10 Most Harrowing Opening Scenes In Horror Movies

In the summer of 1975 one film arrived to change the face of the industry as we know it. This same film was likewise responsible for making an entire generation afraid of the water. This film is of course Jaws.

A masterpiece of filmmaking from a then unknown Steven Spielberg, Jaws saw a small-town police chief (Roy Schieder) join forces with a rag-tag crew to hunt a man-eating great white shark.

Blending suspense, terror, and adventure into one carefully polished package, Jaws has left an indelible mark on anyone who's seen it. And it all started with the opening sequence.

The seminal shark thriller begins with teenager Chrissie (Susan Backlinie) running to the water with her inebriated companion for a late-night swim. But with her friend too drunk to join her, Chrissie finds herself swimming alone - or so she thinks.

John Williams' hair-raising score kicks in as audiences get a POV shot of something swimming below the water, getting closer to the soon-to-be-doomed swimmer's legs.

Then, with a heart-stopping musical sting, it grabs her. Chrissie is violently dragged around screaming until she disappears below the waves.

And with that, moviegoers vowed never to go swimming again.