In our first monitoring session since lifting the statewide lockdown, a new test subject will be introduced to Sinister (2012) while attached to a social-distancing safe six foot long heart monitor. Find out if this British-American supernatural horror film, inspired by a nightmare, raised her pulse to terrifyingly high levels.
Where To Watch:
SYNOPSIS:
Washed-up true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt finds a box of super 8 home movies which suggest the murder he’s currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose work dates back to the 1960s.
Test Subject: Jackie
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Fears: Necrophobia (Fear of Death)
Resting HR: 62-65bpm
Walking HR: 80-85bpm
ANALYSIS:
The opening of Sinister (2012) took its time foreshadowing the horrors to come. It was this haunting history that laid the groundwork for future heart racing moments. Twenty minutes into the film, suspenseful scenes filled with creepy images and noises began to affect our subject’s vitals. Surround sound played an important role in the film and these loud jolts produced her 95bpm peak early on. Unfortunately the frightening moments were built in a predictable pattern clueing our subject in to when they may occur. As can be seen in our scale, the film wavered between ratcheting up the high tension and releasing it again. This kept our subjects numbers from maintaining a steady climb.
CONCLUSION:
Sinister (2012) is a dark and chilling mystery with jump scares throughout. The film spends quiet moments creating a terrifying backstory and establishing fear within the viewer. But even though our subject wanted to quit watching halfway through, her numbers did not remain elevated long enough to set any records. We’ve found that building tension into a jump scare is way more effective in raising the heart rate than an extremely loud jolt that seems to come out of nowhere. Even with the anticipated action, Sinister (2012) created a spine-chilling tale which leaked into our subject’s psyche immediately after viewing and left her with nightmares of her own.
Sinister: Burns an average of 260 Calories
Sinfully Cinnamon Roll: 470 Calories
How many Fear Calories did you burn watching Sinister? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
