Philadelphia, from "World War Z" (2013), directed by Marc Forster

Shall we do some apocalypse, as a relief from these dull and predictable times?  "World War Z" is no masterpiece -- as so often, the book is better. But the first 15 minutes or so -- including the incredibly creepy title sequence, linked below -- are as galvanizing as anything in American action/horror films in a quarter-century. I think this scene may also be the best depiction of a zombie-outbreak-cum-alien-invasion in the history of movies (there are a lot of them, and I'm something of a connoisseur). Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane eases us into things with his usual Everyman persona; there's playful interaction with Karin (Mireille Enos), his wife, and their kids, at home and in the car, where this clip begins. Then, with shocking suddenness, the bowels of hell are opened and pure chaos descends on Philadelphia -- actually Glasgow, Scotland, where the scene was filmed. The sense of immersion created by the enclosed vehicles, their passengers under terrifying siege by the undead, is gut-wrenchingly claustrophobic. And the child's countdown to the zombie transformation of the hapless young man (Ryen Perkins-Gangnes) will go down as a classic horror moment. Things head south from here, cinematically speaking, with random-feeling, increasingly improbable setpieces and a reshot, tacked-on third act (the film's production problems are legendary). But it earned its impending sequel with that edge-of-your-seat opening. Go full-screen on the clip, which is a little murky, but watchable.

The title sequence, with its unnerving, "Exorcist"-style music
by Marco Beltrani:

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