Horror filmmaking flourished in the 1970s, producing films that have haunted decades, from alien terrors to ghostly hauntings, slasher horrors, and psychological thrills; this decade delivered a wealth of cinematic scares that still startle moviegoers. Let’s explore some scary movies from the 1970s that still bring spine-tingling tension and bone-chilling dread.
1. Alien (1979)
The crew of the commercial spaceship Nostromo discover a terrifying extraterrestrial lifeform in Ridley Scott’s science fiction horror masterpiece Alien. The movie stars Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley and mixes claustrophobic tension with new ways of making creatures. Alien is a scary and suspenseful look at the horror of space as the crew faces a relentless and smart alien attacker.
2. Jaws (1975)
Steven Spielberg’s Jaws set a new bar for horror movies. Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss play three men who are motivated to find and kill a great white shark that is terrorizing a beach town. As the shark gets more dangerous, the tension builds, making this a classic movie that plays on our deepest fears of what’s hiding under the water.
3. Halloween (1978)
In Halloween by John Carpenter, Michael Myers was first shown to the public. On Halloween night, a masked murderer escapes from a mental institution and goes after Laurie Strode. Carpenter used suspense, a haunting score, and Myers’ relentless chase to make a slasher movie that set the standard for the genre.
4. Don’t Look Now (1973)
The psychological horror movie Don’t Look Now, directed by Nicolas Roeg, is based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier. The film is about a grieving pair, played by Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, who go to Venice after their daughter dies. As strange and scary things happen to them, the movie looks at loss, suspicions, and psychological unease.
5. Carrie (1976)
The movie Carrie by Brian De Palma is based on a book by Stephen King. Sissy Spacek plays the main character, a high school outcast with telekinetic skills named Carrie. When her peers pick on her, Carrie’s powers come out in a violent climax on prom night. Carrie is a classic story of supernatural revenge because it has both scary and sad parts and because Spacek’s acting is so memorable.
6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Philip Kaufman’s remake of the 1956 classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a sci-fi horror movie that plays on anxiety and the fear of being like everyone else. The movie, which stars Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, and Jeff Goldblum, is about how lifeless alien copies slowly replace humans. The film stands out in its genre because it is scary and scary-feeling.
7. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Dawn of the Dead by George A. Romero is an important zombie movie. As the sequel to Night of the Living Dead, this movie takes place in a shopping mall where people try to fight off hordes of zombies. Dawn of the Dead is an important and well-known piece of horror history because of its social commentary, intense gore, and survivalist tension.
8. Eraserhead (1977)
Eraserhead, David Lynch’s first movie as a director, is strange and disturbing. Jack Nance plays Henry Spencer in the film, who goes through a nightmare world full of industrial landscapes, strange creatures, and disturbing images. Lynch’s unique mix of psychological horror and fantasy creates an unsettling and mysterious atmosphere.
9. The Wicker Man (1973)
The Wicker Man is a folk horror movie directed by Robin Hardy, starring Edward Woodward as Sergeant Neil Howie. Howie finds a scary pagan group while looking into the disappearance of a girl on a remote Scottish island. The movie examines religion, tradition, and how modern ideas and old views clash as the investigation continues.
10. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre by Tobe Hooper shocked people with how intense and real it was. In the movie, a group of friends meet a family of killers who eat people, including the famous Leatherface. The film’s grimy, intense mood and gory scenes made it a classic in the slasher subgenre.
11. Duel (1971)
Steven Spielberg’s Duel is a tense thriller starring Dennis Weaver as David Mann, a man being chased down a deserted highway by a threatening and relentless tanker truck driver. The drama in the movie comes from its sparse style and the psychological cat-and-mouse game that follows. Duel is an early example of Spielberg’s ability to create stress and excitement.
12. The Omen (1976)
The movie The Omen, starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, follows a couple who adopt a little boy only to suspect that he may be the Antichrist. The couple gets caught up in a scary magical web as difficult things happen around them. The film is a standard of demonic horror because of how scary the atmosphere and actors are.
13. The Exorcist (1973)
Regarding scary movies, The Exorcist by William Friedkin is up there with the best of them. The film is about a bad spirit taking over a young girl, played by Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, and Linda Blair. As two priests try to do an exorcism, the movie explores religion, evil, and the fight between good and bad.
14. The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)
The Jodie Foster-led psychological thriller The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane follows a little girl who chooses to live independently but keeps her situation a secret from everyone. As secrets are revealed, and dark truths emerge, the movie’s creepy atmosphere and Foster’s strange performance add to its suspenseful and mysterious tone.
15. Salem’s Lot (1979)
The TV miniseries Salem’s Lot is based on a book by Stephen King. It’s about a writer who returns to his hometown and finds a vampire has moved in. The movie looks at how vampirism spreads and how a small group fights back against the threat of the dead. The movie’s slow-building tension and creepy mood have made it a standout in the vampire horror genre.
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