- 10 months ago
After the first scene, we were sold.
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00:00It cannot be emphasised how pivotal the first scene of a movie is. If the prologue doesn't
00:04draw you in from the get-go, don't expect the film to keep your attention for the next
00:08two hours or longer. But if the filmmakers craft an incredible opening act, they're
00:13sure to have the viewer's undivided attention until the credits roll. Creating the prelude
00:17of a horror can be a bit trickier, since the genre can't help relying on the same tired
00:21tropes. However, there are some horror flicks that begin with such an intriguing mystery,
00:25compelling performance or heartbreaking revelation, we are immediately invested.
00:30Knowing we are in for one hell of a ride. I'm Tilly from WhatCultureHorror, and these
00:33are 10 horror movies you knew would be good after the first 10 minutes.
00:37Number 10. The Host. There are countless movie monsters that were created after encountering
00:42a man-made contaminant. The creatures from Chud, Godzilla, Them, and technically the Ninja
00:47Turtles all came to be after being exposed to pollution. So when The Host begins with
00:51a scene of a scientist dumping chemicals down a sink, it's clear this action will lead to
00:55the creation of the film's monstrous villain. Even though we have seen this scene play
00:59out many a time, The Host's prologue hits a lot harder, due to the sheer volume of waste
01:04that the scientist disposes of. He doesn't just empty a couple of bottles. Instead, he
01:08dumps a whopping 200 containers of formaldehyde. For the record, two tablespoons of this compound
01:14will kill a human being. As the camera slowly pans across the room, revealing the staggering
01:19amount of poison that's about to be poured straight into the Hans River, your mind goes wild,
01:23trying to comprehend what sort of behemoth these chemicals will create.
01:27Number 9. The Descent. The Descent centres around a group of spelunkers who decide to explore a cave,
01:33only to learn it's inhabited by carnivorous humanoids called crawlers. Because of the premise,
01:37it's natural for the viewer to assume the scares in The Descent won't start until the characters
01:41enter the cave. So, when the movie begins with our lead Sarah in the car with her husband and
01:45daughter, we totally let our guard down. With no warning, the car crashes into another vehicle that
01:51happens to be transporting steel poles. The collision causes the poles to fly into Sarah's
01:55car, impaling her husband and daughter, killing them both instantly. What makes this scene so
02:00shocking is the fact there's no build-up whatsoever. Before we have a chance to process what's going on
02:05or who these characters are, two-thirds of everyone on screen is killed off. Although some viewers may
02:10have been daydreaming up until this scene, it goes without saying that everyone was paying attention
02:14after this moment. As genuinely unsettling as the crawlers are, a lot of viewers were freaked out more
02:18by this opening. Number 8, Cube. In Cube, a man called Alderson awakens inside a bizarre cube-shaped
02:25room. Each wall is adorned with a hatch-activated door, as is the floor and ceiling. Upon opening any
02:30of these doors, Alderson sees it join onto an identical-looking room. But after he takes one
02:35step into the next room, Alderson stops dead figuratively and literally as we hear an alarming
02:40whooshing sound sweep around him. After a few seconds, a grid-shaped pattern shaded in red forms across
02:46Alderson's clothes. Before the viewer has a chance to comprehend what just happened, blood begins
02:50oozing from lined streaks across Alderson's face, while 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. He never interacts with
03:10the ensemble, nor does he speak, and yet we are so curious about what we just saw, it's impossible
03:16not to get completely invested in the story. Number 7, Midsommar. Because of Midsommar's 148-minute
03:22runtime, it 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 that's sure to
03:32stay with you long after the credits roll. In the first scene, Dani rings her neglectful boyfriend,
03:37Christian, after she receives disturbing messages from her mentally ill sister. Because Christian is
03:41having a drink with his mates, he dismisses Dani's calls, but when he finally answers, he hears Dani
03:46howling hysterically. Now, what we hear is not an ordinary scream. What we hear is a haunting wail
03:53coming from the depths of Dani's soul. Because of her inhuman screeching, we know Dani has suffered
03:58an unbearable tragedy, but nobody is ready for what comes next. We then cut to Dani's family home,
04:03where we see her sibling lying beside her computer table, with a hosepipe jammed down her throat.
04:08As haunting as this visual is, it gets so much worse. As the camera zooms onto the computer screen,
04:12we see she sent a message to Dani, which reads,
04:15Mum and Dad are coming too. Goodbye. At this point, we understand she's filled the house with carbon
04:19monoxide, resulting in the death of herself and her parents. In that moment, you feel your heartbreak,
04:25knowing Dani has lost her entire family in just one evening. Although overly shocking prologues can be
04:30gimmicky, Midsommar's opening feels necessary, as it warns the viewer they are in for a very,
04:35very uneasy watch. Number six, The Ritual. Although most horror films open with an exceptionally
04:41frightening scene, The Ritual begins with five lads in a pub, which can be pretty goddamn terrifying.
04:47But as two of the friends, Rob and Luke, head to the store to grab some booze, they notice the cash
04:51register lying on the ground, bloodied and beaten. As a group of robbers burst in from the back,
04:56Luke hides while Rob stays in the open. When the thieves spot Rob, they order him to give them
05:01his belongings. After Rob notices Luke has armed himself with a bottle, he assumes his friend is
05:06going to save him. But 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, it's refreshing to see the
05:16ritual subvert expectations. Even though this supernatural flick revolves around mythical giants
05:20and trickster gods, the movie starts to feel like a straightforward drama. But this decision isn't a
05:25detriment at all. Instead of potentially alienating the audience with a long-winded explanation about
05:29Norse mythology, The Ritual begins by focusing on relatable characters who are caught in a grounded
05:34scenario. Also, the squelching noise that Rob's cheek makes as the skin flaps open is guaranteed to
05:39curdle your blood.
05:40Number five, It. As corny as the 1990 miniseries of It is, It lives in a warm place in many people's
05:47hearts, mainly 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, it's always frightening
05:55to watch the opening scene of Pennywise slaughtering Georgie. But the It remake of 2017 quickly proved
06:01it would be devoid of camp and instead focus on brutal scares. Although the scene in the original
06:06film cut away before we saw Pennywise kill Georgie, the gore is on full display here. After Pennywise
06:11lures the boy closer, the alien clown sprouts multiple rows of jagged teeth which he uses to rip
06:16Georgie's arm off. As Georgie tries to crawl away, Pennywise grabs him and drags him into the sewer.
06:22Even though Bill SkarsgÄrd's performance as Pennywise is what people remember about this moment,
06:26everything in this scene is phenomenal, including the eerie score, the mesmerising cinematography,
06:32and Jackson Robert Scott's disturbingly believable performance as Georgie. Above all, this scene
06:37demonstrated how merciless Pennywise is when it came to murdering his victims. On top of that, it proved the
06:42film had no qualms with showing kids being killed, which is usually a big no-no even in the goriest
06:47of horror movies. Number four, A Quiet Place. A Quiet Place takes place in a world where most of
06:53human civilisation has been destroyed by aliens with hypersensitive hearing. Knowing the slightest
06:58sound could get them killed, our lead characters, the Abbott family, get through each day by living
07:03in silence. Although A Quiet Place has a brilliant premise, it's hard to convey it in a movie which,
07:08you know, has nobody talking. However, the first scene perfectly demonstrates what kind of life
07:13these people are living. More importantly, it demonstrates what happens to anyone who doesn't
07:17take precautions. After the Abbott family finds supplies in a store, the boy Bo tries to take a
07:23toy shuttle from a shelf. His father Lee stops him knowing the toy makes noise. Bo's sister Regan
07:28feels bad for him and so, secretly, gives Bo the shuttle. As the family make their way home,
07:33Bo turns on the toy, causing it to blare incessantly. Lee sprints towards his son as quickly as he
07:39can, while his wife stares in horror, knowing Bo's imminent fate. Just as Lee is about to
07:45reach his son, an extraterrestrial bursts from the forest and slaughters him. The scene is,
07:49in a word, perfect. After a couple of minutes, we know how this world works, understand the
07:54family's dynamic, and above all, are made aware of what happens to those who fail to keep quiet.
07:59Number three, The Ring. Let's be honest, most remakes are terrible, especially when they're
08:05horror. Even though The Ring was hyped beyond measure, a lot of people were worried it would
08:09tone down the scares of the original for Western audiences. But the beginning of The Ring proves
08:14it knows how to set up a chilling premise. Instead of showing us the footage contained in the video or
08:18anyone being killed, the intro focuses on two teenagers, Katie and Becca discussing the cursed
08:23tape like it's a ghost story. When Katie admits she's watched the video, we realise things are about to
08:29go south first. Even though an inferior film would show Katie suffer an over-the-top death
08:34with unconvincing CGI, the scene would keep everything grounded with simple imagery.
08:39Katie sees her fridge door open by itself, then she spots a puddle of icy water on the
08:43floor. She then notices the knob of her bedroom door is dripping. After she opens it, she sees
08:48the cursed video playing on her TV before the scene cuts to black. Even though this scene
08:53is a whopping seven minutes long and has no blatant scary visuals. It keeps you gripped
08:58from beginning to end, simply by using subtle camerawork and a focus on atmosphere.
09:03Number two, Scream. Despite the fact that Wes Craven is synonymous with the horror genre,
09:07he struggled to make a hit after A Nightmare on Elm Street. After New Nightmare and Vampire
09:11in Brooklyn were shredded by critics, no one was expecting much when Craven announced he was
09:16directing a slasher called Scream. Thankfully, the first few minutes of Scream proved Craven was back
09:22in his element. The film opens with high schooler Casey talking on the phone with a mysterious caller.
09:27When she discovers the caller is a serial killer waiting outside, she realises she's in serious
09:32danger. Because Casey is portrayed by Hollywood star Drew Barrymore, viewers assumed she was the
09:37lead character, meaning she would survive the ordeal. After all, you're not going to kill off an A-list
09:41actor in the first scene, are you? But that's exactly what Scream did. Although the posters and
09:47trailers gave the impression Casey was the final girl, the opening scene ends with her
09:51disemboweled corpse hanging from a tree. Not only was this scene brilliantly shot, perfectly paced,
09:57and deeply unnerving, the casting choice was a masterstroke. After we saw a big name like Drew
10:03Barrymore get killed off 10 minutes in, viewers realised no character was safe from getting the
10:07chop, which kept us on our toes throughout the whole movie.
10:10Number 1. Jaws. One second. That's how long it takes Jaws to get your attention. After hearing just
10:16a sliver of that John Williams ominous score while the camera pans across the sea floor from the
10:21shark's viewpoint, you can't help being transfixed. As mesmerising as the opening credits sequence is,
10:27it's the following scene that's responsible for making an entire generation afraid of going into the
10:32water. While teenager Chrissy is enjoying her swim in the sea without a care in the world, the camera
10:37keeps strategically cutting underneath her. Every time we cut to the shark's POV, the camera edges
10:42closer to Chrissy's dangling legs, highlighting the predator is drawing near. As Chrissy is suddenly
10:47jerked downward, the contentment on her face dissolves and is replaced with immediate terror.
10:52As she tries to swim to safety, her body is pulled in the opposite direction, proving she's now in the
10:56maw of the shark. After another bit of helplessly thrashing, the unseen beast drags Chrissy's flailing
11:01body downward, sending her to a watery grave. You know what's the most impressive part? This scene left
11:06viewers petrified of sharks, even though we never see one. By using tactical camera work,
11:12a magnificent score, as well as a pulley to cause the actress to flail around, this scene freaked us
11:17out and made us desperate to see what happens next. And that's our list. What horror movie grabbed you
11:23in the first 10 minutes? Let us know down in the comment section below. If you enjoyed the video,
11:27don't forget to like and subscribe and swing on by our channel again if you want to catch more creepy
11:31content. I've been Tilly and this has been WhatCulture. Thanks for watching and look after yourselves.
11:36Until next time, ta-ra.
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