10 Horror Movie Openings That Surprised Us All

5. Hostel: Part II

Hostel Part II Paxton GIF
Lionsgate

When Eli Roth's Hostel: Part II made its way to screens in 2007, the marketing behind the movie set it up to be based around three American girls whose trip to Italy results in them being tormented in Slovakia as part of the 'business' of the Elite Hunting Group.

So, when this sequel opened up with the return of Jay Hernandez's Paxton - the sole survivor of Roth's first Hostel picture - that in itself caught audiences off-guard somewhat. But hey, Paxton was a likeable enough character, so this was very much a welcome surprise.

Unfortunately, that surprise was soon to be topped by a far more chilling one.

Having seen how Paxton lives a life a seclusion and paranoia as part of the PTSD fallout of his Hostel encounter, audiences were shortly hit by the image of Paxton's girlfriend finding his lifeless, headless body in their kitchen. And from there, we see Paxton's decapitated head delivered to Sasha, the boss of the Elite Hunting Group.

With this shock opening, it reiterated to horror hounds how the Elite Hunting Group doesn't f**k around, and likewise that Hostel: Part II was going to be just as brutal - if not more so - as its predecessor.

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Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.