Love this video. You should make a part 2 because you left out Friday the 13th remake, Bride of Chucky, Smile, Halloween, House of 1000 Corpses to name a few.
Yes, I thoughts ITS Nr. 1 AS IT should be. I Love Blades opening, but Halloween IS unmatched. ITS a whole Story told there and is Basic in every Film school for a reason.
“You never told me your name” “Why do you wanna know my name?” “Because I want to know who I’m looking at” No matter how many times I watch this movie I still get goosebumps at those lines, Scream still has the best opening to any horror movie ever
“No, you listen, you little bitch, you hang up on me again I’ll gut you like a fish” was the main reason my 4 year old self had to be ghostface for Halloween 4 years in a row lmfao
Absolutely, I first saw it in '99 when I was 13 and was convinced Drew was going to be the main character then she gets taken out in the opening and I was just.... 😲😲😲
@@nocaptainmatt3771seriously. I feel like the scenes after the opening just never hit hard enough. It’s a good movie but the older I am I have lest interest in watching. I’m not a firm believer in “remakes” but maybe one might do it justice in the right hands.
This will probably sound fake but I was sitting around having an anxiety attack start about a bunch of different things making me bummed and I sat down and watched this and it did help
The thing I love about the 1990 scene over the 2017 It scene is that Tim Curry’s Pennywise adapts to win Georgie’s trust. When Georgie says he’s not supposed to take things from strangers, Pennywise agrees! And then introduces himself so they aren’t strangers anymore. It’s a cleverly manipulative move and I can see how a 6 year old could be moved into trusting, at least initially, by it
In terms of the remake, It Chapter Two did a better job at showing the manipulative side of Pennywise when he kills the little girl under the bleachers.
@@Joker_JAKIt’s the tone. The “very wise if your dad, Georgie, very wise indeed!” In the remake, he keeps up that creepy vibe that it absolutely sounds like a mask. The 1990 version sounds like a fellow adult
I remember catching the beginning of "when a stranger calls" in the middle of the night when I was a kid. I fell asleep on the couch and woke up and turned on the TV. It scared me so badly I turned it off and ran upstairs. I couldn't fall asleep until my cat came in to comfort me.
I always remember running into the living room, taking the remote from my grandma and changing the channel to watch the first 6 minutes or so of Dawn of the Dead because I didn't have cable in my room. I was so excited. I was like, "sorry grandma but I gotta see this." LOL
I’ve rewatched 2004’s Dawn of the Dead twice this year, and both times the movie begins, I think it’s a fantastic way to open up my favorite piece of zombie media. When the sequence ends, it really does encapsulate how quickly a zombie apocalypse can grow. That’s the first one that comes to my mind.
👍🏻 Absolutely 👍🏻 When he walks down the stairs and we realize what has happened to the family, the horror of it hits you like a punch. Nothing supernatural, no unstoppable giant killer, just a ‘normal’ man. 👍🏻Good one
@@Stang2023 then he just leaves the house and it feels like a Desperate Houswives episode with that perfect suburban neighborhood! it perfectly sets up the movie without a single line!
Halloween 2 and 4 love both openers.. u got the dude from rocky 4 as a Dr. Lol Even the credit roll in beginning..with the farm and all that sets that movie up.
I’ll never forget seeing that for the first time at 10 years old. The shock seeing that small, innocent looking kid. Masterclass. I don’t care how overplayed and omnipresent it is.
One that always stands out to me is the opening to Bram Stoker's Dracula. The score does such an incredible job taking the audience on Dracula's journey as he goes off to war, learns of Elisabeta's death, and then crescendos as he's giving his crazed monologue about renouncing God and how he's going to rise from the dead to avenge her death. Topped off with the chorus as the blood gushes from the cross...so intense and gives me chills every time I watch it.
The opening scene to Jaws is brilliant. We see nothing. No shark, no blood, nothing. Just her screams and our imaginations going haywire. Not seeing the shark was so much more effective. Very well done. The fact that the fake shark barely worked really ended up helping the movie.
The POV shot under the water with the John Williams score slowly building is chilling. And yeah the horror from Susan Backline as Chrissy is palpable; thankfully she was kept safe during the shoot but that final yank to her death is scary
One of the scariest and unnerving opening scenes I’ve ever seen is the sinister opening. Genuinely feels like you are watching something that should be in a police evidence box. It just set the tone amazingly and it made you realize that the film was not messing around.
Everything in the opening of Scream is perfect: the house itself with all the windows and glass doors, the house location, the three or four doors that she locks while talking to the phone not entirely panicking yet, the steamy pool, the pop corn popping, everything is just so cool.
I have a similar memory with a horror movie like you had when watching when a stranger calls. I was watching The Ring for the first time at my friend's farm house. It was already creepy being that we were at her farm and she had a well and tree that looked identical to the one in the movie but when we were watching it, right after the scene where the main character watches the video for the first time, someone called her house at the exact time the phone rang in the movie. Im pretty sure ive never been that creeped out watching a movie sense. Kind of sucks because it definitely raised my bar of being scared for movies a lot higher but it sure as hell was one of the best movie experiences I've ever had in my life and I will always remember it.❤
I watched the Dawn of the Dead preview with my mom and dad. My dad is a HUGE zombie fan… I was 6 and still remember it perfectly 😂 After I watched the full movie I slept on my parents floor for like two weeks 😂 Thanks for sharing I’m glad someone else remembers the snippet! 😂
People often forget how truly ahead of its time Blade was when it came out. I remember watching that opening scene in a hotel room when I was a teen and thinking it was the best looking movie I've ever seen. The strobe lights, frenetic camerawork, editing, and choreography would be played out to some extent in the following decade, but at the time it seemed revolutionary. I remember intending to watch only a few minutes (hotel rooms used to give you a time limit to preview before purchasing) and ended up watching the whole thing. At the time, the only other movie that dazzled me like that was Run Lola Run.
2 years ago, I would have also picked 90's IT miniseries. Since then I have had a son, and now the Reimaging hits harder. Seeing a small child just begging for help out of sheer fear just hits harder now.
My grandfathers favorite movie was Jaws and it will always be the movie I will watch when I’m down, sick, or just having a bad day because it reminds me of the times I stayed home sick, he would stay home from work and we would watch the two first Jaws movies. We even went on a Jaws movie cruise that took us to Martha’s Vinyard where they showed the movie on the beach while you sat in rafts on the water while watching it. A few of the original actors where there it is a memory I will always remember and I hope to create an amazing memory with my own children.
@@stacielara9856 it was a lot more fun than it sounded. Some people where freaking out though one woman had a fish touch her leg and fell off her raft it was hilarious.
Wow, really surprised you didn't have the Friday the 13th 2009 remake on this list. Given you like myself are one of the apologists for that remake the entire opening scene to me is brilliant not only because of the intensity but establishing a Jason who runs but is ultra aggressive and it almost stands out as a film within a film which when it was over I felt like i was thrown a curveball which was even cooler.
@@LucyLioness100 "Smile" scared the hell out of me, too. I kid you not. And after watching the trailer for "Smile 2," I'm thinking that one will scare the hell out of me, as well. Yeah, judging from the trailer, "Smile 2" looks to be one of the most horrifying, terrifying films of 2024! 😱😨
I was more just confused and a bit shocked by the opening scene. One that actually kinda got me was when she was with her “therapist” but then suddenly got a phone call from her actual therapist
I think another point can be made for why the opening to a Quiet place was effective, and that point is no one is safe in this universe, because I think most people would assume that the kid’s are off limits in being killed by the monster, but since they killed off the youngest in the opening it established that anyone can go which makes nearly every scene with these creatures more effective and raises tension
Me and my sister were being sat for by a daughter of my mums friend. She brought the 1990 “It” mini series. She ask me for the remote half way through the film and I threw it at her, too hard and fell behind the couch she was sitting on. Without looking she reached her arm back down for the remote but was taking a few too many seconds. My sister said “can you find it” and Julie (the babysitter) pulled out a semi inflated balloon. What followed is what a subtitles writer would describe as “nervous laughter” It was from my mums party a few days earlier that fell back there. It was an amazing coincidence but for years I thought (my sister and Julie let me think) it was a magic trick
Scream 2 has a fantastic opening scene, with pertinent comments on black people in horror movies, trivialization of real-life violence on movies and the its effect on the masses and unnerving kills. The final scene where Maureen is killed in front of everyone is BRUTAL and shocking af. Unfortunatelly, it is not brought up so much in these types of discussion due to it being overshadowed by Scream 1's openning scene, that is also fantastic but, as I said, ends up casting a shadow over Scream 2's one
I don’t get your point the moment anyone in the theater saw she was in peril they stopped playing and took off their masks. To me it was pointing out the stark difference people have (or should have) between make believe violence and real violence.
@@Ian_Synnott how is it a ripoff of Demons? Demons opens with the guy chasing the girl to give her a flier. It’s literally a reference to the opening of He Knows You’re Alone.
I had the same Jeepers Creepers experience when I was a kid. I'd never heard of it until I brought it home. The next day I was telling all my friends about it. Stumbling into a great movie totally blind is always a great experience. Much rarer these days....
Same! I remember always flipping through the movie channels on cable like starz, hbo, etc and I clicked on jeepers creepers. I can’t tell you how frightened that movie made me even tho I watched it with every door open in the early afternoon 😂😂. Still scares me to this day.
I grew up on horror and that opening of the 90s IT series is one of the earliest horror experiences I can remember. I was probably 4 but it burned itself into my head. Love the channel Cody.
Fantastic list! As someone who has seen the majority of those films at the theater, I can tell you that in 1979-When a Stranger Calls came out, that moment he tells her it’s coming from inside the house, the audience lost its collective minds!
Here in the UK, Channel 4 also showed the first 10 minutes of Dawn of the Dead. It deffo made me go to the cinema to see the film. Worked like a charm.
Hearing how enthusiastic you were as a kid about movies and now you having a career in movie reviewing and being able to do your passion is awesome! So full circle 🔥
A big group of friends and i rented ghost ship when it came out in high school. We had NO idea about the opening. I think it scarred all of us! One of the girls had like an 8 year old sister who begged her to watch it with us. She broke our shocked and mortified silence by screaming and running from the room. What a great memory! 😂
For being a big 2009 Friday the 13th fanboy, I’m surprised you didn’t have the opening of that movie. I’m more partial to Jason Lives for opening, but I’m surprised Cody.
@@traviskolbo8927How? All of the characters were very bland and out of the 5 of them not a single person fought back. Even worse considering that one of them was supposed to be the final girl
I think you forgot one!!! Friday the 13th 2009 has one of the best openings ever in a horror movie. It’s my only experience ever where the entire packed theater got up shouting and applauding when the title finally hit the screen after the long opening. Awesome experience!!!
Ghost ship has one of the greatest openings of all time! If only the rest of the movie followed suit... I still enjoyed it but that opening scene had me so excited for the rest of the movie. Great job on remembering that movie opening 👏
jeepers creepers still scares the shit out of me 😅 it was one of the movies that genuinely scared me as a child and it’s a good movie but you won’t catch me watching it ever again lol. And yet i still think about certain moments from it 😂
I vividly remember ghost ship opening scene! Myself and my dad picked up ghost ship randomly at blockbuster for a movie night the cover looked cool so we popped it in and jaws on the floor after opening scene. So unexpected so badass such a great unexpected opening we both were like 😮
Rutger Hauer was my favourite actor as a young teen. The Hitcher shows just what you can do with a character that could totally come off as one dimensional because we learn nothing about their life. But Hauer gives him a dark humour, such a menacing presence, mystery, sadism that it’s one of the few horror movies than gave me a nightmare.
I think the most under-appreciated actor of that iconic opening scene of SCREAM (and the entire SCREAM franchise) is Roger L. Jackson as the voice of Ghostface. When I was younger, I assumed the voice we heard throughout was from an actual voice-changer, but after learning it was performed by a real voice actor, I can see why this was the right choice. Jackson is able to bring personality and at times even warmth to this disembodied voice on the phone before then yelling psychotic threats.
My friend and I went to see Jeepers Creepers in the theater when it came out. The next day we were both at work together. It was a slow Sunday and we were both waitresses. I had a table with one old man. I was coming around the corner to drop off his food and he was whistling Jeepers Creepers....my friend was standing at the end of the ailse staring at me with the same horrified look on her face. I almost dropped the whole tray and ran! 😂
Fun fact: ‘When A Stranger Calls’ has a criminally underrated sequel called ‘When A Stranger Calls Back.’ Carol Kane and Charles Durning reprise their roles.
My favourite one has to be I am legend the opening scene where it’s the news report and the lady is explaining how she has found the cure to cancer and it cuts to 3 years later and it just shows New York in ruins. I love that
I’m so happy you included jaws..it horrified me as a child but ultimately came down to the reason I went into the marine science field.. Props to a like minded individual 🤙
The “Have you checked the children” babysitter story is a well known ghost story we were telling in the late 79s/early 80s. It was one of those urban legends. I’m not surprised they made it into a movie, or that it’s riveting or that the rest of that movie sucks. It was as well known as the couple parking in the woods to make out and hearing a crazed lunatic with a hook escaped from a nearby mental hospital. Then they hear scratching on their car and the girl demands to be driven home. When they get there the guy gets out to open her door and sees a bloody hook hanging from her door handle. I believe both were included in “Scary Stories to tell in the Dark”, a book from the early 1980s. But we already knew these stories before we read the book.
I know most people wouldn't consider KILL BILL a horror film, but that opening scene of VOL. 1, showing a black & white extreme closeup of Uma Thurman's blood-stained and terrified face in the bridal veil, implying all the violence that's just happened offscreen, while the disembodied voice of Bill talks to her, is a really gripping and tense opening that works because it uses horror/thriller techniques.
Love the story about your dad calling after watching When a Stranger Calls. After watching Scream 2 for the first time late at night, I got a call on the house phone at 4:00 in the morning. Absolutely terrified me. Turns out it was the restaurant I worked at asking a simple question. It gave me a hilarious story for life. Great video!
I had a similar experience to your 'When A Stranger Calls' but with The 1st American "The Ring". Picture a group of young 15/16 year old church kids at gathering at on of their houses, after Sunday service, and watching this movie. We were all freaked out but didn't want to admit it, well after the main character watched the cursed tape for the first time then her phone rings... at the same time the phone in our friends room rang and we all screamed. 😂😂 He picked it up and gave this scared 'hello...', it turned out to be his mom, who'd just got home, from downstairs in her hair salon
I absolutely remember the opening to Dawn of the Dead being shown on tv. I also went and saw it in theatres after that. My favorite horror opening of all time is Scream. As much as people say that Scream is more funny than scary, that opening was terrifying. It's actually really funny that you said the opening for Scream cranks up the tension until the title card, because the title card is the very first thing you see in Scream. You can be forgiven for not remembering that because every sequel has the title card after the opening. I just thought that was hilarious. Lol
I remember the opening scene of Ghost Ship from when I was a kid. So awesome back then especially since at the time I had not experienced barely anything in horror yet
Dude that’s a really solid list. An additional thing to mention might be the music . Especially Rob’s score on Maniac 2012 and John Murphy’s incredible score on 28 weeks. These helped these particular 2 opening scenes be as amazing as they are ❤
My experience with Jeepers Creepers was exactly the same. No trailer, no explanation, nothing. The only difference is I saw that shit in the theater. Twas FUCKING awesome. There weren’t a ton of people there, but I’ll never forget leaving the theater and these two girls sayin “godDAMN that poor kid!” It was that kind of movie and it was glorious.
The film would’ve been a bit gorier, but the mechanical shark was a bastard as it kept breaking so Spielberg and cinematographer Bill Butler did more with less. Plus John Williams’s Oscar winning score adds to dread
Imo I would've put the Friday the 13th remake on here because like you said with the Evil Dead, and Dawn Of The Dead remake, if you're gonna remake a classic then you need to have a badass opening to establish how different it is and what your take of this franchise is. Friday the 13th 2009 does that perfectly with the badass look of Jason, awesome kills, funny characters, intense scenes, and many other things
@@politefan8141 how was it badly done? The only cgi in that kill was the blade coming out of the back of the dudes head and even then I thought it looked fine
Haven’t watched yet, but this is a great idea for a video. Some immediates for me are: -Scream I, 2, 4 and 5. -Original Halloween (obvious) -From Dusk till Dawn -Final Destination 1-3 -The Vanishing (the original because I refuse to acknowledge the remake).
Just rewatched The Hitcher for the first time in yeaaaarrrrrs, and man, it holds up. That is one of my favorite movies of all time and it scared me to death as a kid. Love seeing it on this list!
The opening to scream is as close to perfect as it gets, from killing off drew Barrymore who everyone thought would be the lead girl, to the originality of the phone calls, to the brutality of the final shot. My favorite, most people’s favorite. #1 forever.
I recommend everyone check out the 1977 short film The Sitter, which is what When A Stranger Calls was based on. It's basically just the opening sequence but, in my opinion, even creepier than the film. It's on UA-cam!
I like it too, it's effective horror. But the problem is that it's absolutely ridiculous!! :D... the whole movie is really. But it's a guilty pleasure of mine.
Awesome idea for an episode. I've given a few different examples to a few of the more frequent answers given. Not to be edgy but because I feel some are overshadowed by their OG's and I just personally love them. 1. Return of the Living Dead (specifically the credits when the music kicks in). 2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 3. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (Original trilogy are interchangeable tbh) 4. Halloween 3: Season of the Witch 5. Scream 6. Martyrs 7. Evil Dead (2013) 8. Jaws 9. SAW 10. Hostel 3
My favorite opening scene will always be Freddy vs Jason, Freddy Krueger's chilling monologue explaining his backstory, showcasing Robert Englund as pre-dream demon Freddy, plus a montage of clips from the Nightmare On Elm Street series is just flawless. Despite my love for the entire movie, I wish the movie sort of kept the tone of this scene.
A little off topic but when I first saw Blade in theaters as a kid I thought it was a spin-off of the 90s Spider-man cartoon because that's where I first saw Blade
Agree jeepers creepers opening hooked me and the slow unveiling of the creeper all the way to the end kept me so interested in the story and the development it’s epic!
Dawn of Dead preview was released on USA channel!! I remember watching it and my parents took me to the theater to watch it because I was too young for go alone!!
Great list! Mine would be... 15. From Beyond 14. Hellraiser 13. Sinister 12. Evil Dead Rise 11. Ghost Ship 10. Malignant 9. It 8. 28 Weeks Later 7. Insidious Chapter 2 6. The Invisible Man 5. Thanksgiving 4. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3. Halloween 2. The Conjuring 1. Scream
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So the remake of when a stranger calls is very different from the original.
Love this video. You should make a part 2 because you left out Friday the 13th remake, Bride of Chucky, Smile, Halloween, House of 1000 Corpses to name a few.
The opening to the remake of when a stranger calls is completely different to the OG 😊🐾💜👍👋
Ghost Ship's opening is like a perfect horror short all on its own.
Too bad the rest of the movie screws it all up.
I def remembering seeing that in theaters with my mom and being terrified. So many years have gone by and I still think about that opening.
@@darktheories1758 that's the whole point. Just pretend the rest of the movie doesn't exist.
@@whobitmyname ghost ship shouldve been the sequel to titanic
It's definitely a script that sold em in the first ten pages. "No I don't even have to read the rest, green light, let's go!"
How in the world is Halloween not on here? The POV opening scene where Michael kills Judith is iconic and so important in horror history
FACTS
@@donaldstewart2964 💯. Oh well. Can't say I'm shocked
Yes, I thoughts ITS Nr. 1 AS IT should be. I Love Blades opening, but Halloween IS unmatched. ITS a whole Story told there and is Basic in every Film school for a reason.
I must have misread the title, does it actually say "most important opening scenes to horror history"?
@@zydration3538🤓
“You never told me your name”
“Why do you wanna know my name?”
“Because I want to know who I’m looking at”
No matter how many times I watch this movie I still get goosebumps at those lines, Scream still has the best opening to any horror movie ever
💯💯💯💯
“Nice breasts hehe”
I was 8 or 10 when I saw it and holy crap it scared the crap out of me.
If I see that it's going to be on tv, I'll watch just the opening scene. It's terrifying, and heartbreaking.
“No, you listen, you little bitch, you hang up on me again I’ll gut you like a fish” was the main reason my 4 year old self had to be ghostface for Halloween 4 years in a row lmfao
Cabin in the Woods has a great opening scene for completely wrong-footing the audience 😂
28 weeks later opening is one of the most tense scenes ever. I love the score in that scene too.
So good.
It’s so great that walking dead had to re use it in episode 1. Good pick
Scream's opening is still untouchable!!!!
That's High Praise.
It was great
@@user-sd2xj3dk3eyeah it’s amazing but it’s been replicated to shit
Absolutely, I first saw it in '99 when I was 13 and was convinced Drew was going to be the main character then she gets taken out in the opening and I was just.... 😲😲😲
Not better than the opening of Friday the 13th 2009
Bro ghost ship scared the hell out of me when I was kid
Same bro. Also love the soundtrack of that movie. Got me into metal. 😂
The opening scene was kino, too bad the rest of the movie blew
@@nocaptainmatt3771seriously. I feel like the scenes after the opening just never hit hard enough. It’s a good movie but the older I am I have lest interest in watching. I’m not a firm believer in “remakes” but maybe one might do it justice in the right hands.
@@travishall7734early 2000s horror loved metal soundtracks 😂 was a crazy phase
Mudvayne - Not Falling at the end is top tier @@travishall7734
The opening to The Descent is so haunting. Just the anguished screams of Sara at the hospital and the title slowly appearing and fading.
Sinister's slo-mo opening was chilling. Crowded theater went SILENT through the rest of the film. Sinister is sooo underrated!
Didn't like the whole paranormal thing about it. If it was some kind of snuff film cult I think it would have been a hundred times better.
will u marry me
Sinister was soooo good imo. I dont mind the sequel either
Underrated by the generally positive response or just the high box office it took in?
@morbidlyobeserobocop3038 agreed. Damn that would've been way cooler
Cody to the rescue, uploading to help me get away from all of real life’s bull crap for about 46 mins lol.
I 2nd this lol!
He's really good at that!
Cody escapism content is a whole mood.
This will probably sound fake but I was sitting around having an anxiety attack start about a bunch of different things making me bummed and I sat down and watched this and it did help
@@user-tk4us4iu4hthat doesn't sound fake bud, I hope things start looking up for you take care!!!
The thing I love about the 1990 scene over the 2017 It scene is that Tim Curry’s Pennywise adapts to win Georgie’s trust. When Georgie says he’s not supposed to take things from strangers, Pennywise agrees! And then introduces himself so they aren’t strangers anymore. It’s a cleverly manipulative move and I can see how a 6 year old could be moved into trusting, at least initially, by it
Seriously the 2017 pennywise would’ve had any kid I know RUNNING 😂
In terms of the remake, It Chapter Two did a better job at showing the manipulative side of Pennywise when he kills the little girl under the bleachers.
Pennywise does the same thing in the remake.
@@Joker_JAK It Chapter Two is part of the remake film series.
@@Joker_JAKIt’s the tone. The “very wise if your dad, Georgie, very wise indeed!” In the remake, he keeps up that creepy vibe that it absolutely sounds like a mask. The 1990 version sounds like a fellow adult
I remember catching the beginning of "when a stranger calls" in the middle of the night when I was a kid. I fell asleep on the couch and woke up and turned on the TV. It scared me so badly I turned it off and ran upstairs. I couldn't fall asleep until my cat came in to comfort me.
When A Stranger Calls is the scariest for me too. I watched it at a very young age sitting on my Dads lap. It still scares me to this day
I always remember running into the living room, taking the remote from my grandma and changing the channel to watch the first 6 minutes or so of Dawn of the Dead because I didn't have cable in my room. I was so excited. I was like, "sorry grandma but I gotta see this." LOL
I’ve rewatched 2004’s Dawn of the Dead twice this year, and both times the movie begins, I think it’s a fantastic way to open up my favorite piece of zombie media. When the sequence ends, it really does encapsulate how quickly a zombie apocalypse can grow. That’s the first one that comes to my mind.
That's also High Praise.
Jeepers Creepers 2 opening was the best. The kid in the field and the creeper posing as the scarecrow. What an amazing opening
The original "The Stepfather" will always be my favorite opening Scene in Horror. That was just perfection!
👍🏻 Absolutely 👍🏻
When he walks down the stairs and we realize what has happened to the family, the horror of it hits you like a punch.
Nothing supernatural, no unstoppable giant killer, just a ‘normal’ man.
👍🏻Good one
@@Stang2023 then he just leaves the house and it feels like a Desperate Houswives episode with that perfect suburban neighborhood! it perfectly sets up the movie without a single line!
Yeah that’s one of the more disturbing openings, imo.
Good call! That one is brilliant.
The opening to Halloween (1978). It’s such a well known and highly regarded opening that it almost feels pointless to even mention it.
Which is probably exactly what Cody was thinking.
But the ending of that movie is even better.
I love the opening to part 2 and 4
Halloween 2 and 4 love both openers.. u got the dude from rocky 4 as a Dr. Lol
Even the credit roll in beginning..with the farm and all that sets that movie up.
I’ll never forget seeing that for the first time at 10 years old. The shock seeing that small, innocent looking kid. Masterclass. I don’t care how overplayed and omnipresent it is.
One that always stands out to me is the opening to Bram Stoker's Dracula. The score does such an incredible job taking the audience on Dracula's journey as he goes off to war, learns of Elisabeta's death, and then crescendos as he's giving his crazed monologue about renouncing God and how he's going to rise from the dead to avenge her death. Topped off with the chorus as the blood gushes from the cross...so intense and gives me chills every time I watch it.
The opening scene to Jaws is brilliant. We see nothing. No shark, no blood, nothing. Just her screams and our imaginations going haywire. Not seeing the shark was so much more effective. Very well done. The fact that the fake shark barely worked really ended up helping the movie.
If you listen carefully she says “it hurts” and that makes it more disturbing.
The POV shot under the water with the John Williams score slowly building is chilling. And yeah the horror from Susan Backline as Chrissy is palpable; thankfully she was kept safe during the shoot but that final yank to her death is scary
Jaws is such an amazing movie. Still holds up. Goes to show that great cinema doesn't age❤
Absolutely agree
@@jasonandkathleenbarker6306before that line I thought it would have tickled.
I try to always watch the Scream franchise at the beginning of October because of this intro. It’s a great start to the best month of the year.
Ready for October now!!
YESSSS
One of the scariest and unnerving opening scenes I’ve ever seen is the sinister opening. Genuinely feels like you are watching something that should be in a police evidence box. It just set the tone amazingly and it made you realize that the film was not messing around.
Everything in the opening of Scream is perfect: the house itself with all the windows and glass doors, the house location, the three or four doors that she locks while talking to the phone not entirely panicking yet, the steamy pool, the pop corn popping, everything is just so cool.
I have a similar memory with a horror movie like you had when watching when a stranger calls. I was watching The Ring for the first time at my friend's farm house. It was already creepy being that we were at her farm and she had a well and tree that looked identical to the one in the movie but when we were watching it, right after the scene where the main character watches the video for the first time, someone called her house at the exact time the phone rang in the movie.
Im pretty sure ive never been that creeped out watching a movie sense. Kind of sucks because it definitely raised my bar of being scared for movies a lot higher but it sure as hell was one of the best movie experiences I've ever had in my life and I will always remember it.❤
It's amazing how many people have had a phone coincidentally ring at this part.
Did you also see a red balloon immediately after watching It?
I watched the Dawn of the Dead preview with my mom and dad. My dad is a HUGE zombie fan… I was 6 and still remember it perfectly 😂
After I watched the full movie I slept on my parents floor for like two weeks 😂
Thanks for sharing I’m glad someone else remembers the snippet! 😂
People often forget how truly ahead of its time Blade was when it came out. I remember watching that opening scene in a hotel room when I was a teen and thinking it was the best looking movie I've ever seen. The strobe lights, frenetic camerawork, editing, and choreography would be played out to some extent in the following decade, but at the time it seemed revolutionary. I remember intending to watch only a few minutes (hotel rooms used to give you a time limit to preview before purchasing) and ended up watching the whole thing. At the time, the only other movie that dazzled me like that was Run Lola Run.
Ghost Ship is pretty well known for one of the scariest/most iconic opening scenes in horror movie history
I'm glad you included It Follows. The opening freaked me the fuck out. What also freaked me out was - how she could keep running in those high heels.
How is the opening of “the ring” not on this list?! Absolute best ever.
Which 1
American. “The ring” (not ringu)
@JoshuaMacDonald-b1c I thought they made a American remake also.. so many movies... lol
That opening was pretty well shot. The reveal of Katie’s face later nearly made me fall out of my chair
@@dasshape00 there are a lot of sequels in Japan; nearly as many as Ju-On (The Grudge)
2 years ago, I would have also picked 90's IT miniseries. Since then I have had a son, and now the Reimaging hits harder. Seeing a small child just begging for help out of sheer fear just hits harder now.
18:40 neighborhood girl walking into your bedroom: “oh hey~” 😂😂😂
I always assumed maybe they babysat her regularly or something lmao.
My grandfathers favorite movie was Jaws and it will always be the movie I will watch when I’m down, sick, or just having a bad day because it reminds me of the times I stayed home sick, he would stay home from work and we would watch the two first Jaws movies. We even went on a Jaws movie cruise that took us to Martha’s Vinyard where they showed the movie on the beach while you sat in rafts on the water while watching it. A few of the original actors where there it is a memory I will always remember and I hope to create an amazing memory with my own children.
Wow I love that. Takes some nerve to watch it like that though!
@@stacielara9856 it was a lot more fun than it sounded. Some people where freaking out though one woman had a fish touch her leg and fell off her raft it was hilarious.
The Descent opening sequence is utterly terrifying and shocking and sets up the characters relationships and state of mind.
Def one of the best horror movies ever! That movie terrified me
Wow, really surprised you didn't have the Friday the 13th 2009 remake on this list. Given you like myself are one of the apologists for that remake the entire opening scene to me is brilliant not only because of the intensity but establishing a Jason who runs but is ultra aggressive and it almost stands out as a film within a film which when it was over I felt like i was thrown a curveball which was even cooler.
I don't know where it'll rank but the opening to "Smile" was intense as hell
I thought the same thing
That movie scared the hell out of me
@@LucyLioness100 "Smile" scared the hell out of me, too. I kid you not. And after watching the trailer for "Smile 2," I'm thinking that one will scare the hell out of me, as well. Yeah, judging from the trailer, "Smile 2" looks to be one of the most horrifying, terrifying films of 2024! 😱😨
I was more just confused and a bit shocked by the opening scene. One that actually kinda got me was when she was with her “therapist” but then suddenly got a phone call from her actual therapist
I think another point can be made for why the opening to a Quiet place was effective, and that point is no one is safe in this universe, because I think most people would assume that the kid’s are off limits in being killed by the monster, but since they killed off the youngest in the opening it established that anyone can go which makes nearly every scene with these creatures more effective and raises tension
Holy shit you unlocked a core memory with that 6 minute televised intro of Dawn of the Dead. Im not sure whether it was USA or Spike TV
It was USA
Me and my sister were being sat for by a daughter of my mums friend. She brought the 1990 “It” mini series. She ask me for the remote half way through the film and I threw it at her, too hard and fell behind the couch she was sitting on. Without looking she reached her arm back down for the remote but was taking a few too many seconds. My sister said “can you find it” and Julie (the babysitter) pulled out a semi inflated balloon.
What followed is what a subtitles writer would describe as “nervous laughter”
It was from my mums party a few days earlier that fell back there. It was an amazing coincidence but for years I thought (my sister and Julie let me think) it was a magic trick
I think it was after Monday Night Raw if I recall correctly.
Yup it was Monday night raw.
@@dustinperry133definitely
Scream 2 has a fantastic opening scene, with pertinent comments on black people in horror movies, trivialization of real-life violence on movies and the its effect on the masses and unnerving kills. The final scene where Maureen is killed in front of everyone is BRUTAL and shocking af. Unfortunatelly, it is not brought up so much in these types of discussion due to it being overshadowed by Scream 1's openning scene, that is also fantastic but, as I said, ends up casting a shadow over Scream 2's one
Plus it’s a cool reference to He Knows You’re Alone.
I don’t get your point the moment anyone in the theater saw she was in peril they stopped playing and took off their masks.
To me it was pointing out the stark difference people have (or should have) between make believe violence and real violence.
Don’t forget any scene in which Jada Pinkett Smith does gets my seal of approval
It's a direct rip-off of the opening to Lamberto Bava's "Demons". For that reason, I can't say it's great. "Demons" is a bona fide classic by the way.
@@Ian_Synnott how is it a ripoff of Demons? Demons opens with the guy chasing the girl to give her a flier. It’s literally a reference to the opening of He Knows You’re Alone.
I had the same Jeepers Creepers experience when I was a kid. I'd never heard of it until I brought it home. The next day I was telling all my friends about it. Stumbling into a great movie totally blind is always a great experience. Much rarer these days....
Same! I remember always flipping through the movie channels on cable like starz, hbo, etc and I clicked on jeepers creepers. I can’t tell you how frightened that movie made me even tho I watched it with every door open in the early afternoon 😂😂. Still scares me to this day.
There's no reason to assume it's rarer these days. Watching or reading anything related to a film remains 100% optional.
I found the ending so upsetting that I'll never watch it again.
I grew up on horror and that opening of the 90s IT series is one of the earliest horror experiences I can remember. I was probably 4 but it burned itself into my head. Love the channel Cody.
Fantastic list! As someone who has seen the majority of those films at the theater, I can tell you that in 1979-When a Stranger Calls came out, that moment he tells her it’s coming from inside the house, the audience lost its collective minds!
Here in the UK, Channel 4 also showed the first 10 minutes of Dawn of the Dead. It deffo made me go to the cinema to see the film. Worked like a charm.
Omg you didn’t say Friday the 13th remake. The opening scene was jaw dropping 😂
Hearing how enthusiastic you were as a kid about movies and now you having a career in movie reviewing and being able to do your passion is awesome! So full circle 🔥
It’s awesome!
A big group of friends and i rented ghost ship when it came out in high school. We had NO idea about the opening. I think it scarred all of us! One of the girls had like an 8 year old sister who begged her to watch it with us. She broke our shocked and mortified silence by screaming and running from the room. What a great memory! 😂
For being a big 2009 Friday the 13th fanboy, I’m surprised you didn’t have the opening of that movie. I’m more partial to Jason Lives for opening, but I’m surprised Cody.
This was certainly the best part of the movie. The rest of the movie seemed like a slog by comparison.
The opening to this movie blows the Scream movie opening outta the water
By FAR the best opening scene of a horror movie in recent memory. I'm not feeling Cody leaving this movie off (pause). I'm a super fan of this movie
@@traviskolbo8927How? All of the characters were very bland and out of the 5 of them not a single person fought back. Even worse considering that one of them was supposed to be the final girl
I think you forgot one!!!
Friday the 13th 2009 has one of the best openings ever in a horror movie. It’s my only experience ever where the entire packed theater got up shouting and applauding when the title finally hit the screen after the long opening. Awesome experience!!!
Ghost ship has one of the greatest openings of all time! If only the rest of the movie followed suit... I still enjoyed it but that opening scene had me so excited for the rest of the movie. Great job on remembering that movie opening 👏
jeepers creepers still scares the shit out of me 😅 it was one of the movies that genuinely scared me as a child and it’s a good movie but you won’t catch me watching it ever again lol. And yet i still think about certain moments from it 😂
So glad to see the Scream opening in your top 2, its a classic!
It should've been #1. Blade has no business on this list. If Scream didn't have the top spot, then Halloween(1978) should have.
I vividly remember ghost ship opening scene! Myself and my dad picked up ghost ship randomly at blockbuster for a movie night the cover looked cool so we popped it in and jaws on the floor after opening scene. So unexpected so badass such a great unexpected opening we both were like 😮
Rutger Hauer was my favourite actor as a young teen. The Hitcher shows just what you can do with a character that could totally come off as one dimensional because we learn nothing about their life. But Hauer gives him a dark humour, such a menacing presence, mystery, sadism that it’s one of the few horror movies than gave me a nightmare.
Agree with you totally about Rutger Hauer. One of my favourite actors as well.
"The Empty Man" cold open is an all timer
No lie detected here.
And one of the best transitions ever. I'm getting impatient waiting for the Empty Man to get the respect it deserves.
Oh hell yes, at least someone mentioned it!!
It was so long. I was confused at first. It worked so well.
Love that movie
The opening to Rob Zombie 31 with Doom-Head was probably one of the best opening I’ve ever seen. To bad the rest of the movie failed to deliver
I think the most under-appreciated actor of that iconic opening scene of SCREAM (and the entire SCREAM franchise) is Roger L. Jackson as the voice of Ghostface. When I was younger, I assumed the voice we heard throughout was from an actual voice-changer, but after learning it was performed by a real voice actor, I can see why this was the right choice. Jackson is able to bring personality and at times even warmth to this disembodied voice on the phone before then yelling psychotic threats.
that scene is just a ripoff spoof of #4 on this list- when a stranger calls
@@ncallaway9731 , probably meant to be more of an homage than a spoof, given how much Ghostface likes scary movies.
@@ncallaway9731nothing spoof like, and an homage is not a rip-off. Weirdly negative assumption.
My friend and I went to see Jeepers Creepers in the theater when it came out. The next day we were both at work together. It was a slow Sunday and we were both waitresses. I had a table with one old man. I was coming around the corner to drop off his food and he was whistling Jeepers Creepers....my friend was standing at the end of the ailse staring at me with the same horrified look on her face. I almost dropped the whole tray and ran! 😂
28 weeks later is the running with that song still gives me chills to this day.
this is such a cool idea for a video! ghost ship was one of the first to be permanently ingrained into my young mind!
You can very easily just watch Ghost Ship's intro by itself and be satisfied. I know I do.
Fun fact: ‘When A Stranger Calls’ has a criminally underrated sequel called ‘When A Stranger Calls Back.’ Carol Kane and Charles Durning reprise their roles.
11:11 I loveee ghost ship’s opening scene. I saw it when I was a kid and it stayed in my memory since then, it’s haunting
My favourite one has to be I am legend the opening scene where it’s the news report and the lady is explaining how she has found the cure to cancer and it cuts to 3 years later and it just shows New York in ruins. I love that
Scream’s opening scene will always be my favorite horror film opening of all time.
I’m so happy you included jaws..it horrified me as a child but ultimately came down to the reason I went into the marine science field..
Props to a like minded individual 🤙
The “Have you checked the children” babysitter story is a well known ghost story we were telling in the late 79s/early 80s. It was one of those urban legends. I’m not surprised they made it into a movie, or that it’s riveting or that the rest of that movie sucks.
It was as well known as the couple parking in the woods to make out and hearing a crazed lunatic with a hook escaped from a nearby mental hospital. Then they hear scratching on their car and the girl demands to be driven home. When they get there the guy gets out to open her door and sees a bloody hook hanging from her door handle.
I believe both were included in “Scary Stories to tell in the Dark”, a book from the early 1980s. But we already knew these stories before we read the book.
I know most people wouldn't consider KILL BILL a horror film, but that opening scene of VOL. 1, showing a black & white extreme closeup of Uma Thurman's blood-stained and terrified face in the bridal veil, implying all the violence that's just happened offscreen, while the disembodied voice of Bill talks to her, is a really gripping and tense opening that works because it uses horror/thriller techniques.
Absolutely nobody would consider it a horror film... because it's far from it
@@Shane3125 Truth. That guy is a weirdo
The opening number of the South Park movie is great as well, and equally relevant to the topic.
Love the story about your dad calling after watching When a Stranger Calls. After watching Scream 2 for the first time late at night, I got a call on the house phone at 4:00 in the morning. Absolutely terrified me. Turns out it was the restaurant I worked at asking a simple question. It gave me a hilarious story for life. Great video!
Your job called you at 4 am? What the hell
It's such an incredible coincidence how many people get random phone calls at the exact moment a phone is involved in a horror scene...
I had a similar experience to your 'When A Stranger Calls' but with The 1st American "The Ring". Picture a group of young 15/16 year old church kids at gathering at on of their houses, after Sunday service, and watching this movie. We were all freaked out but didn't want to admit it, well after the main character watched the cursed tape for the first time then her phone rings... at the same time the phone in our friends room rang and we all screamed. 😂😂 He picked it up and gave this scared 'hello...', it turned out to be his mom, who'd just got home, from downstairs in her hair salon
Halloween 3 Season of the Witch. I love that repetitive and tense score that builds and builds while the guy is being chased.
Love the ghost ship mention awesome open but no FD2 is criminal, I’m still scared of log trucks on the highway to this day
I absolutely remember the opening to Dawn of the Dead being shown on tv. I also went and saw it in theatres after that.
My favorite horror opening of all time is Scream. As much as people say that Scream is more funny than scary, that opening was terrifying.
It's actually really funny that you said the opening for Scream cranks up the tension until the title card, because the title card is the very first thing you see in Scream. You can be forgiven for not remembering that because every sequel has the title card after the opening. I just thought that was hilarious. Lol
The opening to Ghost Ship traumatized me as a kid 🤣
I remember the opening scene of Ghost Ship from when I was a kid. So awesome back then especially since at the time I had not experienced barely anything in horror yet
Dude that’s a really solid list. An additional thing to mention might be the music . Especially Rob’s score on Maniac 2012 and John Murphy’s incredible score on 28 weeks. These helped these particular 2 opening scenes be as amazing as they are ❤
My experience with Jeepers Creepers was exactly the same. No trailer, no explanation, nothing. The only difference is I saw that shit in the theater. Twas FUCKING awesome. There weren’t a ton of people there, but I’ll never forget leaving the theater and these two girls sayin “godDAMN that poor kid!” It was that kind of movie and it was glorious.
O first saw it probably younger than 10 years old and my mom had to drag me outside to go home cause I thought the creeper was gonna swoop down 😂
I loved 38:15 when talking about Jaws... "just the suggestion of it...or the aftermath of it...or the suggestion of it." Just kinda made me giggle.
The film would’ve been a bit gorier, but the mechanical shark was a bastard as it kept breaking so Spielberg and cinematographer Bill Butler did more with less. Plus John Williams’s Oscar winning score adds to dread
Imo I would've put the Friday the 13th remake on here because like you said with the Evil Dead, and Dawn Of The Dead remake, if you're gonna remake a classic then you need to have a badass opening to establish how different it is and what your take of this franchise is. Friday the 13th 2009 does that perfectly with the badass look of Jason, awesome kills, funny characters, intense scenes, and many other things
Well said. The opening scene was amazing although the head slicing is badly done CGI. Still willing to forgive it due to its intensity.
@@politefan8141 how was it badly done? The only cgi in that kill was the blade coming out of the back of the dudes head and even then I thought it looked fine
First ones that came to mind for me are Scream, Ghost Ship and Final Destination 2 😳
Haven’t watched yet, but this is a great idea for a video. Some immediates for me are:
-Scream I, 2, 4 and 5.
-Original Halloween (obvious)
-From Dusk till Dawn
-Final Destination 1-3
-The Vanishing (the original because I refuse to acknowledge the remake).
Just rewatched The Hitcher for the first time in yeaaaarrrrrs, and man, it holds up. That is one of my favorite movies of all time and it scared me to death as a kid. Love seeing it on this list!
The opening to scream is as close to perfect as it gets, from killing off drew Barrymore who everyone thought would be the lead girl, to the originality of the phone calls, to the brutality of the final shot. My favorite, most people’s favorite. #1 forever.
When scream came out there was nothing else like it. That opening scene was horrifying
I recommend everyone check out the 1977 short film The Sitter, which is what When A Stranger Calls was based on. It's basically just the opening sequence but, in my opinion, even creepier than the film. It's on UA-cam!
Yeah I do want to check that out. I haven’t seen either version, but I want to watch some more horror shorts
Scream and Jaws' opening scenes are epic.
That clip that you showed from A Quiet Place was filmed in my home town. Great movie. Great video Cody! 😀
Urban legend had the best opening scene ever
That’s a good one
Thank you for this! I was hoping someone would mention Urban Legend.
I like it too, it's effective horror. But the problem is that it's absolutely ridiculous!! :D... the whole movie is really. But it's a guilty pleasure of mine.
19:55 I believe it was on USA Network, after WWE Monday Night Raw. USA ran the first 10:00 minutes I believe. Good memory Cody!
That Scream opening will forever be my personal favorite but that Blade opening is fire too, good list Cody!! 🔥👏🏾✨
Jaws will always be my favourite horror opening, but shout out to you for including the original When A Stranger Calls
One of my favorite opening scenes is Sinister, with the hanging!
The when a stranger calls remake doesn't open the same. It is definitely worth a watch.
I thought the entire remake was pretty good! The original has a great opening scene, but then the rest kinda sucks.
Awesome idea for an episode. I've given a few different examples to a few of the more frequent answers given. Not to be edgy but because I feel some are overshadowed by their OG's and I just personally love them.
1. Return of the Living Dead (specifically the credits when the music kicks in).
2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (Original trilogy are interchangeable tbh)
4. Halloween 3: Season of the Witch
5. Scream
6. Martyrs
7. Evil Dead (2013)
8. Jaws
9. SAW
10. Hostel 3
My favorite opening scene will always be Freddy vs Jason, Freddy Krueger's chilling monologue explaining his backstory, showcasing Robert Englund as pre-dream demon Freddy, plus a montage of clips from the Nightmare On Elm Street series is just flawless. Despite my love for the entire movie, I wish the movie sort of kept the tone of this scene.
@Cody another fun watch another fun ranking. Your on fire good Sir. Thanks to all the amazing Patrons
A little off topic but when I first saw Blade in theaters as a kid I thought it was a spin-off of the 90s Spider-man cartoon because that's where I first saw Blade
Cody’s content never disappoints. He’s easily one of the best movie reviewers out there. Great job, Cody!🔥
Agree jeepers creepers opening hooked me and the slow unveiling of the creeper all the way to the end kept me so interested in the story and the development it’s epic!
Dawn of Dead preview was released on USA channel!! I remember watching it and my parents took me to the theater to watch it because I was too young for go alone!!
Loved the list a couple of the ones that would be on my list would be Darkness Falls, Friday the 13th 09, and RZ Halloween 2
RZ H2…..yessss
That hospital scene is AWESOME
Great list! Mine would be...
15. From Beyond
14. Hellraiser
13. Sinister
12. Evil Dead Rise
11. Ghost Ship
10. Malignant
9. It
8. 28 Weeks Later
7. Insidious Chapter 2
6. The Invisible Man
5. Thanksgiving
4. A Nightmare on Elm Street
3. Halloween
2. The Conjuring
1. Scream
I didn’t love Evil Dead Rise compared to the previous installment, but that intro was badass.