Test Your Knowledge: Ultimate Horror Movie Opening Scenes Trivia Quiz

Answers at the bottom — no peeking!

Think you know horror inside out? Test your knowledge of the most iconic and chilling opening scenes from classic and modern horror films with this 20-question quiz. We’ve mixed easy warm-ups with devilishly difficult details — how many can you nail?

Questions

Question 1: Which horror film opens with a young woman named Casey Becker receiving a chilling prank phone call that escalates into a deadly attack?

A. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
B. Scream (1996)
C. Urban Legend (1998)
D. The Faculty (1998)

Question 2: Jaws (1975) begins with the first shark attack on a character named Chrissie during what activity?

A. Swimming alone at night
B. Skinny-dipping off the beach
C. Fishing from a boat
D. Surfing at dawn

Question 3: Halloween (1978) opens from the point-of-view shot of which killer as a child?

A. Dr. Loomis
B. Laurie Strode’s brother
C. Tommy Doyle
D. The Shape watching from bushes

Question 4: The opening kill sequence in Friday the 13th (1980) features which pair of camp counsellors?

A. Alice and Steve
B. Barry and Claudette
C. Ned and Brenda
D. Jack and Marcie

Question 5: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) starts with a dream sequence where Tina Gray is chased down what kind of street?

A. Suburban cul-de-sac
B. Foggy alleyway
C. Boiler room corridor
D. Rain-slicked highway

Question 6: Psycho (1960) opens with an establishing shot labelling the location as what city?

A. Los Angeles, California
B. Phoenix, Arizona
C. San Francisco, California
D. Miami, Florida

Question 7: The opening narration of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) reports on what crime near Muerto County?

A. Serial murders
B. Grave desecrations
C. Missing hitchhikers
D. Cannibal attacks

Question 8: The Shining (1980) famously opens with aerial shots of a yellow Volkswagen Beetle driving through what landscape?

A. Dense foggy forest
B. Vast snowy mountain passes
C. Sunny desert roads
D. Stormy coastal cliffs

Question 9: The Exorcist (1973) begins in what exotic location with Father Merrin at an archaeological dig?

A. Egypt
B. Iraq
C. Turkey
D. Israel

Question 10: Saw (2004) opens at a crime scene where a murder victim’s body is suspended upside down with what message carved into his torso?

A. “Hello, Adam”
B. “Hello, Mr Jigsaw”
C. “Game Over”
D. “Count to Five”

Question 11: Sinister (2012) opens with a Super 8 home movie titled “Lawn Work ’86” depicting a family murdered by what?

A. Axe in the house
B. Car in the driveway
C. Lawnmower in the yard
D. Pool chemicals

Question 12: It Follows (2014) begins with a nude young woman fleeing on a beach from the entity appearing as what?

A. A short woman in a gown
B. A tall man in a white shirt
C. A deformed child
D. An elderly lady

Question 13: The Conjuring (2013) opens with Ed and Lorraine Warren investigating the case of what haunted object?

A. A cursed mirror
B. The Annabelle doll
C. A possessed music box
D. A demonic painting

Question 14: Hereditary (2018) starts with a slow zoom into a miniature dollhouse model depicting what grim scene?

A. A family dinner
B. A mother hanging her child
C. A car accident
D. A burning house

Question 15: Get Out (2017) opens with Chris and Rose hitting what animal with their car en route to her parents’ house?

A. A raccoon
B. A deer
C. A coyote
D. A dog

Question 16: Midsommar (2019) begins with Dani learning of her family’s death in what horrific manner?

A. Car crash
B. House engulfed in flames
C. Poison gas leak
D. Mass stabbing

Question 17: The Ring (2002) opens with Katie and Becca discussing the suicide of whom after watching a cursed videotape?

A. Katie’s boyfriend
B. Katie’s step-sister
C. Becca’s cousin
D. A neighbour’s daughter

Question 18: Insidious (2010) opens with a close-up of baby Dalton’s face during what supernatural event?

A. Levitating crib
B. Shadowy figure over bassinet
C. Rocking chair moving
D. Whispering voices

Question 19: Paranormal Activity (2007) features its first supernatural anomaly on night one when what happens to the bedroom door?

A. It slams shut violently
B. It creaks open slowly
C. It locks from inside
D. It shakes rapidly

Question 20: The Witch (2015) opens with a 17th-century family banished from their plantation, soon followed by a witch snatching their baby from what?

A. The father’s arms
B. A horse’s saddle
C. The mother’s cradle
D. The goat pen

Answers

  1. B. Scream (1996) — Drew Barrymore’s Casey Becker is gutted after the Ghostface call; the others have similar phone-based openings but not this exact iconic scene.
  2. B. Skinny-dipping off the beach — Chrissie Watkins is dragged underwater by the shark; the other victims come later in the film.
  3. B. Laurie Strode’s brother — Michael Myers (as 6-year-old) stabs his sister Judith; the POV is his masked adult view only later.
  4. B. Barry and Claudette — Barry is shot with an arrow while kissing Claudette in the loft; others are later victims.
  5. C. Boiler room corridor — Freddy Krueger pursues Tina down the urban boiler room street before slashing her; Nancy’s dreams come later.
  6. B. Phoenix, Arizona — The title card reads “Phoenix, Arizona” above the hotel window; Marion Crane lives and steals money there.
  7. B. Grave desecrations — The radio report details bodies stolen from cemeteries; cannibalism is revealed much later.
  8. B. Vast snowy mountain passes — The car winds through the Colorado Rockies to the Overlook Hotel; no snow yet in the drive.
  9. B. Iraq — Father Merrin discovers the Pazuzu statue amid ruins in northern Iraq; the main story is then in D.C.
  10. B. “Hello, Mr Jigsaw” — The corpse has this taunt carved by the killer; the others are later traps or messages.
  11. C. Lawnmower in the yard — The family is run over by a reversed lawnmower; other films like “Pool ’88” follow.
  12. B. A tall man in a white shirt — The entity first appears as this figure chasing her to her death; forms change later.
  13. B. The Annabelle doll — The Warrens’ real-life doll case with attacks on nurses; other objects appear in sequels.
  14. B. A mother hanging her child — The dollhouse shows a suicide by hanging, mirroring later family tragedies.
  15. B. A deer — The injured deer causes tension foreshadowing horror; no other animals are hit.
  16. B. House engulfed in flames — Dani’s sister causes the gas explosion killing her parents and sister; precedes Sweden trip.
  17. B. Katie’s step-sister — Rachel’s niece Aidan’s death by tape prompts the discussion before they watch it.
  18. B. Shadowy figure over bassinet — A silhouette looms as baby Dalton cries, hinting at astral projection; coma follows years later.
  19. A. It slams shut violently — The door closes on its own after Micah taunts the demon; subtle buildup starts here.
  20. C. The mother’s cradle — The witch grabs Samuel from the cradle at night; family hears cries but finds nothing.

How did you do? Share your score in the comments and challenge friends to beat it — true horror fans only!