Intro sequences are incredibly important to a series. In the beginning of an episode, they’re a small taste of what awaits us. Used after a cold open, they’re a reminder of what we’re really in for. Either way, an intro sequence can make or break a show. Horror series like The Addams Family, Penny Dreadful, Hemlock Grove, Fear Itself, and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina are obvious choices for spooky opening credits, as they should be — they’re horror, of course. But there are a few shows outside the realm of horror that delve a little too deep into the dark — which brings us to 5 of the most horror, non-horror title sequences.
Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery
Rod Serling is loved the world over for his supernatural creations, especially these two timeless television series. While I don’t necessarily consider these to be wholly horror (they’re labeled as many things, including sci-fi, fantasy, drama, and comedy), I do appreciate the reach into the world unknown, both in show and title sequence.
Most people are familiar with The Twilight Zone — the uncomfortable back-and-forth tune set to random floating images, all to the sound of Rod Serling’s narration. This intro is certainly one of the most easily recognizable, even to those born decades after its last air date. It sticks with us not only because its fascinating… but concerning. The music and narration act as a one of those yellow “Caution: Radiation” signs put to notes on a page. The images we see could matter in the episode. Could not. We’re given a sort of warning that what we’re about to experience may change our very view of reality. A funny thing, considering a good chunk of the episodes aren’t horror.
Night Gallery has a similar setup but lays the spook on a little thicker. A more menacing score highlights bottom-lit faces of people who clearly mean to do you some harm. I may be cheating a little including this, but I can’t get past the overly dark theming for a show labeled “supernatural.”
Third Reich: The Rise and Fall
There is nothing more frightening than real-life horrors. World War II and the atrocities of the Holocaust are no different, showing the world pure evil in the form of racist ideology and thirst for world domination. The History Channel’s 2010 docu-series presented an exquisitely heinous account of everyday people’s lives living under Nazi rule.
Book-ending those segments are grim voice overs set to the tune of an Old World street performance. Under any other circumstance, organ grinder music has the chance to be silly and giddy. But when the narrator is reading a letter from a girl about to get forcibly sterilized, these bookends become a lot more ominous.
Devilman Crybaby
What do you get when you cross 2000s techno music with black, white, and red coloring? An overly-horrific anime intro.
Devilman Crybaby may seem like horror — it’s even got “Devil” in the title — but it’s more along the lines of a Shōnen-type storyline geared towards teen boys (so of course it’s got to have some cool imagery and fist-pumping jams going on). It’s not all fun and games though. These images show a variety of satanic figures, side boob, and Rorschach paintings. It’s hypnotizing in more ways than one, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
Salem
Before I go on, let me start by saying that Salem is a show about witches, yes, but it’s at most a drama with horror elements and some vaguely spooky atmosphere. It’s basically Sabrina’s Greendale 13.
My loathing of calling this a horror show aside, the intro can certainly pass the scare factor. Sepia-toned, underwater, carved writing, bodies, Raimi-esque camera zooms, twitchy movements, bibles and crosses, and… are we sure this isn’t AHS Coven? Either way, I’m all in.
Doom Patrol
This list was actually made because my husband likes superheroes. You see, he watches Doom Patrol, a show about people with superpowers (not necessarily “heroes” because they’re a bit fucked up, to be honest) that do super heroic things. Think Suicide Squad but with people who never set out to be criminals.
Compared to other super intros, this one is vastly different. There’s blood and eyeballs and medical equipment and things that don’t quite go with the “saving the world” theme. It’s a backstory to these characters; and judging by what we see, it can’t be a good one. Doom Patrol gives us a taste of the dark side to (super) power, a path not filled with happiness but of pain and disappointment. The images are just as heartbreaking as they are revolting, and sometimes that’s worse than a jumpscare.
Have you got any recommendations for shows with overly-horrific openers? Leave a comment and you could be featured in a Part 2!
