Last Updated on July 26, 2021
AITH news guru Mike Catalano shot me the idea for this week’s top 10, and props to him for coming up with a humdinger. ‘Cause what’s more fun than the opening scene of a movie?
Horror for the most part is built to have immediate impact, so you don’t have pages and pages to introduce people and explain their backstory. Most often you have paper thin characters with an audience expectation that they get naked, get dead, or both in a short period of time.
And some movies handle that responsibility better than others. So check out my list of the best opening scenes, and make sure to spit bullets on your favs below!
Even if you don’t have kids, seeing a fetus perspective on a car accident is a stomach churning event. And if you do have kids, you’re probably going to throw up a little bit watching it. We know immediately nobody’s safe in this sucker, and the old rules do not apply. Plus the scene carries the added bonus that it becomes even more disturbing as the plot moves along and we get more context.
A perfect slasher homage that manages to terrify while also giving tons of nods to warm the most cynical fanboy/girl’s heart. From the prank call, to the Jiffy Pop, to the slow reveal of just how serious this shite is that’s going down, Wes Craven had his cake and ate it too. Oh, and that Barrymore chick ain’t bad either.
BLADE is one of my favorite movies. In fact I named one of my sons Deacon. Part of why the first one is so damn good is that it hits a relentless pace right from the start with a very sexy Traci Lords bringing fresh meat to a vampire party. The slightly stupid kid just looking for a good time gets a nice little bloodbath to drive home that he’s way out of his element, and then good ‘ole Blade comes along to show the nightclub full of bloodsuckers what’s what. I get happy chills just thinking about it.
I’m not sure there’s ever been this sort of mass flesh rending to open a horror flick. If I’m missing something then spit bullets on it below, because watching this little Titanic-like mise en scene turn into a death trap that includes a dance floor full of people getting cutting the f*ck in half is one helluva great start.
Sometimes you just have to bow down to a master. What’s amazing is that as well known as this opener is, it still carries enormous power. The juxtaposition of a vulnerable, naked girl getting the whatfor out in the ocean while her potential suitor passes out clueless on the beach is exactly the kind of twisted madness that makes audiences lose their shite. If I had an opportunity to pick one scene that I wish I could watch again for the first time, especially in a theater, this would be a strong contender for what I’d pick.
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