Gruesome horror film has ‘most shocking’ opening scene in history

If a horror film isn't completely gruesome then is it really a horror film?

We've obviously had some classics over the years with The Shining, The Silence of the Lambs and Halloween, to name a few.

But after taking rank of the most terrifying movies, it's a film from 2002 that's been voted as having the most shocking opening scene of all time, according to ranker.com.

The opening scene really is horrifying. (Warner Bros.)

The Steve Beck-directed movie - set in the 1960s - follows a boat salvage crew in a remote region of the Bering Sea who discover the remains of a grand passenger liner that's been untouched for more than 40 years.

But once the crew embark on the ship they realise they are not alone.

Titled Ghost Ship, you can take a look at the eerier trailer below:

The film opens with a dance floor of people onboard a cruise ship as a live singer in a red dress takes to the stage.

Everyone is smiling, laughing and dancing - up until a wire cable suddenly snaps.

The wire falls through the crowd of people and cuts through all the surrounding area. Flowers, tables and hanging lights, are all chopped down.

However, in one shot filmed from the view of the cable, it shows that it slices through the actual passengers.

The film came out in 2002. (Warner Bros.)

As the guests on the dance floor look across, they realise that almost everyone was bisected by the wire.

Everyone is chopped to pieces apart from one girl, who screams after realising she is the only one who survived.

40 years later, when the boat is revisited, it seems that those who died may still be on board.

Despite a promising premise, the film only has a 37 percent audience score and a 15 percent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Arguably the 'most shocking' opening scene of all time. (Warner Bros.)

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

"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."

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

If you're still up for giving it a watch though, the cast includes the likes of Gabriel Byrne as Sean Murphy, Julianna Margulies as Maureen Epps and Ron Eldard as Dodge.