Scare Yourself Thin

A recent study conducted by The University of Westminster has found that watching horror films can burn as many calories as washing windows. This news has been greeted with open arms by the millions of people worldwide that find themselves driven to washing windows in a desperate attempt to slim down everyday.
The study has produced a list of the top 10 calorie burning films; a truly remarkable feat considering that for this list to be scientifically viable and not a blatant publicity stunt they would have had to watch every horror film ever made ever.

It was Lovefilm that commissioned the study (entirely in the interest of scientific progress and definitely not publicity) and the head researcher Dr Richard MacKenzie had this to say: “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”. This statement is without a doubt very sciency.

The Shining topped the list of calorie burning films with a life changing 184 calories burnt. This equates to over a bottle and a half of coke so you can even have a bottle of coke during the film and still lose weight! (and lets not forget, you don’t have to clean any windows either).

Some sceptics out there may be thinking, this is all very sciency and not a publicity stunt and everything but surely something that’s even scarier that Jack Nicholsons face and ominous twins is the looming possibility of a life cut short through obesity and by this reasoning anyone sincerely frightened for their own tubby well being could lose weight through this fear alone and not even have to watch a film (or clean any windows) but these people clearly have no faith in the wonderful things Lovefilm are trying to do in the name of science, health and definitely not publicity.

The top 10 calorie-burning frightening films were:
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: 111 calories
8. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 107 calories
9. The Blair Witch Project: 105 calories
10. [Rec]: 101 calories

Thanks Andy!

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