Before our annual trip to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios we decided to revisit one of our favorite classic sequels Halloween 4, which will be one of the featured Haunted Houses this year. Luckily our subject had only seen the first two films in the franchise so we were curious how Michael’s scares would hold up since its original release in 1988.

Test Subject: Leah

Age : 35

Gender: Female

Fears: Clowns, Confined Spaces

Resting HR: 65 bpm

Walking HR: 75-80 bpm

ANALYSIS:

An aggressive intro moved our subject’s heart-rate to moderate levels but eventually settled back into a resting pace for the second act. There were many lulls throughout the film but in true Halloween fashion the tension built toward the finale (noted at the one hour mark.) What we found unique about this chart was the peak heart-rate arriving during the the last few minutes of the film. Her mildly impressive 82bpm spiked with a shocking ending we originally thought might have taken the franchise in a new direction.

CONCLUSION:

Our subject was entertained while watching Halloween 4 which typically doesn’t bode well for an increase in vitals. She had seen the original film and was familiar with the Michael Myers character which seemed to dampen the tension and anxiety during the final chase sequences.

We’re hoping to burn more calories walking the haunted house than our subject did watching Halloween 4. In fact, she needs to choose her Halloween treat wisely since this film burns less calories than a candied apple.

Halloween 4: Burns 157 calories

Candy Apple: 215 Calories

How many Fear Calories did you burn watching Halloween 4? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook