From the iconic, creepy phone call at the beginning of Scream to little Georgie sailing his paper boat in the rain at the beginning of IT, horror movies have some of the most memorable beginnings.
But which terrifying scene has stuck most in viewers’ minds over the years?
Cinephiles in ranking.com They have named and rated the horror movie premieres that they found most shocking, and the one that takes first place is not the one you would expect.
Beating out the likes of Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and even Jaws is a 2002 supernatural horror called Ghost Ship.
Set in the 1960s, it begins with a crowded dance floor aboard the deck of a ship, with a glamorous live singer serenading them.
A gruesome scene from a horror movie has been voted the most shocking release in history by moviegoers – the 2002 supernatural horror Ghost Ship has surpassed the likes of Nightmare On Elm Street, Halloween and even Jaws.
Set in the 1960s, it begins with a crowded dance floor aboard the deck of a ship, with a glamorous live singer serenading them.
But, after watching everyone smile, laugh, and have a good time, disaster strikes in slow motion when a cable breaks.
The cable cuts through the entire crowd and we see it quickly cutting off the heads of some flowers, knocking over tables, and blowing up some of the hanging lights as it makes its way through the ship.
One shot is even filmed from the point of view of the cable breaking through the crowd and cutting straight into the passengers.
All of this happens in less than a minute and viewers are left with a gruesome close-up of the blood-covered cable.
Then the scene seems so frozen as it pans through all the guests who are eerily still and trying to figure out what happened.
Then, in a shocking moment, people begin to fall to the ground one by one and it becomes clear that almost all of them were impaled by the cable.
A woman who was dancing was cut in half at the waist, meanwhile, in another terrifying shot, another man was crawling around the floor, unaware that only the top half of his body was intact.
A dismembered arm rose terrifyingly from the ground but was not attached to any body.
But, after seeing them all smile, laugh and have a good time, disaster strikes in slow motion when a cable breaks.
One shot is even filmed from the point of view of the cable cutting through the crowd and cutting directly into the passengers.
Then, in a shocking moment, people begin to fall to the ground one by one and it becomes clear that almost all of them were impaled by the cable.
As more and more people met their gruesome end, only one girl remained who danced with the captain before the cable hit the crowd.
She looks at him and discovers that the cable had gone straight through his face, leaving him with a cut in the shape of an eerie smile.
Blood drips from the Captain’s mouth before the top half of her head slides to the ground in front of her.
The astonishing scene ends with the girl screaming as she realizes that she is the only one left alive.
Over the years, the gruesome opening has been praised for its gruesome shock factor, and people still remember it more than 20 years later.
The rest of the film is set 40 years later and sees a salvage team discover the long-lost 1962 passenger ship floating lifeless in a remote region of the Bering Sea, while realizing that its long-dead inhabitants They may still be on board for a long time.
Talking about the movie in redditusers wrote: “The beginning of Ghost Ship really scared me when I was younger.”
‘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 opening scene literally traumatized me, I’d never seen anything like it before.’
A woman who was dancing was cut in half at the waist, meanwhile, in another terrifying shot, another man was crawling around the floor, unaware that only the top half of his body was intact.
She looks at him and discovers that the cable had gone straight through his face, leaving him with a cut in the shape of an eerie smile.
The astonishing scene ends with the girl screaming as she realizes that she is the only one left alive.
‘The inauguration was incredible. I love the rest of the movie too, but it’s the kind of beginning that sticks in your head forever.”
“Why does anyone bother debating which movie has the best opening scene when we all know it’s 2002’s Ghost Ship?”
The iconic scene also receives praise on X (formerly Twitter), with one commenting, “Ghost Ship’s opening scene should be taught in film school.”
Others added: “That opening scene is ridiculous and I love it.”
‘By far one of the BEST opening scenes in a horror movie!’
“The opening to the ghost ship is god level.”
‘I’ve seen a billion movies and I’m still not sure if any opening sequence of a movie is as tough as Ghost Ship, a movie I haven’t seen except the opening. It’s just a very strong way to start a movie.”
“I don’t think there’s anything better than the opening scene of Ghost Ship.”
The iconic scene also receives praise on X (formerly Twitter), with one commenting, “Ghost Ship’s opening scene should be taught in film school.”
Jaws (1975) also makes the list of most memorable opening scenes.
1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street ranked 10th on the list of most shocking movie releases.
However, despite having a phenomenal opening scene, many fans claim that the film went “downhill” from there.
On Reddit, film fans wrote: “That movie could have been an eight-minute short and it would have been perfect.”
“The beginning of that movie was almost perfect, and then… the rest happens.”
“Such a disappointing film followed that amazing beginning.”
Others on sequence”.
‘The opening scene of the 2002 film Ghost Ship is a work of art. The rest of the film, less so, but great respect for that perfect moment.
‘The opening sequence of Ghost Ship is really well done. Shame about the rest of the movie.’
Other films that made ranking.com’s most impactful and memorable list include IT in second place, Scream in third, Jaws in fourth and Sinister in fifth.
A Quiet Place is in sixth place, Halloween in seventh, Dawn of the Dead in eighth, Trick’r Treat in ninth and finally A Nightmare on Elm Street rounding out the top ten.