Can laughter raise the heart rate in the same way fear does? Labeled as a romantic comedy with zombies, Shaun of the Dead (2004) was a critical and commercial success upon its release. Did the comedic scenes affect our subject’s physiological reactions enough to elevate them even higher? Or did the humor decrease the amount of fear she experienced?

SYNOPSIS:

Shaun (Simon Pegg) is a 30-something loser with a dull, easy existence. When he’s not working at the electronics store, he lives with his slovenly best friend, Ed (Nick Frost), in a small flat on the outskirts of London. The only unpredictable element in his life is his girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield), who wishes desperately for Shaun to grow up and be a man. When the town is inexplicably overrun with zombies, Shaun must rise to the occasion and protect both Liz and his mother (Penelope Wilton).

What is FearScale? We’ve all heard the expression ‘Scared to Death’ or how something ‘Made My Heart Skip a Beat’, but what does that actually look like? Studies have shown that even when subjected to stimuli that can not present a true threat of danger, our bodies will still produce a physiological response. By analyzing real-time results we are able to give you the most accurate reviews for anything that makes your heart race.

Test Subject: Leah

Age : 35

Gender: Female

Fears: The Zombie Apocalypse

Resting HR: 62-65 bpm

Walking HR: 80-85 bpm

ANALYSIS:

As the main characters were introduced mild chuckles began to raise our subjects heart rate above her resting average. But it wasn’t until thirty minutes into the film that we saw her pulse race as the zombies crept closer. Laughs seemed to charm our subject into a safe, movie watching experience. The warm character banter did not allow her fear to build extremely high. Even with the amusing scenes, however, our subject reached levels close to 80bpm. She seemed to feel personal connections with the main characters and once they were in peril, we could see her numbers rise. Her peak came close to the finale with a surprising jump scare. A peak of 83bpm recorded as the scene deteriorated into a gory mess.

CONCLUSION:

Shaun of the Dead, while not the scariest movie we have monitored, turned out to be a hilarious stagger through zombie infested suburbia. The dry humor and light hearted laughs kept rolling but belly laughs, which we’ve seen raise heart rates, were less frequent. After viewing the results, the description of a romantic comedy with zombies is accurate. Even if the film lacked terrifying scares, the laughs, gore, and lager make Shaun of the Dead the perfect drinking movie. So before you race to the Winchester for a pint, take in a viewing of Shaun of the Dead to burn those nasty calories.

Shaun of the Dead : Burns an average of 204 Calories

Pint of Lager: 180 Calories

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