In a decade populated by some of the horror genre's best like Halloween, it's easy to miss out on some smaller, niche movies. But narratives that push their genre to the limits are worth seeking out, and 1970s horror is rife with them.
While the 1980s would take horror in even less expected and outlandish directions, the '70s set the path for what would follow. Halloween is the gold standard of starting a horror boom, but it wasn't the only film of the decade to inspire filmmakers to this day.
The Wicker Man (1973)
The Wicker Man is a British horror film with an utterly unforgettable ending. The plot follows a Police Sergeant as he tears apart an island in search of a missing girl. Unfortunately, she may be alive, well, and in on the island's penchant for Celtic paganism.
After The Wicker Man is mentioned in a list of noteworthy '70s horror movies, Redditors began to lay in on the 2006 remake starring Nicolas Cage. Christopher Lee's best movies outside of big-budget fantasy.
The Baby (1973)
The Baby was a psychological thriller following a social worker who receives a peculiar addition to her caseload. She's sent to the Wadsworth home, which includes one member named "Baby" who is, in fact, a 21-year-old man.
One Redditor brought two interesting suggestions to the table, with the first being 1973's The Baby. As Unklfesta wrote, "If you want to watch an incredibly strange and disturbing '70s film, The Baby is completely bonkers." NoMoMerdeDeToro responded with "'Bonkers' is the understatement of the year!" It may not be straightforward horror, but The Baby has had the effect on some viewers that are often provided by the best scary movies.
Trilogy Of Terror (1975)
The same Redditor who mentioned The Baby brought up 1975's made-for-TV anthology movie Trilogy of Terror. Specifically, the film's iconic third and final segment, "Amelia," in which Karen Black's Julie evades a sentient Zuni fetish doll throughout her high-rise apartment.
As best film of 1970: Five Easy Pieces. She also makes the final scene a horrifyingly memorable way to send off the audience.
Grizzly (1976)
As one of the more blatant Jaws knock-offs, Grizzly follows most of that masterpiece's narrative beats to a tee. A now-deleted phrased it well, writing "Grizzly! For the Cheese...So awesomely bad it's brilliant."
In a separate thread, Difethalone brought it up in a line of similarly absurd creature features: "Grizzly, Prophecy, The Evil, Piranha, Raw Meat, Orca, The Pack, Shock, Screamers some other good flicks not mentioned." Screamers was a 1990s sci-fi horror film, but the rest were from the '70s, and not all in the wake of Steven Spielberg's shark blockbuster.
Burnt Offerings (1976)
When a family rents a massive estate for an entire summer, they find their identities fading in favor of something more sinister. Burnt Offerings is notable for the power of its performances and its gut-punch of a final scene.
When Redditors were asked for cheesy horror movies, a now-deleted gave two 1970s suggestions, including Burnt Offerings, which they called "good, over-the-top '70s drive-in horror." Mgcat17 did even better in describing the Oliver Reed-Karen Black film, calling it a "great slow, spooky movie if you want something more subtle."
The Sentinel (1977)
The Sentinel was mentioned alongside Burnt Offerings by the same now-deleted , who suggested watching them as a "double feature with all kinds of fun cameos to keep it popping." Like Burnt Offerings, The Sentinel focuses on a haunted residence, but the apartment of the latter film may just be a gateway to Hell.
Carrie "for one of the very first gotchas at the end" and "The Hills Have Eyes to make sure you never want to go RV'ing again." For The Sentinel, they wrote, "for that background creep factor." Very well put, as the film really capitalizes on its involving cinematography and unsettling locales.
Eraserhead (1977)
David Lynch's Eraserhead is more of a surreal arthouse film than a horror film, but it contains some nightmarish imagery that ranks along with anything from Wes Craven or John Carpenter. For instance, the protagonist's baby is more lizard monster than human and at one point the protagonist has a waking nightmare of his own head rolling off. But regardless of categorization, those moments have proven to be frightening and memorable to Redditors.
Dankmemem88 wrote "I could never finish Eraserhead. So disturbing and depressing." A now-deleted was more positive when writing about the film, "I absolutely adore it. The pervasive sense of unhappiness and just 'wrongness' is something that I've really only seen Lynch capture. It's like watching a nightmare, and I love it for that."
House (1977)
Several Redditors brought up House, which is not to be confused with the mid-1980s Steve Miner horror-comedy or the Hugh Laurie TV series. The plot of the Japanese film follows Gorgeous, who goes to her aunt's isolated mansion with a few of her friends. Once they arrive, horrible events begin to occur, such as a painting of a cat that's seemingly coming to life.
Grakercub wrote "I've seen House about four times now and every time ten minutes in I'm so confused as to why I made the decision to watch it again. It's so fu***** weird and absolutely wonderful to watch." DefiantTheLion then asked if it contained a specific scene, "Is that the one with the guy who turns into bananas?" to which another Redditor then responds in the affirmative. House is riddled with compelling and memorable imagery, including the example brought up by the .
Phantasm (1979)
Don Coscarelli's Phantasm is a unique movie with an even more distinctive antagonist. The Tall Man is instantly terrifying and his impact never really dies out throughout the first film's runtime. He also employs the use of flying spiked, metallic balls.
A now-deleted suggested Coscarelli's movie along with classics like The Omen, Jaws, and Carrie. SnowWomble then hopped onto the thread and picked it out of the lot, writing "I came here to mention Phantasm. It gets quite often overlooked. Glad u got it on the list mate."
The Brood (1979)
David Cronenberg's The Brood may not be quite as effective as The Fly, but it's comprised of similarly horrifying imagery. The plot follows Oliver Reed as a psychotherapist who begins utilizing a technique called psychoplasmics. Unfortunately, its recipients bear the bizarre side effect of spawning murderous child-size monsters.
Several Redditors brought up Cronenberg's minor classic, like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Brood...."
