20 Greatest Opening Scenes In Horror Movie History

The Movie: When writer-director Wes Craven first imagined Freddy Krueger for the original Nightmare On Elm Street, the ideas bouncing around in his head were equally sick and clever. While sleeping, people are at their most vulnerable, making it nearly impossible to stop Krueger from offing whomever he pleases in gory, imaginative ways. Furthermore, nobody can stay awake forever, so, eventually, whether it's after a week or two months or longer, you're going to enter Freddy's domain. And the outcome won't be ideal.

The Opening Scene: The film's opening dream sequence is genuinely frightening thanks to Charles Bernstein's demented lullaby score, the clattering boiler room setting and a mostly-unseen Krueger's sadistic cackling.

Because Freddy ultimately become a cartoonish jokester in his later years, A Nightmare On Elm Street has lost some of its luster. But try to remember the film outside the light of pop culture references and bad sketch comedy. Remember it in the dark.