Gruesome movie has ‘most shocking opening in history’ no one sees coming

When it comes to horror movies, some people seem to think that the gorier, the better.

Personally, I wouldn't want to watch anything that's going to stop me from getting a wonderful eight hours of sleep, but others love putting their brains and heart rates to the test by sitting down for something scary.

While spooky season might be well and truly over, some of you may want to shake off the Christmas cheer and sit down for something terrifying, and boy do I have the film for you.

According to ranker.com, it bagged the top spot for having the 'most shocking opening scene' of all time - so prepare yourselves.

In the 2002 movie, called Ghost Ship, the audience is introduced to a dance floor full of people onboard a cruise ship, as a live singer in a red dress takes to the stage.

We've often heard that cruise ships can be terrifying at night but what happens next might well put you off them forever, as a wire cable appears to snap and fall to the ground.

Unfortunately for everyone on the dance floor, it whips around with such speed and force that it slices through all of the passengers, leaving all but one little girl dismembered and later dead.

She had been dancing with the ship's captain, who is left with an eerie smile on his face as the wire had sliced straight through his mouth, and the girl screams as she realises she's the only person alive on board.

Sadly, it seems as if most viewers are in agreement that that is as good as it gets for the film, which goes on to show a boat salvage crew coming across it 40 years later and discovering that the souls of the people on board had never left.

One viewer thought: "After a truly sick and therefore awesome opening sequence this film degrades into a dull ghost romp lacking character and originality.

Everything seems happy at first (Warner Bros.)

"The scares are badly realised and lacking fear. This should not be watched except for the excellent quote one hour into the proceedings 'Oh God you really are a funking ghost!'

"The ending was confusing and pointless. This is a very generic horror movie with a sick opening and dull ghost antics thereafter."

Someone else said it's a 'film that sets sail with the promise of thrills but quickly sinks like a rusty anchor'.

One Reddit user added: "The beginning of Ghost Ship really freaked me out when I was younger."

But then this shocking scene occurs (Warner Bros.)

Another commented: "The opening of that film was almost perfect, and then... the rest of it happens."

If that's not enough to put you off, it boasts just a 38 percent audience score and a 14 percent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, plenty of people still love the 2002 flick and suggest that the opening will go down as one of the best in horror history.

One fan said: "That opening scene is ridiculous and I love it."

A second wrote: "By far one of the BEST opening scenes to a horror movie!"

Someone else added: "The opening to Ghost Ship is god tier."

And a final viewer chimed in: "I don’t think anything beats the opening scene of Ghost Ship."