We as human beings are constantly being fed sales pitches claiming to hold the secret for truly losing weight fast…most often not requiring any exercise whatsoever, while still allowing you to eat whatever the hell you’d like.

Only fools buy into such nonsense, and, whether you’re able to put in the effort or not, anyone with even partial brain function knows that it takes a lot of painfully trying discipline and hard work to lose the weight you feel you need to lose.

Still, for the sake of entertainment, and because it does happen to be All Hallows’ Eve, what if I told you that a new study claims that watching horror movies can in fact help you to drop pounds. Would you listen? or at read on purely out of curiosity? If so, do continue on below now for more information and to see a list of the ten best terrifying movie options for losing weight.

A movie rental company called LOVEFiLM commissioned a study at the University of Westminster, in which scientists had ten different people watch some scary movies, and measured their energy expended, heart rate, oxygen intake, and carbon monoxide output to determine how many calories were burned in watching these films.

The results indicated that an hour and a half of watching horror movies can burn up to 113 calories, which is the equivalent to a half-hour walk.

Senior lecturer and specialist in cell metabolism and physiology at the University of Westminster, Dr. Richard Mackenzie, had this to say about the study:

Now, this is all very exciting news, but I have to be the bearer of bad news for some. I’m personally…well, a tad festively plump, if you will. I also watch an unhealthy amount of horror movies comes October every year, and I’ve seen no weight loss in my own personal case. I also am pretty much immune to horror movies when it comes to being scared, which is the reason my adrenaline doesn’t pump the way others’ do. Unless the movie is [REC], which did mess me up for a few hours.

For those of you who DO easily scare, on the other hand, here’s a list of the top ten movies you can watch to drops pounds—which does in fact include [REC], thankfully—as well as how many calories they can potentially remove from your body.

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 Blair Witch Project: 105 calories

9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 107 calories

10. [Rec]: 101 calories

Will you attempt to drop a few pounds by watching horror movies, or do you think this is all a massive pile of B.S.?

[Source: The Telegraph via /Film]