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A new study has revealed the scariest movies to watch this spooky season, with Evil Dead taking the crown. Online game magazine 1337games.io gathered a list of horror movies and analyzed ten factors: jump count, jump scare rating, Scarymeter’s overall score, as well as the creepy score, gory score, and jumpy score, IMDb ratings, script keyword counts, and kill counts. The movies were ranked based on their total scary scores, which were determined by these factors.
This year’s scariest movie is Evil Dead with an impressive score of 80.92 out of 100. Released in 2013, this movie is a remake of the 1981 original The Evil Dead, which follows five friends on a trip to the woods in a remote cabin where they must face the demons lurking there. This movie has a jump count of 20, a high gore score of 9.20 out of 10, but a relatively low kill count of nine.
In second place is the popular horror movie It, released in 2017 and based on the Stephen King novel, scoring 75.76. The movie is based on a supernatural alien creature that takes the form of a clown called Pennywise most of the time, but can also transform into its victims’ biggest fear before eating them. It has 23 jump scares, a high creepy score of 8.32, and a kill count of 31.
Drag Me to Hell has claimed third place, with a scary score of 72.99. Released in 2009, this horror follows a loan officer whose life is turned into a living nightmare after refusing to give a loan to an elderly woman who then curses her. This movie has a jump count of 23, a high jumpy score of 7.86 and a kill count of nine.
Fourth place belongs to the movie Friday the 13th, scoring 72.28 out of 100 on the scary index. Despite being released more than 40 years ago in 1980, this movie continues to be one of the scariest movies of all time. The movie follows a group of teenagers at an abandoned summer camp with a dark past being stalked by a mysterious and relentless killer. The kill count is 10, the jump count is 23 and the gore score is 8.61.
In fifth place is Don’t Listen, also known as its Spanish title Voces, with a scary score of 72.05 out of 100. Released in 2020, this horror follows a couple and their young son moving into a new home where they are troubled by insomnia and hearing ghostly voices. The movie scores a perfect 10 out of 10 for its gory, jumpy and creepy scores, and has 27 jump scares in total.
The Alien movie, released in 1979, has taken sixth place, scoring 71.72. Another classic horror that withstands the test of time, this movie is the first of the Alien franchise, following a starship crew being hunted by a deadly extraterrestrial creature. It has 11 jump scares, a creepy score of 8.38 and the highest kill count among all the movies in the top 10, at 53 bodies.
The Evil Dead is in seventh place, with a scary score of 71.65. Not to be confused with the 2013 remake Evil Dead, also in the ranking, this horror was released in 1981 and is the original cult classic that started the franchise. Despite the modern remake beating the original for scariness, The Evil Dead still scores high for gore at 9.18, 8.47 for creepiness, and has 22 jump scares, but a kill count of just eight.
In eighth place is Scream, scoring a spooky 70.58 out of 100. Released in 1996, a masked killer known as Ghostface terrorizes a group of teenagers, forcing one girl to confront her mother’s dark past. Another cult classic with 19 jump scares, a kill count of 16, and a gore score of 8.57.
The movie Smile is in ninth place, scoring 70.29. Released in 2022, a therapist begins experiencing terrifying, inexplicable events after witnessing a patient’s suicide, as a malevolent entity feeds on her fear and trauma. The jump count is 21, with jump scares rated five out of five, a jumpy score of 8.81, but a kill count of five.
Sinister completes the top ten, with a scary score of 69.65. This horror came out in 2012 and follows a true-crime writer who discovers a box of disturbing home movies, revealing a supernatural entity’s connection to a series of gruesome family murders. The movie has 17 perfectly rated jump scares, a kill count of 20 and a high creepy score of 8.73.
Emre Aksu, a spokesperson for 1337games.io, has commented: “This spooky season’s scariest movies highlight how horror continues to evolve while respecting its roots. The 2013 Evil Dead remake topping the list shows that a modern reinterpretation can amplify the fear factor with intense gore, effective jump scares, and a tense atmosphere, all while staying true to the spirit of the original cult classic.
“It’s also fascinating to see a mix of films from different eras, from timeless horror like Friday the 13th and Alien, to newer psychological and supernatural thrillers like Smile and Don’t Listen. The scores reflect not just the shock value but also the lasting impression these movies leave on audiences, blending suspense, creativity, and sheer terror in unique ways.
“The ranking gives horror lovers the perfect selection to choose from this winter, so grab your popcorn and prepare to be terrified. Maybe grab a friend to scream with, or a blanket to hide under, too.”
Methodology
A seed list of horror movies was created, and each one analyzed based on 10 factors. Each factor for each movie was standardized on the same scale from 0 to 10 to allow for accurate comparison between factors.
A weighting was then assigned to each factor reflecting its importance within the analysis. The factors, their source and their percentage weightings are as follows:
· Jump count 11.24% https://wheresthejump.com/full-movie-list/
· Jump scare rating 11.24% https://wheresthejump.com/full-movie-list/
· Scarymeter overall score 11.24% https://m.scarymeter.com/movie/726208
· Scarymeter creepy score 11.24% https://m.scarymeter.com/movie/726208
· Scarymeter gory score 11.24% https://m.scarymeter.com/movie/726208
· Scarymeter jumpy score 11.24% https://m.scarymeter.com/movie/726208
· IMDb rating 8.99% https://www.imdb.com
· Script keyword count per 1,000 words 7.87% https://imsdb.com
· Letterboxd keyword matches review count 7.87% https://letterboxd.com
· Dead meat kill count 7.87% https://the-dead-meat.fandom.com/wiki/All_Kill_Counts_Sorted_By_Release_Date
Once the weightings were assigned, the total score for the factors was calculated, producing an overall index score out of 100 for each entry, upon which the final ranking is based.
