The scariest movie of all-time has been declared by a scientific study, and you can now watch this 2012 scream-fest for free.
2025 has been a strong year for horror, with Sinners scaring up a storm at the start of summer, 28 Years Later and Weapons making waves during blockbuster season, and more recently The Conjuring: Last Rites grossing nearly $500 million worldwide.
Black Phone 2 is the big current release, and the horror sequel is holding strong in theaters as we approach Halloween.
But what’s the scariest movie ever? Well it actually has a strong connection to the Black Phone movies, and is available to stream for free right now…
What’s the scariest movie of all time?
According to the Science of Scare project, Sinister is the most frightening movie ever.
Director by Black Phone helmer Scott Derrickson – from a script he wrote with Black Phone collaborator C. Robert Cargill – Sinister stars Ethan Hawke as a true crime writer, with the official synopsis as follows:
“Ellison Oswald is in a slump; he hasn’t had a best seller in more than 10 years and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. So, when he discovers the existence of a snuff film showing the deaths of a family, he vows to solve the mystery. He moves his own family into the victims’ home and gets to work. However, when old film footage and other clues hint at the presence of a supernatural force, Ellison learns that living in the house may be fatal.”
The movie grossed nearly $90 million from a reported budget of just $3 million when it hit screens in 2012, while it also spawned a 2015 sequel.
But it’s the original that topped the Science of Scare list, which is compiled by fitting 250 volunteers with monitors that track their heart rate and heart rate variance to come up with a scary score. Sinister managed a massive 96 out of 100 through those means, putting it just above Host (95/100), Skinamarink (91/100), Insidious (90/100) and The Conjuring (88/100).
Where can you watch Sinister for free?
Sinister is currently available on Tubi, a streaming service that doesn’t require a paid subscription.
To gain access to Tubi’s range of content, users have to register an account, but that process doesn’t take long, and doesn’t include any costs, with the streamer instead making money from ads.
Tubi claims to be the most watched free TV and movie streaming service in the U.S., and once you’ve watched Sinister, you’ll be spoiled for choice, via the world’s largest content library, which consists of over 200,000 movies and TV episodes, as well as an ever-expanding collection of Tubi Originals.
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