After the first scene, we were sold.
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00:00It cannot be emphasized how pivotal the first scene of a movie is.
00:04If the prologue doesn't draw you in from the get-go,
00:06don't expect the film to keep your attention for the next two hours or longer.
00:10But if the filmmakers craft an incredible opening act,
00:13they're sure to have the viewer's undivided attention until the credits roll.
00:16Creating the prelude of a horror can be a bit trickier,
00:19since the genre can't help relying on the same tired tropes.
00:22However, there are some horror flicks that begin with such an intriguing mystery,
00:26compelling performance, or heartbreaking revelation,
00:28we are immediately invested, knowing we are in for one hell of a ride.
00:32I'm Tilly from WhatCultureHorror,
00:33and these are 10 horror movies you knew would be good after the first 10 minutes.
00:37Number 10. The Host.
00:39There are countless movie monsters that were created after encountering a man-made contaminant.
00:43The creatures from Chud, Godzilla, Them, and technically the Ninja Turtles
00:47all came to be after being exposed to pollution.
00:50So when The Host begins with a scene of a scientist dumping chemicals down a sink,
00:54it's clear this action will lead to the creation of the film's monstrous villain.
00:58Even though we have seen this scene play out many a time,
01:00The Host's prologue hits a lot harder,
01:02due to the sheer volume of waste that the scientist disposes of.
01:06He doesn't just empty a couple of bottles.
01:08Instead, he dumps a whopping 200 containers of formaldehyde.
01:12For the record, two tablespoons of this compound will kill a human being.
01:16As the camera slowly pans across the room,
01:18revealing the staggering amount of poison that's about to be poured straight into the Hans River,
01:22your mind goes wild trying to comprehend what sort of behemoth these chemicals will create.
01:27Number 9. The Descent.
01:29The Descent centers around a group of spelunkers who decide to explore a cave,
01:33only to learn it's inhabited by carnivorous humanoids called Crawlers.
01:36Because of the premise, it's natural for the viewer to assume the scares in The Descent
01:40won't start until the characters enter the cave.
01:42So, when the movie begins with our lead, Sarah, in the car with her husband and daughter,
01:46we totally let our guard down.
01:48With no warning, the car crashes into another vehicle that happens to be transporting steel poles.
01:53The collision causes the poles to fly into Sarah's car,
01:56impaling her husband and daughter, killing them both instantly.
01:59What makes this scene so shocking is the fact there's no build-up whatsoever.
02:03Before we have a chance to process what's going on or who these characters are,
02:06two-thirds of everyone on screen is killed off.
02:09Although some viewers may have been daydreaming up until this scene,
02:12it goes without saying that everyone was paying attention after this moment.
02:15As genuinely unsettling as the Crawlers are, a lot of viewers were freaked out more by this opening.
02:21In Cube, a man called Alderson awakens inside a bizarre cube-shaped room.
02:25Each wall is adorned with a hatch-activated door, as is the floor and ceiling.
02:29Upon opening any of these doors, Alderson sees it join onto an identical-looking room.
02:34But after he takes one step into the next room, Alderson stops dead, figuratively and literally,
02:39as we hear an alarming whooshing sound sweep around him.
02:42After a few seconds, a grid-shaped pattern shaded in red forms across Alderson's clothes.
02:47Before the viewer has a chance to comprehend what just happened,
02:50blood begins oozing from lined streaks across Alderson's face,
02:53while chunks of his limbs start breaking off.
02:55Suddenly, Alderson's body splits into two, causing his whole body to crumble into cube-shaped blocks.
03:01The camera then holds on the culprit, a razor-sharp grating, before cutting to the film's title.
03:06We know absolutely nothing about this character, nor is he mentioned again.
03:10He never interacts with the ensemble, nor does he speak,
03:12and yet we are so curious about what we just saw, it's impossible not to get completely invested in the story.
03:20Because of Midsommar's 148-minute runtime,
03:23it was imperative for Ari Aster to open with a mega-shocker to grab your attention.
03:27Fortunately, Aster went beyond the call of duty by crafting a gut-wrenching prologue
03:31that's sure to stay with you long after the credits roll.
03:34In the first scene, Dani rings her neglectful boyfriend, Christian,
03:37after she receives disturbing messages from her mentally ill sister.
03:40Because Christian is having a drink with his mates, he dismisses Dani's calls,
03:44but when he finally answers, he hears Dani howling hysterically.
03:48Now, what we hear is not an ordinary scream.
03:51What we hear is a haunting wail coming from the depths of Dani's soul.
03:55Because of her inhuman screeching, we know Dani has suffered an unbearable tragedy,
03:59but nobody is ready for what comes next.
04:02We then cut to Dani's family home, where we see her sibling lying beside her computer table
04:06with a hosepipe jammed down her throat.
04:08As haunting as this visual is, it gets so much worse.
04:11As the camera zooms onto the computer screen, we see she sent a message to Dani,
04:14which reads,
04:23In that moment, you feel your heart break,
04:25knowing Dani has lost her entire family in just one evening.
04:29Although overly shocking prologues can be gimmicky,
04:31Midsommar's opening feels necessary,
04:33as it warns the viewer they are in for a very, very uneasy watch.
04:39Although most horror films open with an exceptionally frightening scene,
04:42the ritual begins with five lads in a pub,
04:45which can be pretty goddamn terrifying.
04:47But as two of the friends, Rob and Luke, head to the store to grab some booze,
04:50they notice the cash register lying on the ground, bloodied and beaten.
04:54As a group of robbers burst in from the back, Luke hides while Rob stays in the open.
04:59When the thieves spot Rob, they order him to give them his belongings.
05:02After Rob notices Luke has armed himself with a bottle,
05:05he assumes his friend is going to save him.
05:07But Luke chickens out, giving the robbers the opportunity to bludgeon Rob to death.
05:12Because it's tempting for a horror movie to open with haunting visuals,
05:15it's refreshing to see the ritual subvert expectations.
05:18Even though this supernatural flick revolves around mythical giants and trickster gods,
05:21the movie starts to feel like a straightforward drama.
05:24But this decision isn't a detriment at all.
05:26Instead of potentially alienating the audience
05:28with a long-winded explanation about Norse mythology,
05:30the ritual begins by focusing on relatable characters
05:33who are caught in a grounded scenario.
05:35Also, the squelching noise that Rob's cheek makes
05:37as the skin flaps open is guaranteed to curdle your blood.
05:42As corny as the 1990 miniseries of It is,
05:45It lives in a warm place in many people's hearts,
05:47mainly due to Tim Curry's scene-stealing performance as Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
05:51No matter how cheesy you find this version of Stephen King's story,
05:54it's always frightening to watch the opening scene of Pennywise slaughtering Georgie.
05:58But the It remake of 2017 quickly proved it would be devoid of camp
06:02and instead focus on brutal scares.
06:05Although the scene in the original film cut away before we saw Pennywise kill Georgie,
06:08the gore is on full display here.
06:10After Pennywise lures the boy closer,
06:12the alien clown sprouts multiple rows of jagged teeth,
06:15which he uses to rip Georgie's arm off.
06:18As Georgie tries to crawl away, Pennywise grabs him and drags him into the sewer.
06:22Even though Bill Skarsgård's performance as Pennywise
06:24is what people remember about this moment,
06:26everything in this scene is phenomenal,
06:29including the eerie score, the mesmerising cinematography,
06:32and Jackson Robert Scott's disturbingly believable performance as Georgie.
06:36Above all, this scene demonstrated how merciless Pennywise is
06:39when it came to murdering his victims.
06:41On top of that, it proved the film had no qualms with showing kids being killed,
06:45which is usually a big no-no, even in the goriest of horror movies.
06:50A Quiet Place takes place in a world where most of human civilisation
06:54has been destroyed by aliens with hypersensitive hearing.
06:57Knowing the slightest sound could get them killed,
06:59our lead characters, the Abbott family,
07:01get through each day by living in silence.
07:04Although A Quiet Place has a brilliant premise,
07:06it's hard to convey it in a movie which, you know, has nobody talking.
07:10However, the first scene perfectly demonstrates
07:12what kind of life these people are living.
07:14More importantly, it demonstrates what happens to anyone
07:17who doesn't take precautions.
07:19After the Abbott family find supplies in a store,
07:21the boy, Beau, tries to take a toy shuttle from a shelf.
07:24His father, Lee, stops him, knowing the toy makes noise.
07:27Beau's sister, Regan, feels bad for him
07:29and so, secretly, gives Beau the shuttle.
07:32As the family make their way home,
07:33Beau turns on the toy, causing it to blare incessantly.
07:37Lee sprints towards his son as quickly as he can,
07:40while his wife stares in horror, knowing Beau's imminent fate.
07:43Just as Lee is about to reach his son,
07:45an extraterrestrial bursts from the forest and slaughters him.
07:49The scene is, in a word, perfect.
07:51After a couple of minutes, we know how this world works,
07:54understand the family's dynamic,
07:56and above all, are made aware of what happens
07:58to those who fail to keep quiet.
08:00Number three, The Ring.
08:02Let's be honest, most remakes are terrible,
08:04especially when they're horror.
08:06Even though The Ring was hyped beyond measure,
08:08a lot of people were worried it would tone down
08:10the scares of the original for Western audiences.
08:12But the beginning of The Ring proves
08:14it knows how to set up a chilling premise.
08:16Instead of showing us the footage contained in the video
08:18or anyone being killed,
08:20the intro focuses on two teenagers,
08:22Katie and Becca, discussing the cursed tape
08:24like it's a ghost story.
08:26When Katie admits she's watched the video,
08:28we realise things are about to go south fast.
08:30Even though an inferior film would show
08:32Katie suffer an over-the-top death
08:34with unconvincing CGI,
08:36the scene would keep everything grounded
08:38with simple imagery.
08:40Katie sees her fridge door open by itself,
08:42then she spots a puddle of icy water on the floor.
08:44She then notices the knob of her bedroom door is dripping.
08:47After she opens it,
08:49she sees the cursed video playing on her TV
08:51before the scene cuts to black.
08:53Even though this scene is a whopping 7 minutes long
08:55and has no blatant scary visuals,
08:57it keeps you gripped from beginning to end,
08:59simply by using subtle camera work
09:01and a focus on atmosphere.
09:032. Scream
09:05Despite the fact that Wes Craven is synonymous
09:07with the horror genre, he struggled to make a hit
09:09after A Nightmare on Elm Street.
09:11After New Nightmare and Vampire in Brooklyn
09:13were shredded by critics,
09:15it didn't take much when Craven announced
09:17he was directing a slasher called Scream.
09:19Thankfully, the first few minutes of Scream
09:21proved Craven was back in his element.
09:23The film opens with high schooler Casey
09:25talking on the phone with a mysterious caller.
09:27When she discovers the caller is
09:29a serial killer waiting outside,
09:31she realises she's in serious danger.
09:33Because Casey is portrayed by Hollywood star
09:35Drew Barrymore, viewers assumed she was
09:37the lead character, meaning she would survive the ordeal.
09:39After all, you're not going to kill off
09:41an A-list actor in the first scene,
09:43are you? But that's exactly
09:45what Scream did.
09:47Although the posters and trailers gave the impression
09:49Casey was the final girl, the opening scene
09:51ends with her disembowelled corpse
09:53hanging from a tree.
09:55Not only was this scene brilliantly shot,
09:57perfectly paced and deeply unnerving,
09:59the casting choice was a masterstroke.
10:01After we saw a big name like Drew Barrymore
10:03get killed off 10 minutes in,
10:05viewers realised no character was safe
10:07from getting the chop, which kept us on our toes
10:09throughout the whole movie.
10:11One. Jaws. One. Second.
10:13That's how long it takes Jaws
10:15to get your attention. After hearing just
10:17a sliver of that John Williams ominous
10:19score while the camera pans across the
10:21sea floor from the shark's viewpoint,
10:23you can't help being transfixed.
10:25As mesmerising as the opening credit
10:27sequence is, it's the following scene that's
10:29responsible for making an entire generation
10:31afraid of going into the water.
10:33While teenager Chrissy is enjoying her swim
10:35in the sea without a care in the world,
10:37the camera keeps strategically cutting underneath her.
10:39Every time we cut to the shark's POV,
10:41the camera edges closer to Chrissy's
10:43dangling legs, highlighting the
10:45predator is drawing near. As Chrissy
10:47is suddenly jerked downward, the contentment
10:49on her face dissolves and is replaced with
10:51immediate terror. As she tries to
10:53swim to safety, her body is pulled in the opposite direction,
10:55proving she's now in the maw of
10:57the shark. After another bit of helplessly
10:59thrashing, the unseen beast drags
11:01Chrissy's flailing body downward, sending
11:03her to a watery grave. You know what's
11:05the most impressive part? This scene left
11:07viewers petrified of sharks, even though
11:09we never see one. By
11:11using tactical camera work, a magnificent
11:13score, as well as a pulley to cause the actress
11:15to flail around, this scene freaked
11:17us out and made us desperate
11:19to see what happens next.
11:21And that's our list. What horror movie grabbed you
11:23in the first 10 minutes? Let us know down
11:25in the comment section below. If you enjoyed the video,
11:27don't forget to like and subscribe and swing
11:29on by our channel again if you want to catch more
11:31creepy content. I've been Tilly and
11:33this has been What Culture. Thanks for watching
11:35and look after yourselves.
11:37Until next time, ta-ra!