The Best '70s Horror Movies
The best '70s horror movies redefined not only an entire genre, but a generation. President Richard Nixon’s resignation, the age of disco, the end of the Vietnam War, the oil crisis, and the Camp David Accords – for most, these are the highlights of the 1970s decade. For others, it was The Exorcist, Halloween, and Dawn of the Dead.
Let’s face it, some of the movies from this decade were just, to be polite, cheesy. Fortunately, others from this decade have more than stood the test of time and are still regarded as being some of the best movies of all time. Whether you’re in the mood for more of a realistic thriller, a cheesy girl’s night kind of flick, or an old scary movie that was based on actual events, there’s a horror movie on this list that will make your night.
Vote up the best '70s Horror Movies, and be sure to check out the best horror movies of all time!
- 1William Peter Blatty
- Actors: Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn
- Released: 1973
- Directed by: William Friedkin
One of the most profitable horror movies ever made, this tale of an exorcism is based loosely on actual events. When young Regan (Linda Blair) starts acting odd -- levitating, speaking in tongues -- ...more - 2David Giler, Gordon Carroll, Walter Hill
- Actors: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton
- Released: 1979
- Directed by: Ridley Scott
In deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey home to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The ...more - 3Debra Hill, John Carpenter
- Actors: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Kyes, P.J. Soles, Charles Cyphers
- Released: 1978
- Directed by: John Carpenter
On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being ...more - 4David Brown, Richard D. Zanuck
- Actors: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton
- Released: 1975
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near the New England tourist town of Amity Island, police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) wants to close the beaches, but mayor Larry ...more - 5Harvey Bernhard
- Actors: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, Leo McKern
- Released: 1976
- Directed by: Richard Donner
American diplomat Robert (Gregory Peck) adopts Damien (Harvey Stephens) when his wife, Katherine (Lee Remick), delivers a stillborn child. After Damien's first nanny hangs herself, Father Brennan ...more - 6Brian De Palma, Paul Monash
- Actors: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, William Katt, Amy Irving, John Travolta
- Released: 1976
- Directed by: Brian De Palma
In this chilling adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel, withdrawn and sensitive teen Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) faces taunting from classmates at school and abuse from her fanatically pious ...more
