Thriller openings

Misery: Thriller
The opening two minutes establishes the character. It highlights the fact that he is on his own by having a close up of the glass standing on its own and once he  finishes his book he celebrates on his own. They also have the titles in red on a black background showing danger or blood.

Cube: Thriller/Sci fi
The opening shows the cube and the effects of it. It shows the unpredictability in the film. The cube is dark and unknown to the audience and the characters so it feels as if the audience are discovering the Cube with the characters.

No country for old men: Thriller/Cop
This opening sets the scene for the film and also shows how the film will continue. The vast emptiness means the audience does not know what is out there.

Training day: Thriller/Cop
The opening for training day establishes the roles of the characters (Denzel Washington's is the dominant one). This opening in particular hooks the audience in due to its use of humor in the opening scene. The white cop/black cop is now becoming a sub genre of its own just like having a clever and stupid cop.

Vertigo: Thriller/cop
The opening is unpredictable because it is surprising to see that the cop trying to help is the one who falls off the roof. This works well because the audience expects for the criminal to be the one to fall off the roof when being chased not the cop trying to help out his partner. This opening also uses the Hitchcock stare this is when the background has been zoomed in on but the foreground remains as it is. It also uses the music to highlight the fact that it is a tense scene and that something drastic might happen (such as someone falling off the roof).

Unbreakable: Thriller/Supernatural
This opening works well because it plays on the fact that the majority of people are very sympathetic when it comes to babies. So when it shows this baby in pain the audience already wants to know what happened and see something done about it. It also plays on the mind a bit when the characters are talking through a mirror but it is still clear who is talking and to who.


The hand that rocks the cradle: Thriller/Psychological
This opening is unlike the rest of thriller openings because it is the complete opposite of the rest of the film because it is very peaceful and also shows the parts of the house that later are key parts to the story. It also shows the credits which are not always shown in thriller openings.

The silence of the lambs: Thriller/Psychological
The opening almost tricks the audience into thinking that the leading woman is the victim whereas she is the main person looking for killer and was not running from anything but in fact just training. Unlike many films this one has a strong female leader that is in charge throughout the entire film.