10 Best Horror Movie Opening Scenes Of The 2000s

The 2000s were an interesting, if uneven and disappointing, decade for the horror genre in film.

Sitting between the exciting new breed of horror ushered in in the '90s (Scream, The Blair Witch Project, Cube, Ringu) and the rejuvenation of the genre in the 2010s, the noughties output floats, at least domestically, in something of a no man's land where big studios wanted to cash in on the action without a willingness on their part to either bring on the exciting new talent, take the narrative risks, or pump in the kind of money needed for the next phase. 

Abroad, South Korean horror was finding its feet again after a long period of censorship, although its reach was severely limited, and the New French Extremity had peaked early, superseded by US splatter and torture porn that took all the violence and retained none of the arthouse credentials. 

Nevertheless, while many of the films from this period fail to please as a whole, many of them have their high points, their excellent kills, kickass characters, and dastardly twists. And a few of them have some real all-timer openings. Whether the intensity of 28 Days Later, the to-a-man (or, girl) slaughter of Ghost Ship, or the unspeakable devastation of Antichrist, the following are 10 of the 2000s' best opening scenes, designed to shock, excite, scare, subvert expectations, and establish their films before our very eyes.

The Final Destination series is known for its bombastic opening sequences, where Death comes for large numbers of people and a small select group escapes their fate (for the time being), and David R. Ellis’ Final Destination 2 is no different. 

Each Final Destination features a terrifying event, from a mid-air plane crash to a suspension bridge collapsing, but FD2 packs possibly the most sickeningly unforgettable opening scene of the franchise.

To kick the film off, Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) drives a busy Route 23, while passengers of all kinds cycle around her in their cars, including children, cops, a motorcyclist, and a rampant coke sniffer. The cargo on a logging truck comes loose and giant tree trunks fly, careening down the road, penetrating windscreens, and causing an unholy pileup of metal, blood, and misery.

The scene is especially hideous and memorable for its realism, eschewing some of the sillier contrivances of other series entries for an all-too-lifelike occurrence. And we have to give particular attention to the log that goes right through the police cruiser and out the other side, all bloody and red, annihilating everything in its path.

We might never take the scenic route again.