Few of us have had the opportunity to venture into the dark reaches of our galaxy. Yet many people suffer from Astrophobia, a severe and irrational fear of stars and space. Pandorum (2009) explores a mental illness caused by sustained deep space travel. Find out how our claustrophobic subject dealt with the isolation aboard a spacecraft as its crew descended into madness.
Where To Watch:
SYNOPSIS:
Two crew members of a spaceship wake up from hypersleep to discover that all their colleagues are missing. Despite this, it appears that they are not alone.
Test Subject: Leah
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Fears: Claustrophobia
Resting HR: 62-65bpm
Walking HR: 80-85bpm
ANALYSIS:
Pandorum (2009) began with the main characters and our subject left in the dark. A seek and find mystery aboard the ship dragged her through creepy scenic elements and we could tell she wanted to hide her eyes. Much like a haunted house, jump scares lurked around every corner. This caused extreme anxiety early on in the film as her heart rate skyrocketed from a resting 64bpm to beyond 80bpm. More surprises sustained her elevated heart rate. Another sudden jolt lifted her pulse to what would be her highest peak of 87bpm at 33:00.
Unfortunately we believe the enemies may have been revealed too early. The film had opportunities to create tense moments but when our subject knew what was lurking in the darkness, her levels began to decrease. During the finale, the filmmakers decided to cut between slow intense moments and extreme action. This kept our subject’s heart rate fluctuating, never allowing it to gain momentum.
CONCLUSION:
Pandorum (2009) is a post apocalyptic battle consisting of heart racing moments but lacking in scares. An overly complex story takes precedence over attempts to build terrifying scenes. Much like our previously monitored film, Underwater (2020), Pandorum (2009) relies on dark, confined areas to build suspense. While this worked early on, the premature creature reveal stunted higher results. The film didn’t produce intense reactions in our subject but this adventure in space was still able to burn off 223 calories upon re-entry.
Pandorum: Burns an average of 223 Calories
Astronaut Ice Cream: 120 Calories
How many Fear Calories did you burn watching Pandorum? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
