10 More Scariest Horror Movie Opening Credits

Now well over a decade beyond the beginning of the Blumhouse-led horror boom, Sinister has been kind of left behind - at least when compared to its stablemates (The Conjuring, Insidious, etc.) - in part due to the fact it spawned no sequels, no franchise, and therefore no reason for the studio to promote it beyond its initial lifespan (it's not like anyone buys DVDs anymore, right?).

The title credits open on the hanging of a family of four, presented on a reel of Super 8 home video, apropos of nothing. With hessian sacks over their heads, we are cut off from all of their identifying emotions and humanity, something reinforced by the absence of any meaningful diegetic sound. And, yes, it turns out that a silent, featureless death is far scarier than a loud, panicked one.

There is no commentary and no explanation, leaving us feeling helpless and afraid, but not half as afraid as when we notice the hand saw moving of its own accord, severing the branch that acts as the counterweight to the roped-up family, which, upon breaking, carries them up to their doom. And the only textual identifier is some minimal, scratched lettering along the image's bottom edge, announcing the film's title.

It's short, it's brutal, and it sets up the series of bleak events that follow; pretty much everything you need.