10 Opening Horror Scenes NOTHING Like The Rest Of The Movie

2. Prometheus

When Ridley Scott agreed to helm another Alien instalment, it seemed at the time like a return to form for the cosmic saga. Rather than churning out another Xenomorph-centred story, Scott's Alien prequel, Prometheus, explores the origins behind the acid-blooded parasites. For that reason, the preamble to Alien was expected to be a little unconventional. 

However, Prometheus proved to be more head-scratching than anyone expected. With that said, nothing caused more bewilderment than the first five minutes. 

The disjointed prequel starts with an alien, but not the one we were expecting. This humanoid creature, known as the Engineer, stands atop a waterfall, gazing upwards at a UFO in the sky. After discarding his robes, the Engineer performs a strange ritual which involves him drinking black goo that causes him to decay on a cellular level. As his crumbling body splashes into the water below, his DNA fuses back together, which means... something.

This opening scene threw everybody off on a first viewing since the promotions gave little indication Prometheus would feature another type of extra-terrestrial, not to mention that would kickstart the whole plot. The fact we don't know where this scenario takes place or when compounds the confusion significantly. 

Prometheus has many perplexing moments, but nothing on par with seeing the Engineer for the first time.