It’s that time of year again when you dig out your old favourite horror film to get you in the spirit for Halloween.
Well, did you know that you could be scaring the calories away?
Research has shown that that watching a scary film could burn up to 184 calories – that’s equivalent to a small chocolate bar.
The Shining came out on top as the biggest calorie-burner, with classic horror Jaws not far behind burning up to 161 calories.
The survey carried out by researchers at Westminster University has proven that watching a 90 minute horror is an equivalent work out to doing a half an hour walk.
Senior lecturer for film studies at Liverpool John Moores University Dr Corin Willis was pleased that The Shining made the top spot.
He said “As a person who is passionate about film it’s great to see that good film making prevails over just over the top gore that you see in films like The Human Centipede and Saw.”
JMU Journalism asked the public what they thought was the scariest film of all time and whether they believed that sitting in front of your TV can actually shift those calories.
Tony Wall, 55, from Warrington, said: “The Shining scared me so I’m not surprised it burns calories. It scared me out of my wits.”
Roy Vickers, 44, from Liverpool, told JMU Journalism: “I’d have to say The Exorcist. If it burns calories, I’ll have to watch more of it then.”
Dr Willis chose the 1942 classic Cat People as his favourite horror film of all time. The suspense horror cost only $150,000 to make and grossed $4m at the box office. The film was directed by Jacques Tourneour and was the first film produced by Val Lewton.
So next time you’re thinking of heading down to the gym for a workout, why not reach for popcorn and give yourself a scare instead!
Additional reporting: Jessica Etherington