10 MORE Horror Movie Openings That Get Worse The More You Think About It
2. Scream 2
Scream 2's incredible opening sees poor student Maureen Evans (Jada Pinkett) attend a sneak preview of Stab with her boyfriend Phil Stevens (Omar Epps).
Phil is stabbed to death in the bathroom by one of the film's Ghostface killers, before said killer heads into the cinema and sits down next to Maureen while wearing Phil's jacket. And so, Maureen simply believes him to be Phil goofing around with a mask.
However, Maureen eventually notices blood on Phil's jacket, moments before Ghostface repeatedly stabs her.
And yet, the rowdy audience simply believes it to be a publicity stunt as part of the sneak preview experience - at least until Maureen drops down dead in front of the cinema screen.
It's a brilliantly chilling opening primed to make the audience consider one thing above all else - this shared space you choose to watch a movie within could also be occupied by a killer, hiding themselves in plain sight.
And over a quarter-century later, in a world defined by fake news and the increasing imperceptibility of truth thanks to social media, it's only more believable that people would assume Maureen's death was a stunt for "the socials."