20 Horror Movie Openings That Are Practically Perfect

Not all horror openings need to be elaborate or feature loads of death and mayhem. Take The Shining, for example, whose first moments couldn't be any simpler.

Stanley Kubrick commences his adaptation with a tracking shot of the Torrance family's car as it drives through the mountains towards the Overlook Hotel, all while the opening titles roll up the screen. Such is the beginning of one of the greatest horror movies ever made, one so iconic it's been referenced everywhere you can think of.

If this beginning sounds boring, it absolutely isn't. It doesn't have anything fancy and it doesn't need to, for it's got that absolutely haunting theme music combined with the sinister, omnipotent bird's eye cinematography, which feels like the perspective of a ghost following the family as they are dwarfed by the natural landscape. With these few simple ingredients, this scene builds up a suffocating layer of dread that doesn't dissipate until the end credits roll around two-and-a-half hours later. It validates that common saying: "Less is more." 

And sure, you can see the silhouette of the helicopter in some shots but ah well! Even the meticulous Stanley Kubrick makes mistakes sometimes.