Getting a horror movie off to a strong start is important, leading to some iconic opening scenes in the history of the genre. There are greats like the POV killing scene in Halloween, Casey Becker’s death in Scream, and in modern films, the captivating opening scene of It Follows.
These are great horror movies that benefit from their brilliant opening sequences. However, the ones that get talked about the most aren’t the only great opening scenes. Several horror films, regardless of their overall quality, have really good opening scenes that deserve to be talked about much more.
Fear Street: 1994 (2021)
In general, the entire Fear Street trilogy is highly underrated. It’s one of Netflix’s best originals and each installment brings something to the table. The first film, Fear Street: 1994, has the best opening scene. The 1994 setting is important because the movie pays homage to the rise of slasher films during the ’90s.
It’s only fitting that Fear Street: 1994 has a similar opening scene to the best from that era of cinema, Scream. Drew Barrymore was a notable star who died at the start of Scream, shocking audiences. Fear Street: 1994 has Stranger Things star Maya Hawke get stalked and murdered in a chilling scene at a mall.
The scene itself is well done and a great horror sequence, but the homage to Scream makes it better. It also turns the subgenre on its head by revealing the killer’s idenтιтy and also having him die, showing that this would be different from your typical slasher.
Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988)
Halloween helped change the horror movie landscape in 1978 and the sequel was also strong but the third entry removed Michael Myers and told a standalone story. The idea was for the franchise to continue as an anthology series.
Unfortunately, fans wanted more Michael, so the franchise resurrected him for the fourth installment, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. Since this film wasn’t well-received, many have continued to overlook how good the opening scene is. The film picks up a decade after the events of Halloween II, with Michael being comatose during that time.
He awakens while being transferred after hearing that he has a niece in Haddonfield and picks up where he left off, brutally murdering the people in the ambulance. It shows that Michael means business and sets up his conflict with his niece, which drives the next few movies.
Longlegs (2024)
Unlike the previous entry, Longlegs is a horror movie that was met with strong critical acclaim. Despite that, it feels like not enough people talk about how gripping the opening sequence is and how it sets the tone for the entire film.
The movie starts in the past, going back to 1974 and showing a young girl with a Polaroid camera on a snowy day in Oregon. She follows a mysterious voice and comes upon an unsettling man in pale makeup. Nothing else happens, but it’s chilling.
The opening scene works because it’s scary and leaves the viewer uncertain of what’s next, while also making you intrigued about this man. Later scenes are strong, but this might be the best in the film. It sets everything up effectively and makes you uncomfortable.
The Descent (2005)
Many people bring up The Descent when they discuss some of the best and most underrated horror movies in history. The sheer setup of a group of women trapped in a terrifying cave system where they encounter creatures is enough to make this a harrowing experience.
It’s a particularly difficult watch if you’re claustrophobic. However, The Descent has an opening scene that is unlike the rest of the film, yet remains one of its most impressive and memorable moments. The Descent doesn’t open with caves or anything like that.
Instead, it starts with a simple setup of a family on a trip, only for a distraction to cause them to crash, killing two of the people involved. The film doesn’t shy away from the horrors, showing the brutality of the moment and doing so in an unexpected way that makes you pay attention the rest of the way.
Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Rise (2023)
The Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ franchise is an outlier because every single entry is actually really good. The most recent, Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Rise, is less tied to the others than the rest but remains a very effective and well-received horror movie. You could tell it was going to be good as soon as the opening scene commenced.
Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Rise begins with a pair of female cousins and one of their boyfriends at a lakeside cabin when one of the girls becomes possessed. She viciously scalps her cousins and then decapitates her boyfriend, setting the film up in brutal fashion.
The violence is fitting within the franchise but this stands out among the opening scenes. It’s the best start to an Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ movie and starts with more of a bang than any other. On top of that, the sH๏τ of the possessed girl levitating over the water as the тιтle card rises is perfect.
The Boogeyman (2023)
There have been so many adaptations of Stephen King stories over the years, many of which had thrilling and memorable opening sequences. The Boogeyman is one of those, even if it isn’t among the best Stephen King movies in history.
The Boogeyman sets up a chilling opening scene as a therapist speaks with a disturbed man named Lester Billings, who claims that his three children were killed by an evil enтιтy. The therapist attempts to phone the police out of concern, which is when the real horror begins.
The entire scene is rife with tension, especially as sH๏τs of the therapist’s daughters are intercut with his conversation with Lester. When Lester investigates the house, you expect him to do something to the girls, only for one of the daughters to find his ᴅᴇᴀᴅ body hanging in the closet. It subverts expectations in stunning fashion.
Saw II (2005)
The Saw franchise has had memorable opening scenes to varying success. The autopsy in Saw IV missed the mark, while a moment like the pendulum trap in Saw V was as violent as fans had come to expect.
The trend of these opening scenes began with Saw II in what remains the franchise’s most successful attempt. The scene sees a police informant wake up to find himself stuck in what seems like a Venus flytrap-style trap before a video plays explaining the game.
The key to unlock this trap is behind his eye, which he must cut out to find. Watching him attempt this is enough to unsettle a viewer, but when he fails and the trap shuts on his face, it makes for a gruesome death that doesn’t need to overdo the gore. It’s exactly what Saw is at its best.
Ghost Ship (2002)
An underrated, almost hidden gem of a horror movie opening comes from Ghost Ship. Released in 2002, the film disappointed at the box office and was met with negative reviews (it holds a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) but everyone can agree that the opening scene is great.
In fact, the opening scene is actually where Ghost Ship peaks. The film begins with pᴀssengers on an ocean liner dancing and having a good time as a lounge singer performs, setting the stage for what seems like a happy moment.
A little girl even has a sweet moment with the captain, who offers to dance with her. Suddenly, a pᴀssenger accidentally causes a metal cable to snap and it cuts through the dance floor, severing everyone in half. It comes from out of nowhere and seeing the array of ᴅᴇᴀᴅ bodies on the floor afterward is a sight to behold.
Sinister (2012)
At one point, a study was held and it was determined that Sinister was the scariest horror movie ever made. There are plenty of reasons for that, from Scott Derickson’s direction to the chilling Bughuul but it all begins with that opening scene. Derrickson is known for his horror movies and this opening sequence is his best work.
Before we get introduced to the main characters or anything like that, Sinister opens on very grainy footage of four people with bags over their head and nooses around their necks, which are tied to a big tree. Something seems to be cutting one of the branches, which eventually falls.
As the branch hits the ground, the people are lifted off the ground and we watch them squirm as they hang to death. The slow-motion sH๏τs, the grainy style, and the fact that we get no answers before we cut to the main characters makes it all the more harrowing.
Scream 4 (2011)
Scream 4 is the rare horror movie with a great opening scene that isn’t actually scary. The film had to subvert expectations, as the franchise was known for great opening scenes where a notable actor is killed off. That was seemingly the case here, with teen TV stars Shenae Grimes and Lucy Hale murdered.
However, the scene then reveals this was part of Stab, the fictional movie franchise in the Scream universe. The scene gets progressively more meta as it goes on. More TV stars from the era appear, with Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell watching the previous scene and reacting to it, when one stabs the other.
That’s also part of a Stab movie, which is watched by two more TV stars (Britt Robertson and Aimee Teegarden) who then get attacked by a killer. You never know what’s real and what isn’t, making it the best Scream opening since the first.
