The 2010s was a great decade for horror cinema.

This was the decade when horror not only returned full force to the mainstream, moving beyond splatter and growing legs with the big Blumhouse franchises (Insidious, The Purge), but also struck out in exciting new directions with the rise of A24 and elevated horror: a conscious shift towards challenging narratives and characters, either eschewing or reinventing classic tropes, and integrating arthouse sensibilities into indie and more mainstream productions.

And you’d better believe there’s a whole host of films that want to pile on the pain in their opening moments. Some 2010s directors use their first scene to lay out new stylistic mediums, shock us with gobsmacking kills, or simply prove that the rest of the film is worth sticking around for. Whether this is with the arthouse stylings of cult sleeper hit Excision, Elijah Wood’s first-person murder in Maniac, or Wes Craven’s final fake-out in Scream 4, there’s something for every audience, tone, and mood. 

So, here are 10 of the best horror movie opening scenes from the decade. But be warned: it’s all fun and games until someone loses their boat. 

Seen by many as the definitive meta horror movie of the
2010s, The Final Girls pairs millennial culture with ’80s slasher
sensibilities, while sending up both elements. The film throws Max
Cartwright (Taissa Farmiga) and her friends back to a time that never was, when
they are sucked into ’80s slasher Camp Bloodbath, a movie starring Max’s
mother Amanda (Malin Akerman). But first, the opening:

The Final Girls kicks off with a fake trailer for Camp
Bloodbath, a Friday the 13th-adjacent horror with a sepia tone, cheesy effects, and a synth soundtrack. However, this is not the film we’re here to see. Instead, this is a
trailer playing on Max’s phone in the car. This is the real world, and Max and
Amanda have real financial troubles, as an aging Amanda struggles to break
back into movies. 

Then, just as we begin to get to know our leading ladies,
gain an insight into their lives, and proceed with a lip sync rendition of Kim
Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes” into what we presume will be the title
credits, the car crashes and rolls, and Amanda bites the dust.

The Final Girls’ overall balance of horror and comedy is perfectly exemplified
by this scene, with a one-two punch that neatly establishes the picture’s tone and
modus operandi. There’s a bit of fond, nostalgic horror fun and then a car
crash that is played straight and leaves us reeling – understanding that,
as with any good slasher, no character is safe.