10 EVEN MORE Horror Movies You Knew Would Be Good After The First 10 Minutes

Peter Madak's underrated The Changeling contains many spooky elements, involving seances, astral projections, and a recurring apparition of a drowned boy.

Though nothing supernatural occurs in the prologue, it's the most hair-raising moment in The Changeling by far. 

As music composer John Russell (George C. Scott) is driving through the mountains with his wife and daughter, his car gets stuck in the ice. While using a phone booth to call for help, John casually monitors his family playing in the snow as he looks into the distance and spots a car coming his way. Due to the slippery ice and the vehicle's speed, John becomes noticeably agitated. Cautiously turning around, he then sees a truck coming from the other direction, in the direct path of the other car.

With no warning, the door of the booth jams, leaving John unable to escape. Despite his best effort to pry the door open, John watches the vehicles slide on the ice, causing the truck to fatally collide into his wife and child.

Even though the collision itself is horrific, the most haunting moment is the look on John's face when he recognises what's going to happen and realises he can't do anything to stop it. Although The Changeling is a magnificent film through and through, it's this moment that makes the largest impact.