10 Best Horror Movie Opening Scenes Of The 2020s (So Far)
4. Smile
Based on the short film Laura Hasn't Slept, Smile centres around a leering demon who drives its victims mad with hallucinations, urging them to take their own lives.
Despite the fact that the paranormal elements aren't immediately evident, Smile's opening is pretty messed up. In the scene in question, psychiatrist Rose Cotter readies for her next patient, Laura. As Rose enters the office, she finds Laura cowering in a corner, rattled by an unexplainable threat.
Rose's calm demeanour makes the scene scarier, since it's obvious she's not taking her client's concerns seriously, implying Laura's fate is sealed. Sure enough, the unseen entity consumes Laura's mind moments later, causing her to slice her neck open while grinning from ear to ear.
Even though the scene is phenomenally shot, it's Caitlin Stasey's towering performance as Laura that makes it work effectively. Before she utters a word, Stasey convincingly portrays her character as someone who's at the end of her rope purely with her facial expressions and body language. Her dialogue sounds nonsensical, but you absolutely believe she's in immediate danger.
Having a demon torment people by smirking at them sounds silly, but this scene demonstrated how terrifying that notion can be.