News: Study suggests watching horror movies will help you lose weight

Planning on skipping tonight’s workout in favour of watching a Halloween-inspired horror movie? The results of a study from the University of Westminister suggest that may not be a terrible idea since watching scary movies can actually help you burn calories‘provided you aren’t snacking on candy throughout the film!

It’s the “jump-scare” moments of horror flicks that are most likely to burn calories, say the researchers. “Each of the 10 films tested sent pulses racing, sparking an increase in the heart rate of the case studies,” Dr. Richard Mackenzie, senior lecturer and specialist in cell metabolism and physiology of the university told The Guardian. “As the pulse quickens and blood pumps around the body faster, the body experiences a surge in adrenaline. It is this release of fast-acting adrenaline, produced during short bursts of intense stress (or in this case, brought on by fear), which is known to lower the appetite, increase the basal metabolic rate and ultimately burn a higher level of calories.”

According to the research, these are the top 10 scary movies for calorie burn:
1. The Shining: 184 calories
2. Jaws: 161 calories
3. The Exorcist: 158 calories
4. Alien: 152 calories
5. Saw: 133 calories
6. A Nightmare on Elm Street: 118 calories
7. Paranormal Activity: 11 calories
8. The Blair Witch Project: 105 calories
9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 107 calories
10. [Rec]: 101 calories

Don’t make it a habit of watching scary movies in place of working out, though. The study was, after all, commissioned by a video rental company called Lovefilm.

What’s your all-time favourite horror movie?

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