10 Most Harrowing Opening Scenes In Horror Movies

If there's one reason modern movie-goers are still petrified of clowns, it's undoubtedly due to Bill Skarsgard's hypnotically menacing performance as Pennywise in the 2017 adaptation of Stephen King's It.

The film follows a group of friends who come together to fight back against a child-eating entity that's been terrorising their town for centuries, and who more recently claimed the life of one of their siblings.

Whereas the 1990 miniseries sugarcoated some of the more shocking aspects of King's novel, this version didn't mess around - especially when it came to the opening scene in which Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) was taken by Pennywise.

The scene begins with the youngster excitedly sailing his paper boat down a rainy street to a whimsical string score. His boat gets away from him and is swept into an open drain - but it's caught by Pennywise, who offers to give it back.

Skarsgard's unhinged performance is a clear sign this adaptation was taking a more sinister route. However, it's not until Georgie reaches for the boat when the real horror kicks in.

Not only do viewers see the poor child's arm being bitten clean off, but audiences also watch helplessly as the crying, mutilated child is dragged into the sewer to his doom.