A chilling scene has been voted the ‘most memorable’ opening in horror movie history.
The opening scene of any film is crucial; it must captivate the audience and hold their attention. This is especially true for a horror movie, as it is a particularly challenging genre to perfect.
Horror fans have reached a consensus on which movie leaves the most unforgettable impression.
On Ranker, many people agree that one film stands out above the rest.
Praising the opening scene, one fan commented: “Truly sick and therefore awesome opening sequence.”
Another adds: “Best intro of its time and love the twist.”
“I still love that the opening scene – takes an awesome, gruesome turn,” a third agrees.
Another person writes: “I’m still traumatized by this scene.”
“It was brilliant… Totally unexpected but I think the best opening scene ever,” raves a fifth fan.
Another reviewer recalls: “I found this movie in my mom’s room on VHS on top of her dresser when I was a kid. I put it on and the beginning scene literally traumatized me, I had never seen anything like that before.”
Directed by Steve Beck, the horror film features Karl Urban from Lord of the Rings and Emily Browning, known for her role as Violet Baudelaire in A Series of Unfortunate Events.
The synopsis describes the film as follows: “A salvage crew discovers a long-lost passenger ship floating lifelessly in a region, and as the crew members try to tow it back, strange things occur. Soon, they discover that the ship is haunted.”
Audiences don’t have to wait long for the horror to begin.
The movie kicks off with a crowded dance floor on a ship, where everyone is laughing, smiling, and enjoying themselves.
Then, disaster strikes.
A wire cable snaps and whips through the crowd – flower heads are chopped off, tables are knocked over, and some hanging lights explode.
All of this happens in less than a minute, leaving the crowd speechless. Then, one by one, they collapse to the ground.
In a horrifying turn, the cable wire sliced through nearly everyone as it whipped through the crowd.
In the midst of the chaos, there’s a man dragging himself across the floor, a woman severed at the waist, and a dismembered arm.
Given its disturbing and vivid opening, it’s clear why film enthusiasts voted Ghost Ship (2002) as the horror movie with the ‘most memorable’ opening scene.
Other films that made Ranker’s list of the most memorable include Jaws, Scream, and more recent releases like It Follows.
Ghost Ship can be streamed on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
