What is the greatest horror opening of all time? (Spoilers)

[Zillamon51]

Both versions of Dawn of the Dead have great opening sequences. The original tells the audience exactly what the threat is, and the chaos in the TV station is a microcosm of the larger world. The remake's opening, up to and including the credits, is some of the best zombie stuff ever put on film. Both set up their worlds perfectly.

I've gone through and liked a lot of posts here with selections I agree with. So many great horror opening scenes / sequences. Impossible to choose just one.

[Johnny Blu]

The Crazies - Opening day of baseball for the small town, and out of center field comes a local man with a shotgun.

[spider-neil]

Zombieland has a cool opening. Not scary but creative.

[ChainsawJedi]

Originally Posted by Mikezilla3k

The amount of praise Kubrick's Shinning get is extremely undeserved considering it's a flat boring bare-bones take on the book.

The only thing Kubrick's film has in common with the book is the title. Okay, maybe a wee bit more than that but not much. That said, the score is fantastic and the opening shot of the film with the music of Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind is bloody terrifying.

[ChainsawJedi]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

I have to agree that the film is superior. I read the book for the first time last year and after all of the controversy and hype surrounding the book vs. movie I found it pretty underwhelming unfortunately.

I wasn't aware of any controversy about the book but it's a dead cert that if something is hyped up, it will struggle to meet expectations. The biggest misstep about Kubrick's movie is that he cast Nicholson in the part of Jack Torrance and seemingly told him to play the character as crazy from the start.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by ChainsawJedi

I wasn't aware of any controversy about the book but it's a dead cert that if something is hyped up, it will struggle to meet expectations. The biggest misstep about Kubrick's movie is that he cast Nicholson in the part of Jack Torrance and seemingly told him to play the character as crazy from the start.

I was mainly referring to the long history beef King had with Kubrick and the film in regards to the changes made. That was another complaint I had about the book. I thought Jack Torrance was kind of uninteresting and bland in the book. I've never had a problem with Nicholson's performance and find it to be one of the best highlights of the film as well as one of his most iconic performances.

[Show spoiler]I was never a fan of King's version of the ending either but it worked perfectly for the film adaption of Doctor Sleep though.

Like I said though, I only read the book for the first time last year so I don't have that connection to King's story having read it before the film came out in 1980 or before I saw the film. Then again I really don't think that completely matters anyway since I've read numerous King books after I'd seen the film adaptions and loved them. I'm not saying I disliked the book but I think the film is better.

[dkelly26666]

I'm going with "Suspiria" (1977).

I saw that, in a drive-in at night, in a drizzly rain. Those first ten minutes had me looking around, LOL. After the film was over, I had to go way to the back of the drive-in, all the way around the back side of the snack bar, to the bathrooms, which were out back, facing some woods, and it was still sprinkling rain. Dark as hell back there, too. That was a creepy circumstance to see that movie, anyway, but I think those first few minutes have always held up well for me.

[Beckford]

Absolutely agree about "Suspiria"(1977). That rainstorm opening has to be my very favorite. And the whole movie basically sustains the mood.
Also love the historical flashback opening of "Bram Stoker's Dracula"(1992). Exquisitely conceived and executed.
And though I don't think the film as a whole is as good as the two I mentioned, there's no denying that the kick-off of "Halloween"(1978) is a smasheroo.

[1blufan]

One opening that has sat with me for years is The Believers (1987). It completely caught me off guard and is rather unsettling.

[moreorless]

Don't Look Now

[spider-neil]

I skipped over the Susperia comments as I haven’t seen that movie but plan to.

[Interdimensional]

Originally Posted by moreorless

Don't Look Now

Can't believe it took so long for someone to bring this up.

That opening is brutal, it feels so raw and real.

[ChainsawJedi]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

I was never a fan of King's version of the ending

It's not a "version" of the ending; it is the ending.

[spider-neil]

Originally Posted by ChainsawJedi

It's not a "version" of the ending; it is the ending.

Exactly.