KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — A US finance portal is offering US$1,300 (RM5,410) to watch 13 horror movies as part of their study to determine whether high-budget horror movies deliver more scares than low-budget ones.
In making the offer, FinanceBuzz said the successful applicant’s heart rate would be recorded via a FitBit that will be provided.
In explaining the offer, it said movies of the horror genre are the most profitable, regardless of their budget.
“For a movie to make your hair stand on end and send shivers crawling up your spine, it’s not all about high-end special effects and CGI scares.
“More often than not, horror movies are scary because of their story… not the budget of the production studio,” it said, citing 2007’s Paranormal Activity which cost just US$15,000 (RM62,430) but chalked up over US$193 million (RM803.2 million) at the box office.
The movies which the successful applicant needs to watch are Saw, Amityville Horror, A Quiet Place, A Quiet Place Part 2, Candyman and Insidious.
They would also need to watch The Blair Witch Project, Sinister, Get Out, The Purge, Halloween (2018), Paranormal Activity and Annabelle.
Besides the cash reward, it is also throwing in a US$50 (RM208) gift card to cover rental costs.
The application, which is open to those based in the US aged 18 years and above, closes on Sept 26 and the successful candidate will be informed on Oct 1.
