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For the third time since 2020, Scott Derrickson’s 2012 modern horror classic Sinister has been named the scariest movie of all time. This, according to an annually updated study by the folks at The Science of Scare Project, which was founded in 2020. They screen new films every year to determine the scariest movies “based on what gets hearts pumping and pulses racing.” In short, they literally measure heart rate during the film. In the end, Derrickson found his way to the top once again.
The full list (below) concludes that Sinister is scarier than other very recent films, including Rob Savage’s Host and Kyle Edward Ball’s Skinamarkink. So don’t say that don’t make scary movies anymore! As mentioned, this isn’t the first time that Sinister topped the list, though it did briefly have to surrender the crown to Host. But since this initiative started, Derrickson’s 2012 horror hit has spent more time on top than any other movie.
For those who may need a refresher, the film centers on a writer (Ethan Hawke) who is in desperate need of a hit and moves to a new house away from it all to find inspiration. What he failed to tell his family is that there were a series of grisly deaths in the house. He soon finds a bunch of mysterious Super 8 films in the attic, and the contents of those films unleash evil upon his family.
Aside from being a truly scary film, Sinister also helped establish Blumhouse as the horror powerhouse that it is today. Made for just $3 million, it became a huge box office hit taking in nearly $90 million worldwide. Up to that point, Blumhouse had hits like Paranormal Activity and Insidious, but this one was made in house and helped pave the way for future hits like The Purge and Get Out. Derrickson later returned to make 2022’s The Black Phone for Blumhouse, which is getting a sequel next year.
The only other new movie that cracked the top 20 was this year’s Oddity from director Damian McCarthy, which is now streaming on Shudder. For those who haven’t seen it, it’s a great little gem with some truly brutal scares contained within. Also of note, Derrickson’s The Exorcism of Emily Rose cracked the top ten as well, coming in at number 8. As for the methodology? Here’s how the group breaks it down…
“Based on previous results, the top 25 movies are locked in and do not get rescreened (unless of course a new entry is scary enough to bump them out of the top 25). The remainder of the 50 (our relegation zone) get rescreened alongside our new entries. Any movie which doesn’t make the top 50, is blocked for 12 months, after which they can be voted back in. Our Scare List only considers English language horror movies.”
For more, check out our first glimpse at Scott Derrickson’s new movie The Gorge.
