Are Scary Movies Bad For Your Heart?

Lots of people love scary movies but are they bad for your ticker? See what a new study says…

By JJ Pellini on June 18, 2018
LONDONDERRY, NORTHERN IRELAND - OCTOBER 31: Thrill seekers react to a Chateau Le Fear cast member as he performs at the house of horror interactive walk-through show on October 31, 2015 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Derry hosts the biggest Halloween street carnival parade in Europe attracting some 25,000 enthusiasts and was also recently voted the number one Halloween destination in the world according to a USA Today poll. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
(Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Lots of people love scary movies but are they bad for your ticker? See what a new study says…

Buzzfeed.com talked to a cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix named Dr. Regis Fernandes who said that scary movies can trigger the body’s “fight or flight” response and that increases your heart rate and blood pressure. He added, “The response can also be activated with anxiety– so the danger might not exist but your mind creates the same feeling.”

So what does it all mean? Dr. Regis said: “I would say movies would not cause the heart to beat faster than mild- to moderate-intensity exercise, or about 70 to 85% of your maximal heart rate.”

So, can a scary movie really scare you to death? The article says: “for most people, the spikes in heart rate and blood pressure from watching a scary movie are not a problem. Your body will return to normal, unharmed, after the movie ends.”

What horror movie really scares the heck out of you?

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