20 Greatest Horror Movie Opening Scenes of the 2020s (So Far)

10. Terrifier 3

Terrifier 3's opening scene assured fans that the sequel wouldn't be pulling its punches, as if there was any doubt, but also saw filmmaker Damien Leone tackle a taboo subject rarely featured in even the most brutal of horror movies - child murder.

At the start of the film, a freshly revived Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) dons a Santa suit and breaks into a house on Christmas Eve where he promptly slaughters the entire family unit.

Armed with a trusty axe, Art hacks both the parents to pieces as well as the young son, and after taking a break to enjoy some milk and cookies, he turns his attention to the petrified daughter, who Art finds hiding in a downstairs cupboard.

Though Leone cuts away before Art does the deed, it's still disturbingly clear what happens next, and the fact that he dared to show the son's dismembered corpse proved that this sequel was going to push all sorts of envelopes.

After all, as anyone who's seen the movie knows, these aren't the only kids killed by Art before film's end.