“Smile 2” Joins the New List of the Scariest Films Ever, According to The Science of Scare Project
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, The Science of Scare Project has released its latest list of the scariest horror films ever made. Established in 2020, the project aims to identify the films that “make your heart race, jolt you out of your seat, or leave you sleeping with the lights on.” It is updated every October, just weeks before Halloween.
Five years after its launch, Science of Scare has returned with an updated ranking — though its number one scariest film remains unchanged. In the project’s early years, “fear” was measured by the average increase in heart rate per minute, but in 2023, additional factors such as heart rate variability (measured in milliseconds) were introduced. These data points were then combined to create a Science of Scare Score out of 100. For comparison, the family film Shrek earned a “fear score” of 3 out of 100.
Sinister (2012), directed by Scott Derrickson, has reclaimed its position as the scariest horror film of all time with a score of 96/100. The film topped the list in 2020 but was overtaken by Host in 2021.
Smile 2 (2024), which premiered exactly one year ago and did not appear on last year’s ranking, entered the list this year at #7 with a score of 79/100, while the first Smile (2022) ranked just below it at #8.
The 2025 Science of Scare Top 10:
- Sinister (2012)
- Host (2020)
- Skinamarink (2022)
- Insidious (2010)
- The Conjuring (2013)
- Hereditary (2018)
- Smile 2 (2024)
- Smile (2022)
- The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
- Talk to Me (2023)
