Horror films need to capture viewers’ attention early on, and some of the genre’s game-changers do just that within the first 10 minutes. When looking at the masterpieces in the horror genre, almost all of them have opening scenes that set the table for the scares and thrills that fill their running time.

The best horror films open with scenes hinting at what audiences are in for, without giving away surprises. Often, the first 10 minutes are immensely important for the movie, especially for people at home discovering a film for the first time. The best opening horror scenes grip тιԍнт and never let go until the last horrific moments.

Dawn Of The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ (2004)

Zack Snyder had a lot he needed to do to ensure his Dawn of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ remake wasn’t disrespectful of George A. Romero’s classic, while making it stand on its own. While he kept the original film’s name for his version, he ensured through the first 10 minutes of the runtime that no one would ever confuse the two movies.

That is because Snyder made his zombies fast-running and had the entire opening scene as a frantic chase through a suburban neighborhood. From the moment that a child attacked their parents in their home to the carnage in the driveways and streets, this film took off running and never slowed down.

By doing this in the movie’s first 10 minutes, Zack Snyder ensured that his version of Dawn of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ was going to change things for the horror genre, both with the fast-moving zombies and the seemingly non-stop action, which differed from the methodical horror pace of the original movie. What resulted was a modern zombie masterpiece.

When A Stranger Calls (1979)

Ignore the 2006 When A Stranger Calls remake by Simon West. While that movie is scary and does a good job of delivering horror, it is the original 1979 release starring Carol Kane that remains the superior version of the film. This horror movie scared more babysitters than even Halloween, which had arrived the year before.

The opening has the scariest scene in the entire movie, as Kane plays Jill Johnson, a babysitter who gets a phone call asking if she has checked on the children. She calls the police, and they trace the call to inside the house, which leads to a tense scene that leaves the kids ᴅᴇᴀᴅ and Jill traumatized.

If anything, the first 10 minutes of When A Stranger Calls consists of a short film all to itself, and it could have worked as such. However, when the killer escapes insтιтutionalization and targets Jill again, the opening scene makes the rest of the movie an intense and terrifying watch. This opening is why this movie worked so well.

It Follows (2014)

The first 10 minutes of It Follows do a perfect job of putting the audience into a situation where no one understands what is going on. The scene shows a young woman running for her life from her home. It never reveals what or who is chasing her, but that ends up being the movie’s point.

The entire scene is frightening, and actress Bailey Spry does a good job of portraying her terror. When she calls her parents to tell them she loves them, it puts the viewers into an uneasy state of mind. The next scene shows her mangled body on the beach, and this takes the terror and makes it almost unbearable.

This scene is crucial as it establishes the horror Jay faces. The outcome of the demonic presence catching up to Annie reveals the danger that awaits the main characters. This does what Scream did so well, but in an even more gruesome and disturbing manner.

28 Days Later (2002)

The way that 28 Days Later opens is very different from other horror films. Instead of putting a character in danger from the opening scene, this creates a more uncomfortable feeling where the audience feels the same as Jim (Cillian Murphy) when he walks out of the hospital after waking up and finding London empty.

The entire opening scene shows Jim confused about where everyone is, as the usually busy streets are all empty. He finds notes, posters, and fliers that hint at what happened. These 10 minutes set up the entire movie, with its sense of abandonment soon leading to danger from both the infected and the human villains.

The opening scene and the first 10 minutes of 28 Days Later were so good that The Walking ᴅᴇᴀᴅ copied it almost exactly. However, the TV show didn’t trust it enough and added zombie attacks to the scene. Danny Boyle had complete control of his opening.

Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Rise (2023)

The opening scene of Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Rise sees director Lee Cronin doing something that creator Sam Raimi perfected in his directorial career. He takes horrific scenes, puts his characters through hell, and then slams the message home with both the musical score and the opening тιтle reveal. It was a masterwork of horror.

The scene begins with a woman reading a book, and then she realizes that a second woman is acting strangely. As anyone who watched an Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ movie knows, the strangely acting woman was possessed by a ᴅᴇᴀᴅite. After a scalping, the scene then goes outside where the attack continues with a guy on the dock.

From the idea that the normally unseen Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ presence was a drone to the bloody and horrifying opening murders, to the ᴅᴇᴀᴅite levitating out of the water, and the тιтle of the movie rising above the trees behind her, this was an example of how all horror movies should start.

Talk To Me (2023)

Talk to Me is a horror movie about a game that a group of young adults play where they grasp a severed and embalmed hand and can contact spirits. However, if they hold onto it for too long, they can’t break the contact and the spirits, often with evil intentions, can take control of them and get into this world.

This means the first 10 minutes need to set up what the heroes of this movie have to fear. That works perfectly here, since it also takes place at a party, albeit a much larger one. It also does a good job of keeping the viewers confused about what is going on, which keeps the upcoming scares a mystery.

The opening follows Cole, searching for his brother, Duckett, at a party. As he tries to help get his brother out, Duckett kills Cole and then takes his own life in front of everyone. This is all the opening needed, a confusing scene that leads the viewers to see what could have led to this tragic ending.

Get Out (2017)

Get Out’s opening scene is extremely disturbing, yet it’s set up with a quirky musical score, offering viewers a glimpse into what to expect. The Jordan Peele movie is a horror film that examines liberal racism in society, with the villains as white people who think they need to save the Black society with the white savior trope.

The Get Out opening scene shows a young Black man walking down the sidewalk, talking on his phone, and obviously lost and uncomfortable. It is a suburban neighborhood, and he soon realizes a car is stalking him. Before he knows it, someone abducts him and drags him into their vehicle.

The fact that Peele used the Flanagan and Allen song “Run, Rabbit Run” playing in the background made the scene even more disturbing. The short, intense scene and the music playing over the abduction show this movie has a lot to say, and it doesn’t disappoint.

Halloween (1978)

Halloween was one of the first slasher movies and is a big reason the genre became so popular in the 1980s. The entire idea is that a faceless killer is murdering people in his old neighborhood, with no apparent reason, and putting everyone in fear for their lives. The first 10 minutes show that with ease.

The original idea was that Michael Myers was the boogeyman, and he killed for no reason other than that he was evil. Later movies tried to explain it, watering down the horror. The first 10 minutes showed that Michael had been a remorseless killer since he was a young child, as he killed his sister to open the movie.

The final part of this scene had the parents showing up and seeing the little boy holding the bloody knife with a vacant expression on his face. Even though the movie shifts to the present day when Michael is an adult, seeing him as a murderous child serves as a perfect setup for the new slasher icon.

Scream (1996)

The first 10 minutes of Scream are so iconic that they almost changed how horror movies open their stories. It was also the template for how the franchise opened all its movies until it subverted the expectations with the fifth Scream. The first film also borrowed from Alfred Hitchcock.

Just like how Psycho introduced Janet Leigh only to kill her before moving on with the main story, Scream did the same thing with Drew Barrymore. In this scene, Casey Becker gets a phone call, with the person asking her about her favorite movies before finally chasing her down and killing her.

It was hugely shocking and revealed that anything could happen in the movie. From that point on, no one was safe from whoever took the Ghostface persona, and this included major characters, especially when they appeared in the opening scene.

Jaws (1975)

In 1975, Jaws opened with a quiet scene that culminated in John Williams’ iconic theme playing over the trauma. In this scene, a woman runs onto a beach, strips naked, and heads into the water for a late-night swim. Then, the camera shows her from the point of view under the water, as she relaxes, floating.

However, John Williams’ score begins to play, and with that, the camera moves up toward the woman. Then, from above the water, she looks on in shock and then gets violently yanked down into the water. The once-relaxing scene becomes very intense, and soon she is pulled under and dies.

This opened a movie where a giant shark began killing people at a beach, heading into a holiday weekend. It then leads to the end where the men head out to hunt and kill the shark. The opening with the quiet water and the shark killing out of nowhere was a perfect moment to start this horror movie.