# Most Suspenseful Opening Scenes in Movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954 "2020-07-21T21:42:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TitsMcGee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/titsmcgee/32/3359_2.png) [@TitsMcGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitsMcGee)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/1 "2020-07-21T21:42:38Z")
I was tooling around on Twitter this morning and found a reference to Inglourious Basterds’ opening scene. It had been a while since I had re-watched it so I just jumped on You Tube and found it. Even after having seen the movie several times, I found myself holding my breath as I watched it, even knowing what was coming. A similar scene in that movie is in the bar scene. What are some of the most suspenseful opening scenes in movies that match up nicely with what Quentin Tarantino did in Inglourious Basterds? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/2 "2020-07-21T21:49:14Z")
28 weeks later, the sequel to the wonderful 28 days later was a vastly inferior mess of a movie compared to the original. Except for the opening scene, which was bar none the best scene in any zombie movie so far. ---
**Author:** ![TitsMcGee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/titsmcgee/32/3359_2.png) [@TitsMcGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitsMcGee)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/3 "2020-07-21T22:01:28Z")
I hadn’t seen that one. The type of suspense is different than Inglourious Basterds - frenetic and action-packed. Who doesn’t love a good zombie flick? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/4 "2020-07-21T22:21:15Z")
Duh dun duh dun duh dun duh dun… [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v8SnZmUjhAA/hqdefault.jpg "Jaws - Opening Credits & Chrissie's Death") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8SnZmUjhAA) ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/5 "2020-07-21T22:34:17Z")
> [@TitsMcGee](#): > > I hadn’t seen that one. The type of suspense is different than Inglourious Basterds - frenetic and action-packed. Who doesn’t love a good zombie flick? It’s a terrible zombie film, but it has an amazing opening sequence. It’s not suspenseful in the same way Inglorious Basterds is, but I don’t know how else to describe it. ---
**Author:** ![TitsMcGee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/titsmcgee/32/3359_2.png) [@TitsMcGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitsMcGee)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/6 "2020-07-21T22:39:10Z")
Boy that John Williams score sure adds to the suspense. I wonder whether, upon first viewing and not knowing what was coming, it had the same effect as it does now that the score is part of our cultural literacy. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/7 "2020-07-21T22:53:36Z")
The OP nailed the one I was going to say. The opening to inglourious basterds gives me chills just thinking about it. It totally makes up for all slow, self-wanking bits Tarantino shoe horns in. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/8 "2020-07-21T23:07:46Z")
Speaking of zombie flicks, the [opening scene of 2004’s Dawn Of The Dead](https://youtu.be/3Y9Vo4j1EP4) was pretty suspenseful. ---
**Author:** ![TitsMcGee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/titsmcgee/32/3359_2.png) [@TitsMcGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitsMcGee)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/9 "2020-07-21T23:17:42Z")
Dawn of the Dead is a good one and makes me want to watch the movie. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/10 "2020-07-22T00:07:40Z")
_Touch of Evil_ [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EhmYY5ZMXOY/maxresdefault.jpg "Touch of Evil (1958) — The Opening Sequence (Welles' original)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhmYY5ZMXOY) Still the gold standard for opening scenes. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/11 "2020-07-22T02:15:20Z")
I don’t remember much of the rest of the movie but the 1993 _Cliffhanger_ had quite a memorable opening that was pretty suspenseful but even more shocking for a Stallone action flick. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/12 "2020-07-22T02:29:01Z")
Cliffhanger is the first thing I thought of. It’s a decent 90s action flick of the “Die Hard with a” genre, but the opening scene is exceptional. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/13 "2020-07-22T04:10:56Z")
I nominate _A Clockwork Orange_. That eye, as the camera pulls back. Alex, just staring at you. Bloody Unnerving! ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/14 "2020-07-22T04:18:33Z")
[Once Upon a Time in the West](https://youtu.be/fx15s_HAkgU) does a great job building tension with sound. I’ve seen comments that Inglourious Basterds borrowed from its style. And [Scream](https://youtu.be/G3lSvJ5RXKA) has an awesome slow build-up. It starts like a cheesy teen movie, and there’s no one point where the tension is suddenly ramped up, but by the end your heart is racing. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/15 "2020-07-22T10:13:05Z")
Raiders of the Lost Ark ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/16 "2020-07-22T14:03:57Z")
Not really dialog-heavy at all, so not sure if it’s comparable to _Inglorious Basterds_, but the opening scene of _Drive_ just oozes atmospheric suspense and tension. ---
**Author:** ![shstrang98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@shstrang98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shstrang98)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/17 "2020-07-22T14:27:01Z")
The pilot for Piccard. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/18 "2020-07-22T14:27:23Z")
_It Follows_. A young woman, running around her suburban street trying to flee . . .something(the POV is the pursuer’s).It’s broad daylight,normal life going on around her. Not the usual setting for a horror movie. And then the aftermath the next morning . . . oy vey. The whole film is tense as hell but that opening really kicked me in the ninnies 😲 ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/19 "2020-07-22T14:51:08Z")
_Le Samouraï_ has all that, including however many minutes without dialogue, just Alain Delon being super cool. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/20 "2020-07-23T19:52:49Z")
Opening scene for The Leftovers. It really sets the tone for the whole series. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954.md?page=2)