The original Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House dropped on October 12th just in time for the Halloween season. The first episode brought claims of viewers ‘throwing up’ and ‘passing out’ due to the intense nature of the show. Challenge accepted! Can this new version of an old tale induce a physical reaction in our test subject?

Test Subject: Leah

Age : 35

Gender: Female

Fears: Ghosts

Resting HR: 62 bpm

Walking HR: 75-80 bpm

ANALYSIS:

With a one hour runtime we hoped scares would kick in fairly early but our subject displayed only minor pulse reactions at the beginning of the episode. Her anxiety grew however under a haunting soundtrack and a mysterious premise. Halfway through the show we began to see a mountainous spike form. Our subject’s heart-rate climbed to extraordinarily high levels in a short amount of time. Two major peaks were recorded which proved enough to raise her average BPM to horror worthy levels.

Watch her live Heart-Rate display rise to it’s peak HERE.

CONCLUSION:

The Haunting of Hill House delivered an amazing first episode with numbers reminiscent of our current leader The Conjuring. While this installment never affected our subject to the point of medical attention, it did raise her pulse to a fast stride on numerous occasions. Even with the one hour run-time our subject was still able to burn more calories than the Halloween treat she was snacking on prior to recording.

Episode 1: Burns 152 calories

Ghost Rice Krispie Treat: 120 Calories

Click here for the spooky Ghost Rice Krispie recipe!

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

If you haven’t read the original book by Shirley Jackson check it out HERE!