I forgot Karl Urban was in Ghost Ship, need to rewatch it cause I haven't seen it since my days working at Hollywood Video (pardon me while I age myself). Also yes, Jaws made me not want to swim in our family pool. Was convinced a shark would be able to swim up through the drain.
As for my list... just like with the darn franchises, I didn't have one prepared. But if I have one... _Suspiria_ is on it. As well as Argento's _Phenomena._ How's that for an opening nobody talks about? The original _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ (1974). That might be #1. William Castle's _Strait-Jacket_ (1964) is maybe #2, it's that freaking good!! I don't think this formula would work for any film / film's opening but it's constantly changing itself up with new post-production effects or dissolves, then the jukebox music, location changes, day to night, that out of nowhere screaming, the "spooky" music, the closeups = it is a flippin' WILD opening!! _The Evil Dead_ (1981), the first 7 minutes are perfection. 1972's _Tales from the Crypt_ is one of the most ominous openings. Few films have that level of mood and dark tone. _Halloween_ (1978), obviously I agree with that. This one's a personal throw-in but Larry Cohen's _Return to Salem's Lot_ has an opening that seriously feels like it's mocking _Cannibal Holocaust._ Deservedly so. _The Blob_ (1958). It should be corny but I simply wouldn't call it corny. Peter Jackson's _Dead Alive / Braindead._ Because the whole film is on the same rollercoaster track. The whole film almost feels like a smash opening that doesn't stop... Not to mention one of the greatest underestimated and undervalued tropes of horror is when characters introduce just the notion of "curses," bad luck, vibes, etc. This movie does it multiple times in the first 10-12 minutes. [I'm considering the first 2 scenes glued together as the full-opening; the transportation of the rat monkey and Paquita's introduction + meeting Lionel.] The opening to _Hospital Massacre_ / sometimes called _X-Ray_ (1981) beats the living crap out of the _My Bloody Valentine_ opening. But I wouldn't necessarily call HM/X-R one of the all-time best. More later.
One of the most disturbing openings to any movie ever is the scene in Akira where the little kid watches in horror as his caretaker is gunned down by police. His body explodes in blood. One of the most violent openings I've ever scene. It's rightfully not pleasant, but it is pure horror. Also, Akira is thought of as a cyberpunk/action movie, but there are tons of horror throughout that whole movie. Lots of creepy stuff too. I just started thinking that Tetsuo and Carrie are kind of the same person. A bullied kid who gets psychic powers and just destroys the people around them. Akira is basically Carrie taken to the most apocalyptic version of that. Not many horror fans talk about Akira, and I don't know why. It's easily as much a horror film as a sci-fi film. If you've never seen the anime classic Akira, I can't recommend it enough. It's way darker than you expect it to be. Oh, I almost forgot that there is an implied SA scene in the movie. It's very short, though. Almost a blink and you'll miss it thing. It's barely even a scene, but I wanted to mention it. Didn't mean to write an essay at 2 in the morning, but ADHD makes you do weird things sometimes haha
My favorite is the opening to The Thing, just that vast expanse of white snow with a single husky being chased by a helicopter. And the "spoiler" you get if you understand Norwegian. Just love it.
@@SledgehammerHorror Y’guys have an opinion on the 2011 prequel to The Thing? Not bad plotwise, but maybe a bit too much was shown, whereas the original concealed the creature better.
The opening of The Empty Man was fantastic! I recall not caring much for the rest of the film but that opening was super strong. And yea, I agree, of course Scream was going to top this list because that is one of the strongest openings for any film, not just horror.
One of the worst fits I've ever seen a girl (rightfully) throw was a college girlfriend. We had watched When a Stranger Calls, and the next night my dumb a$$ decides it'd be funny to call her and, using 'the voice', ask if she's checked the children. What I didn't know is that her roommate was out of town, and also some guy had been seen snooping around the apartment complex. I deserved every decibel of her yelling...
The original 1978 _Dawn of the Dead_ is groundbreaking, highly intelligent, savagely observant of the world we lived in at the time, FEMINIST (yeah, I said it), maybe even secretly hinting that Roger and Peter had a short-lived love affair, bravely critical of society and the nefarious forces that hold us down... It was not just an originator, it was an innovator. Nothing even close to any of that could be said about the 2004 remake. I struggle to find one complementary thing to say about the film. It's an artistically void, obnoxious, insulting, soulless cash grab. And Zack Snyder is a toxic hack with no courage.
2:24 storytime here haha. When the theater where I live was trying to keep up business at the beginning of the panini they played a lot of classic movies; one of these was Jaws. I went to see it and the opening scene actually triggered my trauma response a bit (I have PTSD), to the point that I had anxiety the rest of the movie. Long story short I later learned when talking with a friend that the actress in the scene actually broke or dislocated her hip during said scene so her screams were real. When I learned that it made sense to me why it triggered my fight/flight/freeze/fawn response; that and movie volume is way louder.
The opening to _A Quiet Place_ is one of the main reasons I despise that film, from the very first scene it's insulting me as an intelligent filmgoer: using CGI as an image intended to be serious and meaningful creates its own Anti-Reality that destroys the Necessary Drama of the scene. It's not tragic because the computerized quality of the image of the monster grabbing the child feels entirely unreal and crudely paced. It's the same problem with the entirety of _The Mist._ CGI doesn't just look stupid when you see it in the wrong light. **It moves at its own speed and never looks lifelike.** Offhand, the only time I think CGI really works well in horror or drama is when the movie's tone matches the feeling of watching the fake looking CGI become the whole creature / monster. So... just the 2017 and 2019 _IT_ movies.
@@SledgehammerHorror I talked about _The Mist_ and that's the only one I feel bad about- I hated _A Quiet Place_ the whole thing. But _The Mist_ is such a scary idea. I felt bad about the CGI taking me out of it and then... Marcia Gay Harden's performance was weirdly ... not just over the top. It was shrill and crude. If she's religious, why is she so R-Rated Adam Sandler Movie character. Silly.
I don't know but instead of openings the title should have been the first kills. Well if it's going to be like that I think I'll say Suspiria, Dawn Of The Dead(original), The Iguana With The Tongue Of Fire and because of the soundtrack Friday The 13th 8. Oh I almost forgot because of the soundtrack too Kolobos. With so many great openings it must have been heck of hard to narrow it to 10. Good list and cool video guys!👉🏼🙂👈
2:24 storytime here haha. When the theater where I live was trying to keep up business at the beginning of the panini they played a lot of classic movies; one of these was Jaws. I went to see it and the opening scene actually triggered my trauma response a bit (I have PTSD), to the point that I had anxiety the rest of the movie. Long story short I later learned when talking with a friend that the actress in the scene actually broke or dislocated her hip during said scene so her screams were real. When I learned that it made sense to me why it triggered my fight/flight/freeze/fawn response; that and movie volume is way louder.
