Rhiannon Elizabeth Irons
The first ten minutes can make or break a movie. An opening sequence sets the scene for what will transpire throughout the remainder of the film.
In the horror genre, the opening sequence tends to bump off a character or two (or two dozen) to begin the body count and give the audience an inside glimpse as to the dangers lurking in the shadows.
This is particularly popular within the slasher sub-genre. For films that feature more paranormal aspects, the opening ten minutes often tends to show the beginnings of the hauntings that will plague the main characters later on, while gore-filled torture porn movies tend to go straight for the blood and guts, with a gruesome opening sequence that leaves audiences squeamish.
But while bumping off some annoying, marginal character that will never be mentioned again is popular, is it memorable enough to land on this list? The answer is no. To be considered for this list, the opening sequence must be so memorable that when you think of the film in question, it’s one of the first scenes that flashes into your mind. And boy, do I have some outstanding sequences for you!
This will be your only warning. There will be spoilers ahead.
So, grab some popcorn, put your feet up, and relax, as I take you on a journey through 13 incredible opening sequences that defined their movie.
13: Dawn of the Dead (2004)
As far as remakes go, this one is enjoyable. And as far as opening sequences go, Dawn of the Dead delivers on character introduction and development as well as impending doom.
The opening sequence introduces audiences to Ana (Sarah Polley), a nurse at a hospital, dealing with an influx of patients. Upon returning to her suburban home, she meets the girl next door, Vivian, who is out rollerblading. After Vivian shows off her skills, she and Ana part ways. Ana crawls into her bed next to her husband, ready to settle down for a restful night. The next morning, her husband awakes to see a bloodied Vivian standing in the doorway. As Ana’s husband investigates, Vivian attacks, revealing she is now a zombie.
Ana tosses the young girl down the hall, slamming the door closed as she deals with her husband, who has had his throat torn out. As he dies, Ana is on the phone, attempting to call for help. While she repeatedly gets a “not in service” message, her husband reanimates and attacks.
Ana dives into the ensuite, locking the door behind her. She manages to escape her home by diving out the bathroom window. And that’s where the realization that chaos has consumed the world. Houses in the development are on fire, survivors are run over by ambulances, people being chased by the living dead. Carnage. Pure carnage.
And it’s superb to witness. The audience is drawn into the destruction, enthralled by the high energy. A vast contrast to usual zombie invasion films.
12: Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
This gem of a film has accumulated cult status since its limited release. An anthology film that covers the lore of Halloween. And lore plays a big part in the opening sequence.
The story begins with Emma (Leslie Bibb) returning home after a party with her boyfriend, Henry. Their house is decorated for the festivities of Halloween. But Emma is a spooky season grinch, blowing out the lit jack o’ lantern at her gate, much to the chagrin of Henry.
He disappears inside while Emma remains to clean up the front yard for her mother’s pending arrival in the morning. Stating that she hates Halloween, Emma begins dismantling the display, tossing the sheets and bloody body parts into a box.
After a few unnerving red herrings, she is attacked, covered by a sheet and slashed at with a sharp implement. But what is most disturbing is what’s holding that sharp implement, a child’s hand.
Henry wakes to the sound of a scream, only to realize his grinchy girlfriend is not beside him in bed. He heads outside to find the display still standing. In true horror movie fashion, he moves around the yard, searching for Emma. A display lights up, drawing his attention.
As he removes the sheet, his cries of anguish linger in the night. Atop the large cross is Emma’s severed head, her mouth stretched wide by a jack o’ lantern lollipop.
Each anthology story featured in this film links back to this story in some way, even if it shows them in passing. But that’s what make this scene, and the film, so compelling. It’s opening scene delivers a message about not messing with tradition of the holiday or a grisly demise awaits you.
11: Thirteen Ghosts (2001)
Another remake makes this list but hear me out on this one. Unlike with most paranormal films that deliver a slow burn leading up to the action, Thirteen Ghosts throws the audience right into the middle of a ghost hunt.
Ghost hunters Dennis Rafkin (Matthew Lillard) and Cyrus Kriticos (F. Murray Abraham) along with a team of unnamed hunters, are in a junk yard, setting up a trap. Rafkin has special psychic abilities and is able to sense when a ghost is around.
Once the trap is set, the carnage begins as the ghost known as The Juggernaut a.k.a Breaker Mahoney (John DeSantis) begins to slaughter the entire team, breaking them in half.
The trap, a large glass box with Latin verses etched into it, stands in the center of a clearing, surrounded by dismantled cars. One poor sap is chased by the looming Juggernaut into the glass box. As the doors slide shut, trapping them both inside, the ghost unleashes his brute strength, killing his victim and staring down Dennis Rafkin, setting up foreshadowing for a later showdown.
The intensity of the scene can be frightening for some viewers. The ghost is hauntingly beautiful with exceptional makeup and costume designs. But the lore of the ghost(s) is what helps sell this incredible remake. If you don’t know what I mean, find a copy on DVD and watch the behind the scenes. There, you will learn the backstory to each of the thirteen trapped spirits as well as how they fit into Kriticos’ design.
10: It Follows (2014)
Let’s get something straight; I am not a fan of this film at all. But I do appreciate the opening sequence which sets a foreboding tone. We know there’s a threat to a beautiful, young woman. We just don’t know what this threat is.
The scene begins as a young woman runs down a suburban street. She is clearly panicking. One of her neighbors asks her if she’s alright. She dismisses the concern before running into a house, ignoring her clearly worried father. She returns moments later only to climb into the car and drive off.
Her phone rings repeatedly as she’s driving. Ignoring the call and promoting good driving habits (with the exception of constantly looking over her shoulder – that’s what rear view mirrors are for), she hurries towards a beach.
Parking her car on the sand, she sits a considerable distance from it, the glow from the headlights washing over her. Her phone rings again. This time she answers. She ominously farewells her father, telling him she loves him and that she’s sorry.
There’s a cut and suddenly we’re greeted with her mangled corpse. No rhyme or reason is given. An unknown assailant is on the loose and judging from the angle in which the body is broken, we are dealing with a force that knows no boundaries. After all, “It doesn’t think. It doesn’t feel. It doesn’t give up.”
9: The Ring (2002)
You know the story about the cursed videotape? You know the one where if you watch it, your phone rings and a creepy child’s voice tells you that you only have 7 days to live? Yeah, that videotape is the subject of our next entry.
The opening sequence shows two girls, Katie and Becca, settling in for the night, discussing usual teenage girl stuff, like television airwaves and what possible signals could be shared through them.
Turning off the TV, Becca turns to Katie to tell her a story about the cursed videotape, describing haunting imagery that is shown throughout it. Katie’s demeanor changes as she informs Becca that she has seen the tape.
Katie tells her friend that during a weekend away with her boyfriend, she and her friends watched it.
After goofing around, attempting to scare each other, the phone rings. Becca answers before handing it over to Katie without saying a word. Turns out, it’s just Katie’s mother calling.
Becca grins before heading off down the hall, leaving Katie to deal with her mother.
After Katie hangs up, a TV turns on, showing nothing but static.
Feeling unsettled, Katie blames the jump scare on Becca, only to see the remote lying on the couch. Disregarding the unnerving feeling, Katie turns the TV off, turning around to head back to the kitchen.
In true horror fashion, the TV snaps back on, the static deafening, breaking the silence. Katie pulls the plug on the TV before heading back to the kitchen and closing the fridge.
As she makes her way through the house, the disconcerting feeling returns. Especially when she sees water escaping from beneath her bedroom door.
Opening the door, she is greeted by her TV which is turned on, showing a grainy image of an old well. The camera returns to Katie, moving in quickly as her face contorts and drains of color.
While we don’t see her corpse for a little while, Katie’s fate has been sealed. And a lot like It Follows, the force behind what caused her demise is unknown to the audience.
This American remake of the Japanese film, Ringu, was quite well-received, proving that remakes can be done well.
8: Halloween (1978)
Starting with an ominous score, and ending with a shocking reveal, this John Carpenter classic brought the terror from the moment the movie began.
Once the title card and opening credits have passed, the film opens with an image of a house. The camera crosses the road and stares in the side window to see two teenagers making out in a living room. A throwaway comment about “Michael’s around someplace” gives the audience a clue to the fact we are watching this debauchery through the eyes of someone named Michael.
As the teens head upstairs, the camera moves around the side of the house, entering through the back door and into the kitchen. A hand removes a large kitchen knife from a drawer as the camera begins a slow stalk throughout the rest of the house.
Stopping in the living room, we’re interrupted as the young male descends the stairs (shortest sex scene ever!). We watch as he leaves before heading up the stairs and picking up a small clown mask.
With the vision obscured by most of the mask, the camera enters a bedroom to see the young woman, sitting naked at a vanity.
“Michael!” she cries, covering her chest. The score increases as the stabbing commences. We can see the carnage dealt through the eye holes of the mask.
She falls to the floor, dead, as we start our journey back through the house, down the stairs and out the front door.
A car approaches and a man gets out. “Michael?” he questions as he pulls of the mask to reveal we’ve just watched the entire scene through the eyes of a child.
Revealing that Michael was a child was astonishing as audiences weren’t sure what to expect. It gave Michael the feel of being “pure evil” which was something that Carpenter wanted and was a sentiment that was hammered home with Dr. Loomis’ speech while investigating the old Myers’ house 15 years later.
7: The Stepfather (1987)
A morning montage of someone getting ready to begin their day shouldn’t be this terrifying. But even as the opening credits flash over a classic suburban street setting, the score hints that something is very wrong in this sleepy street.
The setting is a bathroom. A middle-aged man is washing blood from his hands and face before stripping off and climbing into a shower.
Once he’s showered, the man cuts his hair, styling it neatly, before shaving, putting in contact lens, and dressing in a suit. He admires himself in the mirror.
Family photos line the hall as he exits the bathroom, making his way to the stairs. In his hand is a suitcase containing his bloody clothes. He stops to pick up a toy boat and returns it to a child’s room.
As he descends the stairs, he passes an archway which finally shows us the chaos we knew was coming. A family, slain, the white room decorated in their blood. The bodies are mangled.
Casually, the man steps over the mess and walks outside, shutting the door behind him as though nothing was wrong. Hand in pocket he saunters down the street without a care in the world, whistling to himself.
Talk about a chilling, and iconic, opening. Danger lurks around every corner, but never did audiences expect the peril was inside their own homes. Or their own family, for that matter. The brutality of the murders combined with the nonchalant attitude of the killer leaves us with the unmistakable feeling of dread.
6: When A Stranger Calls (1979)
A babysitter’s worst nightmare comes to life on the big screen in this cult classic from 1979.
When Jill Johnson (Carol Kane) arrives at the Mandrakis residence, she expects the night will be uneventful. The children are asleep upstairs, so she settles down for a night of studying.
The phone rings. When she answers, there’s breathing on the other end. Hanging up, she disregards it as being a wrong number or crank call. But the phone rings again. Upon answering a man says, “Have you checked the children?”
Thinking it’s Dr. Mandrakis, she disregards the call as being nothing more than a helicopter parent. But when it continues, Jill’s sense of paranoia skyrockets. She attempts to call the Mandrakis’ on the number they gave her. Turns out she missed them by forty minutes.
Calling the operator, Jill asks to speak to the local police. The operator patches her through.
The police tell her that there’s not much they can do seeing as he’s not using obscene language or being abusive by any means. He even recommends using a whistle down the phone line at the stranger.
No sooner as she hangs up with the police, then the phone rings again. “Why haven’t you checked the children?”
Overcome with paranoid thoughts, Jill closes all the curtains, locks all the doors, before heading upstairs to the children’s room.
She only gets halfway up the stairs before the phone rings again. Descending the staircase, she sits on the bottom step, fearfully staring at the phone.
She arms herself with a cane before calling the police back. She tells them she knows he’s watching her through the windows. The police tell her they will try to trace the call, but she must keep him on the line for a minute.
When the stranger calls back, she successfully keeps him on the phone long enough for the police to trace the call. But not before she learns that he wants her blood all over him.
The stranger hangs up once Jill informs him that she’s contacted the police. She puts the phone down, only for it to ring immediately.
“Leave me alone!” a frustrated Jill screams into the receiver. Her fears are soon escalated as the policeman who she had been speaking with earlier that evening has called her back. He’s warning her that they traced the call and it’s coming from inside the house and for her to get out.
She goes to the door and silently unlocks it, just as the bedroom door to the children’s room opens. A man’s silhouette can be seen in the light.
Jill opens the door and is confronted with a large man who is a detective that had been sent to investigate the area for any peeping Toms.
When A Stranger Calls is based on the urban legend of The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs and plays on the fears of there being someone other than yourself in the house. What makes this especially chilling is the children have been mutilated in their beds. If Jill had have gone in to check on them, she would have more than likely been murdered too.
I could have gone with the 2006 remake for opening scenes, at it follows this same pattern (although the babysitter at the beginning is not Jill Johnson), however it lacked the tension and style of the 1979 original. The fear felt by Carol Kane is enigmatic. After viewing this opening, you’ll want to double check the locks on the door...again.
5: The Collection (2012)
I have never been more grateful that I don’t go clubbing.
Elena Peters (Emma Fitzpatrick) is the victim of an overbearing father (Christopher McDonald). After being involved in a horrific car accident when she was younger, her father has become a stickler when it comes to letting her out of his sight. So, when she sneaks out of the house with her friends to attend a secret club, she doesn’t think that they’ll become victims of an uncaught serial killer.
They arrive at a secret location in an alleyway and give the password – “Nevermore” – to the bouncer who was hiding in the shadows. He lets them in, and they’re met by flashing lights and a thumping beat.
Joining the bump and grind of the hundreds of other patrons, Elena and her friends bust a move on the dancefloor.
But through the crowd, Elena spots her boyfriend sucking the face of another woman. This boyfriend had blown her off earlier in the night to avoid seeing her.
In true badass fashion, Elena punches the two-timing loser in the nose before disappearing into the sea of gyrating bodies. Missy gives chase but loses Elena in the crowd.
Elena opens a room, closing the door behind her. The silence is welcoming as she composes herself.
In the center of the room is a large, red box. For those who haven’t see the The Collector, this box houses a victim of the serial killer. And at the end of the first film, we know that Arkin, the sole survivor, was trapped inside.
Curiosity takes ahold of Elena as she opens the box. Arkin springs out, screaming “Get down!” A large metal spike springs from a boobytrap, aimed at them both.
Arkin saves Elena, but not before realizing it’s too late for everyone else in the club. This is the beginning of the end for all the patrons.
A large mechanical device, resembling that of a lawnmower begins to twirl as the metal club doors slam shut, locking everyone inside.
Carnage ensues as the mower blades carve up the dancefloor. The Collector, perched atop the giant cage, watching with interest, as the screams of the party goers echoes through the room.
Elena leaves Arkin to fend for himself as she rushes to find her friends. In doing so, Arkin gets his hands on her bracelet and uses his lock picking skills to free himself from the chains.
Those who managed to escape the dancefloor before being sliced and diced, are locked in a cage, the ceiling lowering, crushing them to death, while the Collector looks on. Elena arrives just in time to see her friend, Missy get crushed.
Face to face with the Collector, Elena runs to find Arkin ripping boards from a window. Arming himself with a body of a victim, he dives out the window as the Collector grabs Elena.
Arkin lands on top of the body, bracing his fall as he lands on the car. Elena on the other hand, isn’t so lucky, becoming trapped in the red box.
Talk about memorable. The scene shows the sheer brutality of the Collector, as well as the intricate design of his traps. Which only get more ruthless as the movie progresses. Move over, John Kramer, you have competition.
4: Final Destination Franchise (2000-)
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. This is cheating, but I really couldn’t separate the five entries from this franchise. They’re all iconic. Ask anyone about any of the Final Destination movies and they’ll mention one of the opening scenes as being the most memorable moment of that film entry.
It all began in 2000 with Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) having a premonition of a plane explosion. Not just any plane explosion, mind you. But rather the plane he and his friends were travelling on to Paris. His decision to flip out and exit the doomed flight saved his life, and the lives of those who followed him.
Three years later, the story would continue. Kimberly Corman (AJ Cook) was on the road with her friends when she had a vision of a horrific pileup on the highway. After snapping back to reality, she turned on the radio. As AC/DC’s Highway to Hell blared through her car speakers, she pulled over, blocking the on ramp to the highway and saving the lives of those who were behind her.
Another three years passed before Wendy Christensen (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a high school graduate at McKinley High, had a premonition the Devil’s Flight rollercoaster would crash, killing all onboard. She, and some of the thrill seekers, were evicted from the ride before theme park officials launched the doomed coaster on its final voyage.
It seems things happen in threes alright, as it’s another 3 years before Nick (Bobby Campo) is struck by a devastating premonition of a deadly accident on a speedway during a race. Like the others before him, Nick panics and exits the venue, friends in tow, before disaster strikes.
In 2011, audiences were introduced to Sam (Nicholas D’Agosto). During a business retreat, Sam finds himself the center of Death’s latest design. After having a vision that the suspension bridge was going to collapse, Nick and some of his fellow co-workers manage to escape just before the carnage happens.
Five incredible opening sequences that enthralled audiences with pure chaos. We were on the edge of our seats as we reveled in the terror that was thrust upon our group of survivors.
The remainder of the films followed those who escaped certain doom as Death came knocking at their door, ensuring no one escapes their fate. The fatalities of those survivors were creative, giving into the bloodlust of horror fans.
While I haven’t been able to separate the films, choosing one above the others to stand out for this list, I do have a personal favorite opening moment from this franchise. And it’s the reason why I won’t travel behind a logging truck on a highway.
3: Scream (1996)
A list about opening sequences to a horror movie wouldn’t be complete without this film.
The scene begins with a phone ringing. It’s answered by Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore).
She establishes it to be a wrong number and hangs up. Less than a second later, it rings again. The same voice speaks to her. Laughing it off, Casey hangs up and goes about her business.
We see an exterior shot of a large home in the middle of nowhere. A swing hangs from a large tree, rocking gently in the breeze.
The phone rings again as Casey is in the kitchen, making popcorn. This time, she keeps the stranger on the phone, talking movies with him.
As she makes her way to the TV, the voice on the end of the phone insists for her name.
“Why do you want to know my name?” she asks coyly.
“Because I want to know who I’m looking at.”
Casey, frozen in fear, is overwhelmed with paranoia. She flips on the outside light, scanning the pool and backyard. She checks the lock as the voice on the other end of the phoneline back peddles by saying “Because I want to know who I’m talking to.”
As Casey hangs up, the voice becomes menacing, warning her not to hang up on him. When he calls back, he threatens her, telling her he’ll gut her like a fish if she hangs up on him again.
The unknown assailant gives clues to Casey that he’s stalking her, watching her through the windows. Convincing Casey that all he wants to do is play a game, she meekly obliges when the stranger shows her that he has her boyfriend, Steve, tied up outside the house.
A game of horror movie trivia commences. If Casey gets a question wrong, the penalty is death.
After getting the question regarding the killer of Friday the 13th wrong, Steve is murdered, gutted with a large hunting knife. Casey flips on the outside light and is confronted with the horrific scene.
Refusing to answer the next question, Casey screams as a patio chair comes crashing through the door. Running to the kitchen, she grabs a large knife and, still clutching the phone, she rushes outside, keeping her eyes on a masked intruder now running through her house.
She peeks from her hiding spot only to come face to face with a killer. A headbutt through the glass window stuns him enough to allow her to run towards the driveway.
Relaxing as her gaze falls on her parent’s car as it pulls up to the front of the house.
Before she can call out to them, the stranger leaps towards her, knocking her to the ground and choking her.
Unable to call out, Casey succumbs to defeat. Reaching up, she removes the mask from the killer. As her eyes flutter open, she recognizes her attacker. With a knife poised over her body, the killer strikes, bringing the sharp weapon down, stabbing Casey multiple times.
Meanwhile, her parents are frantically running around, searching for their daughter. Casey’s mother is on the phone, wanting to call the police. Instead, she can hear her daughter in distress, her anguish cries flooding down the line.
As Casey’s body is being dragged away, taking her final breathes, her father tells her mother to get in the car and drive down to the neighbor’s house and to call the police.
Stepping out the front door, Casey’s mother drops to her knees and screams. Casey’s father steps outside, a horrified expression crossing his face. Hanging from a large tree, her insides on the outside of her body, is Casey.
Scream shook audiences by killing off a big star like Drew Barrymore in the opening 10 minutes. But what a way to go.
The rollercoaster of emotions that Casey goes through was felt by the audience. The horror trivia meant the characters were aware of classic horror tropes which they used to their advantage or, in the case of Casey Becker, fell victim to.
Scream’s opening sequence paved the way for the sequels to bump off a notable name in a gruesome manner. And to be perfectly honest, I debated about slipping the opening to Scream 2 into this list over its original entry because the murder of Maureen Evans (Jada Pinkett-Smith) was not only brutal, but creative.
Scream is often slated as being the film to revive the horror genre – particularly the slasher genre – in the mid 1990’s. It has a formula that many films have tried to emulate but none have quite captured the same intensity that Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson created.
2: Ghost Ship (2002)
While a terrible movie overall, you cannot deny that the opening 10 minutes of Ghost Ship are unforgettable.
An ocean liner sits in calm waters as music drifts through the darkness of the night. The camera focuses on a little girl who seems out of place among the fancy dressed, wealthy patrons.
As she sits beside a dance floor, a waiter joins her, leaning over her shoulder to play with a toy she holds. Turning the squares, he spells out “I Am Bored” and gives her a wink before walking off.
The camera pans around the ship, showing off the talented singer, people laughing and having a good time. The camera ominously stops on some cables near the dancefloor before panning back to the young girl.
The captain approaches her and asks for a dance to which she obliges.
Camera cuts back to the cables we saw earlier only to see them suddenly snap, ploughing through the dancefloor.
A deafening silence lingers over the once, lively ship, as the devastation is shown. Blood starts to trickle out of the mouths of those dancing before their bodies begin to fall apart, cut in half at the waist.
As the bodies falls to the ground, twitching, their severed torsos attempting to hold themselves together, we see the little girl and the captain still standing.
Looking around at the carnage surrounding them, the little girl holds the captain tighter, her eyes wide with fear. When she turns her attention to him, a blood line has appeared on his face. The cable cut right through his head, decapitating him from the mouth.
Her screams echo through the night as the captain falls to the floor.
The remainder of the sequence shows the ship’s crew gunning down remaining guests or poisoning those in the dining room. No one is spared, including the little girl, who is chased throughout the ship before finally being captured.
A terrifying beginning to a mediocre movie, Ghost Ship really does break the mold when it comes to setting the scene. We immediately feel empathy for young girl. She was already isolated by being the only child aboard the ocean liner. But to witness everyone else’s death and knowing that she was bound to the same fate would present unimaginable fear.
This additional layer of fear atop the gruesome demise of those on the dancefloor is the reason why this scene is so memorable. As for why it ranks so high on this list; when you think of this movie, this opening sequence is the first, and only scene, that springs to mind.
1: Jaws (1975)
A night of debauchery at a beachside bon fire results in tragedy when a late-night swim turns into everyone’s worst nightmare.
Let’s set the scene. A gorgeous young couple meet on the beach. Sharing flirtatious glances over the bon fire, she gets up, luring him away from the crowd.
“What’s your name again?” he asks, falling over his feet to follow her.
“Chrissie,” she gleefully replies.
“Where are we going?”
“Swimming!”
Those fateful words have already caused the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up.
We follow Chrissie and Tommy as they head down towards the water’s edge. Chrissie gets there first, strips off on the shore, discarding her clothes on the sand, before stepping into the moonlit water.
As she paddles out, Tommy arrives on the sand, drunkenly stumbling about as he attempts to remove his clothes. He calls out to her to wait for him. Chrissie continues to paddle out in the water, blissfully unaware of what lurks beneath the surface.
From the depths below, we see her silhouette as she treads water.
Suddenly, she feels a tug on her foot as she’s pulled downwards. A sharp pain rips through her. She breaks the surface, screaming for help. Camera cuts back to Tommy who is now passed out on the beach, mumbling incoherently.
Chrissie is thrashed about in the water, her screams going unnoticed by those on the beach. She clutches to a buoy in a desperate attempt to keep her head above the water.
Her grip loosens on the buoy as something pulls her beneath the waves, her screams drowned out by the salt water.
While the assailant behind the attack isn’t shown, we know Chrissie’s death was in the jaws of a shark.
Preying on the natural fear that many humans have, Jaws’ first ten minutes deliver blockbuster scares grounded in reality. It’s this realism that contributes to the fear factor.
So, why is this in the number one position on this list? Because 45 years after its release, Jaws is still terrorizing audiences. It is still responsible for the fear of water and sharks in general. It stays with you. The movie is phenomenal. But the anguish of the opening scene really emphasizes the narrative that follows. Would Jaws have had the same appeal if Chrissie didn’t lose her life so early on? Would it have changed the story of a killer shark if she wasn’t victim number one? No one can say for certain, but undoubtedly, it’s place in pop culture and cinematic history makes it one of the greatest opening sequences in horror.
And that’s my list. What horror movie do you think contains the best opening sequence? Sound off in the comments below.
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