The Structure of Thriller Openings

There are various ways in which film openings are structured.  Some of them are listed and explained below;
* A narrative opening with the titles running throughout. The opening is connected or is a part of the whole film. With this structure, characters are introduced, the mood of the film is set, the location or setting of the film is also introduced. Examples of films with this kind of structure are

 The Shining

Panic room

* A discrete title sequence. With this structure, a totally separate film is created. It makes a small self contained film. An example is;

Se7en

* Titles over a blank screen, followed by the narrative opening. The titles continue to roll over a blank screen often with blank screen or with sound effects. An example is Donnie Darko where the music builds, and it gradually reveals setting from dark side to the light side.

Donnie Darko

* Stylized Editing. This structure is one with a creative title sequence. The title is stylized. For example in Taking Of Pelham 123, the title was appearing  and moving like trains.

Taking Of Pelham 123