I personally love when the opening of a film is suspenseful and instantly makes the viewer start asking questions. I can't think of genres that apply these characteristics better than my favorites: thriller and mystery.
While thrillers are commonly associated with dark plots and terrifying visuals, they're not exactly "scary" movies but more suspenseful ones that rely on building tension. Suspense and tension are two important factors for this genre because they are used to create a feeling of unease and anxiety and usually help lead up to a plot twist. One of my favorite thriller movies that I've watched recently was Trap (2024), a movie set in the perspective of a serial killer with his daughter at a concert surrounded by police officers who are searching for him. The film relied heavily on building tension among the viewers and keeping them on the edge of their seats. It didn't contain any popcorn-spilling jump scares but it made the viewers uncomfortable in other ways using scenes of the main character in risky situations where he's moments and/or inches away from being caught. (Example)
Mystery are one of the most interesting genres that can hook a viewer's attention in an instant. The reason this type of genre is so attention-grabbing is because there is always a question that the film revolves around. A film I watched two years ago after reading the book for the film, No Exit (2022), is a great example of mystery as the "question" of the film regards a little girl in the back of a van at a rest stop in the middle of a snowstorm. While this mystery's first question is answered early into the film, there were several more questions/mysteries that came afterwards and continued to keep the viewers hooked. (Example)
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