20 Horror Movie Openings That Are Practically Perfect

Alien's first few moments are a miniature masterpiece of world-building. In just a few simple moments, it effortlessly sets the scene. 

It begins with a pair of establishing shots of the SS Nostromo, showing off some model work that has aged like a fine wine and shames today's CGI. Over these shots, we get title cards explaining what the ship is called, how many crew members it has, what the ship is doing and where it's going. 

Then, the camera floats through the ship in a series of superbly crafted shots, beautifully building up the atmosphere to suffocating levels while also showing off the exquisite production design work on the Nostromo, a detailed and claustrophobic environment that feels truly lived-in and authentic.

And finally, the camera floats into a room where the seven crew members are waking up from stasis, and we get an early indicator of Alien's intelligent casting. While many similar films - a great example being Prometheus, this movie's ill-judged quasi-prequel - insist on having a glamorous cast of conventionally beautiful Hollywood stars, this crew was played by character actors who looked and sounded like authentic blue-collar workers who just happened to be working in space.

And thus, the stage is perfectly set for one of the genre's most beloved movies.