10 Opening Horror Scenes NOTHING Like The Rest Of The Movie

Scream, A Quiet Place, It Follows, and Jaws are considered to have some of the best openings in horror. Not only did these preambles enrapture audiences straight off the bat, they established the stakes almost immediately. Although it's important to set up character dynamics and conflicts as quickly as possible, having viewers understand what kind of story they're about to watch is also crucial.

However, some filmmakers go in the opposite direction, kicking things off with a sequence that has little resemblance to the overall plot. Now, this approach can work in a story's favour, as a prologue that feels uplifting or wacky can make it more hard-hitting when things take a dark turn. And if the beginning is so utterly bonkers, it's sure to get anybody's undivided attention from the get-go.

Of course, starting things off unconventionally isn't always a good sign. A prelude that feels tacked on or unnatural might be a sign you're about to watch a disjointed car crash. Other times, the opener feels so divorced from the rest of the story, the film would've benefitted by axing the first few minutes.

Yes, it's refreshing to avoid a formulaic approach, but these jarring introductions left many people wondering if they put on the wrong film by mistake.

Based on Junji Ito's manga of the same name, Uzumaki follows Toshio Saito, a father who is cursed, causing him to develop an obsession with spirals. 

Toshio's behaviour seems odd at first, but it isn't long before his hobby consumes him and leads to his demise. And when the hex spreads to the rest of the town, Toshio's son and friends worry they'll suffer the same fate.

Despite having some nightmarish imagery, there isn't the slightest indication Uzumaki is a horror for the first ten minutes or so. The film opens with a schoolgirl, Kirie, frolicking through her village while uplifting music plays in the background. Her jaunt is interrupted by Yamaguchi, a boy who begs her to go on a date with him. This scene is filled with weird close-ups and the camera inexplicably flipping sideways or upside-down, which makes this little exchange come across as playful and whimsical. 

Even though the source material has moments of levity, this scene feels like it's setting up a light-hearted romantic tale. As such, it's a proper WTF moment when things go full-blown body horror, with the townsfolk contorting themselves into spiral shapes, breaking every bone in their bodies.