10 Scariest Horror Movie Opening Credits

When you think back on the scariest bits of The Exorcist there's a good chance that the opening credits aren't going to register. And that makes sense - it's The Exorcist; in scares alone it gets trumped easily by later scenes. That doesn't mean they aren't creepy, though.

The opening moments of William Friedkin's iconic horror picture encapsulate its exact brand of chills excellently, opening - in the 2000 re-cut - on an unassuming image of suburbia at night before cutting to a statue of the Virgin Mary, followed immediately by Jack Nitzsche's theme screeching jarringly into focus. The opening sequence of The Exorcist as seen in the 2000 extended edition is one of great contrast - an ominous-looking dwelling, fenced off from the city backdrop, winds down for the night, all the while city life continues undisturbed; a couple walk by arm in arm and cars pass by, unaware of the ancient evil lurking right next to them.

Completing the sequence are the credits themselves as seen in the 1973 theatrical release - blood-red lettering fading in over a pitch-black background, giving way to the blistering heat of the Iraq desert, a land steeped in history that again intimates the power and age of the evil set to come.