Forget fad diets - watching frightening films could be the key to shifting the pounds, according to a new study carried out by The University of Westminster.
Researchers found that viewers who sit through horror films can burn nearly 200 calories - the equivalent of one chocolate bar or a large glass of wine!
Measuring participants' heart rate, oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output, researchers discovered that the number of calories we burn increases by, on average, a third when we watch horror films. And while 80s thriller The Shining took the calorie-burning top spot at a whopping 184 calories, the general rule is the scarier and jumpier the better.
You'd have to walk for half a hour to use up that kind of energy. And, while we do generally endorse healthy eating and exercise, it is Halloween on Wednesday, which seems like a good excuse to swap the gym for a heartrate-increasing horror film. Just remember not to eat too many of those trick-or-treat sweets with your movie - that would undo all the good work...
For using optimum energy pick one of the top ten calorie-burning films:
1. Here's Johnny! 1980 thriller, The Shining, starring Jack Nicholson, tops the chart at 184 calories.
2. The original man-eating shark, Jaws, will shock and scare you into using 161 calories.