10 Greatest Horror Movies of the 1970s, Ranked
After some up and down years, the horror genre is better than ever right now, thanks to inventive filmmaking that has led to both critical and audience acclaim. This year alone, two of the most acclaimed movies — Ryan Coogler‘s Sinners and Zach Creggers‘ Weapons — are horror movies, and both are generating significant Oscar buzz.
Still, no matter how great horror is currently doing, it can’t match the plethora of classic horror movies produced in the 1970s. Fifty years ago, we got iconic films in every sort of horror subgenre, whether it be slashers, creature features, or the religious and supernatural. Many of these films led to huge franchises, and five decades later, we can’t forget about the massive impact they had on popular culture. Here are the best horror movies that came out in the 1970s, ranked based on their overall quality, contributions to the genre, and overall legacy.
10
‘Carrie’ (1976)
In 1974, Stephen King released his first novel, Carrie, and the master of horror was born. One of his best books became one of the best adaptations of his work just two years later when Brian De Palma directed a feature film of the same name in 1976. Carrie is filled with great performances, from the terrifying Piper Laurie to Amy Irving, Nancy Allen, and John Travolta in one of his earliest roles. However, it’s Sissy Spacek‘s portrayal of Carrie White that will both break your heart and make it jump at the same time.
Carrie White is an awkward teenage girl being mistreated at home by her very religious mother, while also being bullied at school. With her telekinetic abilities, Carrie is the last person anyone should pick on. In the final act, a pushed-too-far Carrie goes on a fiery killing spree. Spacek and Laurie were so good in their roles that both were nominated for Academy Awards, a rare feat for a horror picture.
9
‘Don’t Look Now’ (1978)
There are a few Donald Sutherland movies you could put on this list (the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is highly deserving), but perhaps the best film of his iconic career is Nicolas Roeg‘s Don’t Look Now from 1978. The film gets a lot of attention over the rumors that Sutherland and Julie Christie‘s sex scene was real, but take that out of the equation, and what you’re left with is a creepy film packed with dread and impending doom.
After a tragic early scene, Sutherland and Christie’s characters must deal with the grief of losing a child, while Sutherland’s John Baxter begins seeing someone in a red coat who looks so much like his deceased young daughter. It all leads to one of the most terrifying jolts of a final scene you’ll ever see, cementing Don’t Look Now as a must-watch psychological horror nightmare.
8
‘The Omen’ (1976)
Before Richard Donner was making Superman and The Goonies, he was directing one of the best horror films ever made. The Omen starred the legendary Gregory Peck as an American diplomat named Robert Thorn, who adopts a child with his wife, Lee (Katherine Thorn). All Hell literally breaks loose as the child is revealed to be the Antichrist, with a goosebumps-raising performance from young Harvey Spencer Stephens as Damien Thorn.
The success of The Omen led to a franchise, but this is the only one you need to see. From the spellbinding score to a shocking kill that’ll make you lose your head, The Omen will have you looking at every first-grader you see with suspicion. It’s among the best “evil children” movies and a standout in a decade full of them.
7
‘Black Christmas’ (1974)
Halloween is treated as the first slasher that gave us the tropes we know today, like the final girl, but Black Christmas did it first. Director Bob Clark is best known for A Christmas Story, but that’s not his only holiday classic. 1974’s Black Christmas is a frightening horror masterpiece that was underrated for way too long and is only recently getting the praise it so rightfully deserves.
Black Christmas beat When a Stranger Calls to the “the calls are coming from inside the house” routine with a creepy, unseen killer. It’s highlighted by the unconventional Jess Bradford (Olivia Hussey) as one of horror’s best final girls and an ending that will have you afraid to ever go in your attic. Forget the two awful reboots; the original Black Christmas is where it’s at.
6
‘Alien’ (1979)
Almost half a century later, the Alien franchise is alive and well with both movies and a TV series, but it all started with 1979’s Alien from director Ridley Scott. Alien is unlike any other movie of the same sort from this era, as schlock was set aside for a slow burn, haunted house-like movie and an alien monster so lifelike that it still haunts our nightmares.
Because every villain needs a hero, Alien succeeds most because it introduced the world to the then little-known Sigourney Weaver as the iconic Ellen Ripley. She went on to become one of the most badass protagonists, male or female, in movie history, no matter the genre. The 1986 James Cameron-directed sequel, Aliens, is nearly as good, but Alien is the one that will haunt you long after the end credits.
5
‘Dawn of the Dead’ (1978)
In 1968, George Romero changed horror forever with Night of the Living Dead, the first film to show the modern zombie. Ten years later, Romero returned to that world with Dawn of the Dead. The larger-scale sequel took us out of the limitations of a small farmhouse during the initial outbreak and dropped us in Pittsburgh during the worst of the zombie apocalypse, before taking our heroes and putting them in a shopping mall where they must fight both the living and the undead.
Practical effects guru Tom Savini created some very gory death scenes, but it was Romero, who also wrote the movie, who kept us glued to the screen thanks to his compelling characters. It all leads to an ending that chooses hope over hopelessness without giving the audience a happy ending. Today, this seminal ’70s horror is widely considered perfect, and it’s not hard to see why.
4
‘The Exorcist’ (1973)
Demon possession movies are a dime a dozen now. Often, it feels like if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, but that’s because they’re all trying to replicate the magic created by 1973’s The Exorcist. William Peter Blatty wrote the screenplay, based on his popular novel of the same name, and William Friedkin, fresh off The French Connection, created an instant horror classic that dominated the box office and racked up Oscar nominations.
From the unforgettable score to performances from the likes of the Oscar-nominated Ellen Burstyn and Jason Miller, to the veteran Max von Sydow, The Exorcist is an all-timer. Still, it’s Linda Blair as the possessed preteen Regan who wholly captivates. Her facial expressions under the makeup resulted in one of the scariest yet most sympathetic horror villains you’ll ever see.
3
‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (1974)
Few movies will make you as uncomfortable as 1974’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Tobe Hooper made what is seen as one of the grossest, most graphic movies ever made, despite the fact that there is very little actual gore. Instead, Hooper got under our skin by turning the tension up to 11 and leaving it there as chainsaw-wielding Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) and his cannibal family terrorize a group of friends.
Hansen plays Leatherface as simultaneously scary yet sympathetic, while Marilyn Burn plays Sally Hardesty with feverish ferocity. She’s in a constant state of panic that has her screaming for nearly the full third act, but she’s no weakling. Sally Hardesty is a fighter who just might live to see another day.
2
‘Jaws’ (1975)
Stephen Spielberg was still in his 20s when he created one of the biggest movies ever made. Forget just horror, Jaws dominated every corner of pop culture, leading to the birth of the first summer blockbuster, and for a short time, the highest-grossing movie of all time. Fifty years (and several bad sequels) later, Jaws is still the film so many of us turn to every summer, as it’s passed down over generations.
Famously, the robotic shark didn’t work very often, leading Spielberg to instead make John Williams‘ score the true monster. With so little shark action, Jaws doesn’t work without the performances of Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss. Despite all the tense action, Jaws‘ best scene is Quint’s U.S.S. Indianapolis monologue. This pivotal picture will captivate you in every way, no matter your age.
1
‘Halloween’ (1978)
Spooky season is dominated by the Boogeyman in the form of Michael Myers in John Carpenter‘s 1978 classic, Halloween. He and his crew were able to create one of the best movies ever made on a shoestring budget by casting a group of unknowns and making such a chilling face for the Shape out of a simple William Shatner mask. The sequels might have gone off the rails, but the first Halloween succeeds by being simple. We don’t know why The Shape kills, only that he’s there and we might be next.
Nick Castle was a slow-moving nightmare as Michael Myers, and Jamie Lee Curtis created the most famous of final girls as the heroic Laurie Strode. Halloween was such a success that it led to the slasher boom of the ’80s, but even though the likes of Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger would later be just as big as Myers, Halloween is not only where it started, but it’s where it was done best. Halloween is the best horror movie, not just of the 1970s but perhaps of all time.
