you could watch Evil Dead Burn and burn roughly the same number of calories as eating four ounces of burnt ends. Just don’t try to replace dinner with horror movies.

FearScale Conclusion

Evil Dead Burn is an extremely gory horror experience capable of producing significant increases in heart rate, particularly for viewers who aren’t accustomed to this level of brutality.

For seasoned horror fans, the sheer amount of gore may eventually become desensitizing. But for someone who doesn’t regularly watch horror, especially someone with a fear of fire,  the combination of suspense, anticipation and graphic violence can make for a much more intense experience.

If you’re new to horror, we wouldn’t recommend making Evil Dead Burn your first test subject.

As for our test subject? She survived the movie. But she definitely left with a little heartburn.

Want More Gore?

• Evil Dead Rise:(Heart Rate Breakdown)

• Pinnochio: Unstrung:(Heart Rate Breakdown)

How many Fear Calories did you burn watching Evil Dead Burn?  Let us know in the comments below or on Instagram, and Facebook