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Horror thrillers are a special kind of horror that needs to grip you in the plot right from the very beginning. It is essential to set up the story, build the suspense, and attract the audience’s attention right from the opening scene in all genres of cinema. Horror particularly needs this, resulting in some of our favorite opening moments of all time.
The opening scene, when done right, can fill the viewers in on what they can expect and enjoy the absolute wonder they’re about to experience for the rest of the story. Sometimes, the opening surpasses the rest of the film even. Horror has no short list of the most compelling opening scenes, but the best ones truly come from when horror meets thriller. No better genres mix suspense, atmosphere, and bone-chilling dread than these two when combined. They’ve resulted in some of the best openings horror has to offer. From one nail-biting sequence to the next, here are the ten best first scenes in horror-thriller history.
10
‘Midsommar’ (2019)
Ari Aster established himself as the king of thematic horror thanks to his 2019 cult classic Midsommar. This eerie slow-burner is the modern equivalent of Robin Hardy‘s The Wicker Man, combining slow-moving tension and shocking rug pullers. But unlike its iconic inspiration, Midsommar hits the ground running with one hell of a brutal opening tragedy.
The film starts with the protagonist, Dani (Florence Pugh), beginning her spiraling descent into grief and madness when her mentally struggling sister kills her parents and herself via carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s a gun-punching opener highlighted by a slow, quiet first few moments followed by an intense transition to a graphic mass murder, accompanied by haunting music. This scene perfectly sets up the unexpected brutality of Aster’s unique film.
9
‘Get Out’ (2017)
The pinnacle of horror in the late 2010s, Jordan Peele‘s remarkable filmmaking debut, Get Out, is the modern masterpiece that so many films since have continued to reach for greatness. A thriller that constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat, its greatest strengths come from its ambiguity and unconventional storytelling. Hardly anywhere does this shine more than in its eerie and rather strange opener.
Instead of a gruesome kill or frightening introduction of an antagonist, it opens with an ordinary Black man (Lakeith Stanfield) walking down a dark street when he’s kidnapped by a mysterious man in a knight’s helmet. It doesn’t establish the plot, and we don’t even know who this young man is; we just witness a bizarre kidnapping that we don’t get an answer for until much later in the story. Though this might seem unusual, it perfectly grips you into a one-of-a-kind psychological story that will surely leave you speechless by the end.
8
‘Final Destination’ (2000)
Horror saw an unbelievable change at the turn of the 21st century with James Wong‘s Final Destination. Easily one of the most paranoia-inducing horror films in history, this incredible nail-biter changed the game with its unique premise and unrelenting suspense, making viewers scared that anything terrible could happen at any moment. And it all starts with a highly tense opening scene, which has become cemented in horror history.
When high schooler Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) experiences a premonition of a horrific disaster before his class trip’s plane takes off, he freaks out and escapes the departure along with a lucky few shortly before the plane actually explodes. This opener has become synonymous with tension building. It’s perfectly set up through the use of subtle ominous foreshadowing and eerie leitmotifs, and the terrifying punch comes when Alex’s vision comes true. It’s a well-crafted, successful opener that jump-started this iconic horror franchise with a legendary boost.
7
‘Dawn of the Dead’ (2004)
Before reinventing the DC Universe, Zack Snyder dipped his hands in horror, and boy did he give it a considerable contribution when revitalizing the popularity of one of the greatest zombie movies of all time, Dawn of the Dead. His 2004 remake of the late George Romero‘s masterpiece is certainly more fast-paced, action-packed and intense than its 1978 original. The wild, chaotic madness of its thrilling opener certainly affirms it.
In perhaps the greatest opening scene in zombie history, our lead heroine, Ana (Sarah Polley), awakens to a world rapidly descending into chaos as the dead are quickly rising. This opener doesn’t hold back, dropping you right into the confusing mayhem and keeping you feeling completely on edge. While arguably the rest of the film doesn’t match the intensity of this iconic introductory sequence, it’s still a perfect starter that hardly any other zombie film can top.
6
‘A Quiet Place’ (2018)
John Krasinski‘s A Quiet Place is the thrilling sci-fi chiller that continues to define horror in the 21st century. With a unique, frightening concept, endless suspense, and a constant sense of impending doom, this 2018 masterpiece knows how to scare us out of our wits, and it first achieved this with a suddenly tragic opener that continues to give us nightmares.
In a world devastated by an invading hostile alien species known as “The Death Angels,” the Abbott family, led by their struggling patriarch Lee (Krasinski), are forced to adapt to this new way of living while trying not to make too much noise, or else attract the attention of these predators. Unfortunately, one crucial mistake leads their poor youngest, Beau (Cade Woodward), to suffer a gruesome fate right in front of them. This opening kill hits viewers like a truck, instantly establishing the severity of what happens when these characters make a sound. It’s an unflinching and sudden gut-puncher that perfectly sets this story off on a high note.
5
‘It Follows’ (2014)
Hailed as one of the scariest monster thrillers of all time, 2014’s It Follows takes the cake for mounting dread and suspense. It is a masterclass in tension, telling a fresh, original, and horrifying story of an unstoppable entity slowly but surely walking towards its victim. Even its very first scene quickly establishes just how inescapable and bone-chillingly unsettling this idea is.
It starts with a young woman, Annie (Bailey Spry), chaotically rushing out of her house and across her neighborhood alone while looking around like something is walking straight towards her. The audience doesn’t see through her perspective, nor is there an indication that something actually is following her. By the end of this scene, it cuts to a shocking image of Annie’s mangled corpse on a beach. This startling scene quickly sets up the story but doesn’t give anything away. It’s a brilliant approach that instantly hooks the viewer into figuring out what did this to that poor girl.
4
‘Halloween’ (1978)
The film that changed slashers forever, John Carpenter‘s indie horror masterpiece Halloween reshaped this legendary subgenre into the dominant force it is today. Featuring iconic moments and characters that have become synonymous with horror, Halloween gave audiences an unforgettably eerie thriller that kept them on the edge of their seats right off the bat.
In perhaps one of the most famous twists in all of cinema, the film starts from the perspective of an unknown killer as they slowly stalk and murder poor teenager Judith Myers (Sandy Johnson) in her home, before stepping outside to be unmasked by his parents as six-year-old Michael Myers. From Carpenter’s eerie score to the unsettling tone and uninterrupted suspense, this perfect opener set up what made Halloween such a cherished icon of horror. It’s a masterclass in using mood, cinematography, and music to create the best kind of terror.
3
‘The Thing’ (1982)
John Carpenter continued to produce memorable horror openers in the 20th century as his next big masterpiece, The Thing, kicked things off with a compelling mystery. Widely considered the greatest horror movie of all time by many, The Thing has been hailed for creating endless terror and suspense from beginning to end.
It starts with utter chaos as the beautiful Antarctic tundra silence is interrupted when two Norwegians in a helicopter shoot at a defenseless snow dog running towards an American base. As the Norwegians continue to shoot at the dog while at the base, the confused Americans are forced to kill them in self-defense, but it seems clear the Norwegians were targeting that strange-acting dog for a dire reason. This opening scene is much like the rest of the film: ominous, ambiguous, and truly unsettling. It keeps audiences hooked and wanting to watch more of what’s happening.
2
‘Scream’ (1996)
All hail one of the most influential horror classics, Scream, released in 1996. This Wes Craven-helmed groundbreaker reinvented the slasher subgenre at a point when it needed it the most. Terrifying, darkly hilarious, and sharply witty thanks to a superb Kevin Williamson script, it first drew audiences in with a now-legendary opening kill that has been cemented in pop culture.
It all begins with a phone call. Woodsboro high school student Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) answers a call one night from a mysterious voice who quickly goes from friendly to sinister, forcing her to play his sadistic game of horror movie trivia before ultimately killing her and her tied-up boyfriend Steve (Kevin Patrick Walls) while in a Ghostface costume. Scream‘s opening has been praised for its intensity and perfect pacing, dropping viewers into an unforgettable story that they certainly won’t want to miss. It’s tense, suspenseful, and utterly thrilling, greatly starting this bona fide masterpiece on the strong note that it deserved.
1
‘Jaws’ (1975)
Finally, the top spot goes to arguably the most iconic and frightening opener in horror history. Released in 1975 and directed by the great Steven Spielberg, Jaws is the monumental horror blockbuster that boosted the genre to new heights of box office dominance. It’s undoubtedly a thrilling roller-coaster from start to finish, beginning with a legendary first kill that has become immortalized in cinema history.
While out for a peaceful night swim, poor Chrissie Watkins (Susan Backlinie) swims a little too far out and unknowingly attracts a mysterious predator lurking in the depths. Suddenly, the unseen creature strikes and drags her screaming below the waves. Jaws‘ opening scene cemented a place in pop culture for being a masterclass in build-up and suspense. From John Williams‘ iconic score to the unique POV shots of the shark as it rises up out of the depths, this one ultimately takes the crown as the best horror thriller opening of all time.
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Daniel Boyer
Almontather Rassoul
