10 Most Controversial Opening Movie Scenes

10. Scream

Though its impact has been nullified from years of overexposure, the opening to the original Scream was controversial for more than just its gore and violence. Away from the countless parodies that have followed it, back in 1996, nobody expected the introduction to go the way it did, with audiences assuming that Drew Barrymore, still a huge star at the time, couldn't possibly be a victim in the opening minutes.

Of course, she was, and the horror was able to pull off one of the most surprising bait and switches since Psycho. This was all on top of the sequence itself, which was as bloody as it was suspenseful, ushering in a wave of home-invasion flicks that owed a huge debt to this iconic opening.

The filmmakers notoriously clashed with the MPAA during production to avoid an X rating and had to tone down the gore in some scenes, but even with those concessions the opening still remains shockingly violent to this day.