Watching your weight? Try watching a horror movie!

Scientists claim watching a scary film can help burn calories.

And the 1980 psychological thriller "The Shining" topped the list of calorie-burning films, with the average viewer using up a whopping 184 calories.

The scientists found that on average the participants used up a third more calories watching the scary films than if they had been sitting in front of a blank screen.

And on average viewers burned 113 calories over 90-minutes of film watching – the same amount as a 30-minute walk – which would off set the calories in a small chocolate bar.

However, the films that made viewers jump in terror were the best calorie-burners because they cause the heart rate to soar.