September 27, 2024 | Tom Miller

1970s Horror Movies


A Classic Era Of Creepy Movies

Some horror films of the 1970s have become staples of the genre, transcending the decade of their origin to become timeless classics—The Exorcist, Jaws, and Alien continue to scare audiences today. Alongside these classics, here are some other hits of ‘70s horror that are worth checking out.

70Shorror-Msnsimp

The Creeping Flesh—1973

Director: Freddie Francis

Starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Lorna Heilbron

Featuring some of the greats of ‘70s horror, this film tells the tale of a paleontologist whose recently discovered bones begin to grow back their flesh and prey on the living. Decades later, Christopher Lee gave a wonderfully evil performance as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Screenshot from the movie The Creeping Flesh (1973)Columbia, The Creeping Flesh (1973)

The Vampire Lovers—1970

Director: Roy Ward Baker

Starring Ingrid Pitt, Pippa Steel, Madeline Smith

1970s vampire films made ample use of the idea of sultry lady vampires whose sole purpose was to seduce men and drain them of their blood. Pitt, in particular, was famed for her work with British horror company Hammer Film Productions throughout the 1970s.

Screenshot from the movie The Vampire Lovers (1970)AIP, The Vampire Lovers (1970)

God Told Me To—1976

Director: Larry Cohen

Starring Tony Lo Bianco, Deborah Raffin, Sandy Dennis

Director Larry Cohen was known for his low-budget horror films in the ‘70s that incorporated social commentary into their scares. In God Told Me To, a New York detective investigates random murders in New York, all committed by people who claim God told them to do it.

Screenshot from the movie God Told Me To (1976)New World, God Told Me To (1976)

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Trilogy Of Terror—1975

Director: Dan Curtis

Starring Robert Burton, John Karlen, George Gaynes, Karen Black

The anthology is a time-honored format for horror movies. Each of these short films features iconic ‘70s actor Karen Black. Black portrays a different character in the three stories, each a tale of a woman in terrifying circumstances.

Screenshot from the movie Trilogy of Terror (1975)ABC, Trilogy of Terror (1975)

Horror Express—1972

Director: Eugenio Martin

Starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Alberto de Mendoza

Another Lee/Cushing vehicle, this time set on Russia’s Trans-Siberian Express. Horror is unleashed when rival anthropologists discover that a prehistoric ape is infected with a deadly parasitic life form.

Screenshot from the movie Horror Express (1972)Granada, Horror Express (1972)

Blacula—1972

Director: William Crain

Starring William Marshall, Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicholas

The 1970s were also a golden age for a film genre that has not aged well, to say the least: Blaxploitation. This take on the Dracula story follows an African prince-turned-vampire through his reign of terror in modern-day LA.

Screenshot from the movie Blacula (1972)AIP, Blacula (1972)

Asylum—1972

Director: Roy Ward Baker

Starring Barbara Parkins, Richard Todd, Sylvia Syms

Roy Ward Baker directed numerous films for British horror studios throughout the ‘70s. In this film (as if job interviews weren’t scary enough already), a hopeful psychiatrist must venture into an asylum and interview patients before getting a job.

Screenshot from the movie Asylum (1972)Amicus, Asylum (1972)

The Crazies—1973

Director: George A. Romero

Starring Lane Carroll, Will MacMillan, Harold Wayne Jones

A few years after his genre-defining Night of the Living Dead, horror master George Romero offered this tale of small-town America going mad. A virus escapes into a Pennsylvania town, causing madness and aggression in the unsuspecting townsfolk.

Screenshot from the movie The Crazies (1973)Pittsburgh, The Crazies (1973)

Tales From The Crypt—1972

Director: Freddie Francis

Starring Joan Collins, Peter Cushing, Ralph Richardson

Based on the famous 1950s horror comic book of the same name, this anthology features the Crypt Keeper, a ghoul who tells five strangers the stories of their unfortunate deaths. Joan Collins features in a pre-Dynasty role.

Screenshot from the movie Tales From The Crypt (1972)Amicus, Tales From The Crypt (1972)

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Piranha—1978

Director: Joe Dante

Starring Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies-Urich, Kevin McCarthy

Playing off the popularity of Jaws, this film tells the story of a summer resort with a big problem: flesh-eating piranhas have accidentally been released into its rivers. Rather than fish being on the menu at the resort, the guests are on the menu for the fish!

Screenshot from the movie Piranha (1978)United Artists, Piranha (1978)

Rabid—1977

Director: David Cronenberg

Starring Marilyn Chambers, Frank Moore, Terry Schonblum

Master of deeply weird horror films, director David Cronenberg offers a tale of plastic surgery gone wrong. After a botched procedure, a woman becomes patient zero for a blood-hungry zombie plague that sweeps across a major city.

Screenshot from the movie Rabid (1977)New World, Rabid (1977)

Phantasm—1979

Director: Don Coscarelli

Starring A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister

Known for its fearsome, blade-wielding flying spheres and its dreamlike atmosphere, Phantasm is regarded as a true classic of the horror genre. Two brothers and their friends take on the grave-robbing Tall Man as he terrorizes a small town.

Screenshot from the movie Phantasm (1979)New Breed, Phantasm (1979)

The Last House On The Left—1972

Director: Wes Craven

Starring Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess

Legendary director Wes Craven’s first foray into horror, this film almost got an X-rating when it was first released. The Last House on the Left and its tale of two terrorized teenage girls paved the way for Craven’s lauded career as a horror movie director and writer.

Screenshot from the movie The Last House on the Left (1972)AIP, The Last House on the Left (1972)

Frightmare—1974

Director: Pete Walker

Starring Rupert Davies, Sheila Keith, Deborah Fairfax

Taking its place in the time-honored tradition of horrific things happening in isolated country farmhouses, Frightmare tells the tale of a supposedly reformed killer who might just be returning to her old ways.

Screenshot from the movie Frightmare (1974)Peter Walker, Frightmare (1974)

From Beyond The Grave—1974

Director: Kevin Connor

Starring Peter Cushing, Ian Bannen, Ian Carmichael

Cursed objects are a standard trope in horror movies. From Beyond the Grave tells four short horror stories all based on creepy antiques and the shop in which they reside. A few short years later, horror standard Peter Cushing had a starring role in a little science fiction film called Star Wars!

Screenshot from the movie From Beyond The Grave (1974)Warner Bros., From Beyond The Grave (1974)

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The Blood On Satan’s Claw—1971

Director: Piers Haggard

Starring Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden, Barry Andrews

The witchcraft scares of previous centuries were fertile ground for 1970s horror films. Children in an 18th-century village, like all good teenagers, turn on their elders and begin worshiping the Devil.

Screenshot from the movie The Blood On Satan's Claw (1971)Tigon, The Blood On Satan's Claw (1971)

A Bay Of Blood—1971

Director: Mario Bava

Starring Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli, Claudio Camaso

Director Mario Bava is remembered as one of the big names in Italy’s giallo horror movement. A feud over the estate of a recently slain countess results in numerous killings in the bay area of the title.

Screenshot from the movie A Bay Of Blood (1971)Nuova Linea, A Bay Of Blood (1971)

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie—1974

Director: Jorge Grau

Starring Cristina Galbó, Ray Lovelock, Arthur Kennedy

The title of this movie seems like good advice that very rarely gets followed in horror films! Ultrasonic pest control devices bring the dead back to life, causing trouble for an officer and the two hippie suspects he is pursuing.

Screenshot from the movie Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974)Star Films, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974)

Death Line—1972

Director: Gary Sherman

Starring Donald Pleasence, Norman Rossington, David Ladd

Part of the grand tradition of haunted tunnels beneath major cities, this film features mysterious disappearances in the London Tube system. Star Donald Pleasence made a career out of playing unhinged characters, including a star turn in John Carpenter’s Halloween.

Screenshot from the movie Death Line (1972)AIP, Death Line (1972)

Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark—1973

Director: John Newland

Starring Kim Darby, Jim Hutton, Barbara Anderson

This film’s title is never good advice for protagonists in a horror movie. A creepy old mansion is home to demons who are determined to take possession of one of the house’s new residents. In the 1970s, TV horror movies had a heyday, and this was one of the better ones.

Screenshot from the movie Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973)Lorimar, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973)

Salem’s Lot—1979

Starring David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin

Television was beginning to experiment with prime-time mini-series in the 1970s. This Stephen King adaptation was one of the better horror mini-series to hit the airwaves. A New England town is overrun by vampires who are opposed by a novelist and a young horror fan.

Screenshot from the television series Salemʻs Lot (1979)CBS, Salemʻs Lot (1979)

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Dead Of Night—1974

Director: Bob Clark

Starring John Marley, Lynn Carlin, Richard Backus

The conflict in Vietnam during the mid-‘70s took a firm hold on the American imagination. In this creepy film, a soldier who lost his life overseas shows up that same night at his family home in the States.

Screenshot from the television series Dead Of Night (1974)Impact, Dead Of Night (1974)

Count Dracula—1977

Director: Philip Saville

Starring Louis Jordan, Frank Finlay, Susan Penhaligon

One of a vast number of films featuring the most famous vampire of literature, this television movie follows the Count as he travels the world drinking blood and causing chaos.

Screenshot from the movie Count Dracula (1977)BBC Two, Count Dracula (1977)

House Of Dark Shadows—1970

Director: Dan Curtis

Starring Jonathan Frid, Grayson Hall, Kathryn Leigh Scott

This film was based on the famous horror soap opera Dark Shadows and follows main character and vampire Barnabas Collins as he wreaks havoc on his descendants. Star Jonathan Frid portrayed the charismatic bloodsucker in both film and television.

Screenshot from the movie House of Dark Shadows (1970)MGM, House of Dark Shadows (1970)

Black Christmas—1974

Director: Bob Clark

Starring Olivia Hussey, Kier Dullea, Margot Kidder

A seminal entry in the slasher genre, this film sets the scene for many holiday-inspired horror films that followed. A few years later, star Margot Kidder would jump into the spotlight as the love interest to Christopher Reeve’s Superman in the 1978 feature film.

Screenshot from the movie Black Christmas (1974)Warner Bros., Black Christmas (1974)

The Hills Have Eyes—1977

Director: Wes Craven

Starring Susan Lanier, Robert Houston, John Steadman

When you’re the protagonist in a horror movie, it’s always a good idea to have your car serviced before a road trip. Stranded in the wilderness, a family is beset by violent hill-dwellers in this Wes Craven-directed classic.

Screenshot from the movie The Hills Have Eyes (1977)Blood Relations, The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

Shivers—1975

Director: David Cronenberg

Starring Paul Hampton, Joe Silver, Lynn Lowry

Canadian horror auteur David Cronenberg returns with another weird one. A parasite infects residents of a high-rise building, causing them to crave sensual intimacy and infect their neighbors with even the smallest contact.

Screenshot from the movie Shivers (1975)Cinépix, Shivers (1975)

Phantom Of The Paradise—1974

Director: Brian De Palma

Starring Paul Williams, William Finley, Jessica Harper

An update of the classic gothic story The Phantom of the Opera, the film offers commentary on the record industry alongside a helping of horror. Rock venue “The Paradise” is terrorized by a disfigured musician after he is betrayed by a slimy record executive.

Screenshot from the movie Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)Twentieth Century, Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)

Deep Red—1975

Director: Dario Argento

Starring David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia

Master of giallo Dario Argento presents the story of a murdered psychic, a jazz pianist, and an acerbic journalist. As much mystery as horror, Deep Red is a great showcase of Argento’s signature style.

Screenshot from the movie Deep Red (1975)Rizzoli, Deep Red (1975)

Frankenstein: The True Story—1973

Director: Jack Smight

Starring James Mason, Leonard Whiting, David McCallum

Many horror films purport to be based on true events, but this one isn’t. A retelling of Mary Shelley’s genre-defining novel Frankenstein, this television film follows scientist Victor Frankenstein and the artificial man he creates and then rejects.

Screenshot from the movie Frankenstein: The True Story (1973)Universal, Frankenstein: The True Story (1973)

The Legend Of Hell House—1973

Director: John Hough

Starring Roddy McDowall, Gayle Hunnicutt, Pamela Franklin

Where would horror stories be without haunted houses? After multiple guests lose their lives in the ‘20s, and a disappearing paranormal investigation crew in the ‘50s, a physicist and two psychics are hired to solve the mystery of Belasco House.

Screenshot from the movie The Legend Of Hell House (1973)Twentieth Century, The Legend Of Hell House (1973)

The Brood—1979

Director: David Cronenberg

Starring Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle

Therapists get a bad rap in a lot of horror films, and this one is no exception. A man becomes suspicious of the techniques used on his institutionalized wife and sets out to investigate the psychologist who is treating her.

Screenshot from the movie The Brood (1979)New World, The Brood (1979)

Theater Of Blood—1973

Director: Douglas Hickox

Starring Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry

Star Vincent Price built an entire career on playing creepy characters in horror movies. Here, an aging Shakespearean actor gets revenge on his critics by slaying them in ways reminiscent of scenes from Shakespeare’s plays.

Screenshot from the movie Theatre Of Blood (1973)United Artists, Theatre Of Blood (1973)

The Night Stalker—1972

Director: John Llewellyn Moxey

Starring Darren McGavin, Carol Lynley, Simon Oakland

Carl Kolchak, a newspaper reporter, investigates a series of murders that appear to have been committed by a vampire. This made-for-TV movie was a huge influence on writer/producer Chris Carter and heavily influenced his hit television series The X-Files.

Screenshot from the movie The Night Stalker (1972)ABC, The Night Stalker (1972)

Martin—1977

Director: George A. Romero

Starring John Amplas, Lincoln Maazel, Christine Forrest

Another example of director Romero stepping out of his usual zombified stomping grounds, Martin tells the tale of a young man who believes himself to be a vampire. Martin tries to deny his craving for blood while living with his cousin in small-town Pennsylvania.

Screenshot from the movie Martin (1977)Laurel, Martin (1977)

The Abominable Dr. Phibes—1971

Director: Robert Fuest

Starring Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten, Virginia North

One of star Vincent Price’s iconic horror roles, Dr. Anton Phibes seeks revenge on a group of doctors he believes were responsible for the death of his wife. After satisfying his thirst for vengeance, Phibes returns for more madness in the sequel, Dr. Phibes Rises Again.

Screenshot from the movie The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)AIP, The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers—1978

Director: Philip Kaufman

Starring Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum

This remake of the 1956 original is considered one of the greatest sci-fi/horror films of all time. Strange alien pods land on Earth and begin replacing people with alien copies, spurring terror and paranoia in the populace.

Screenshot from the movie Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)United Artists, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)

The Omen—1976

Director: Richard Donner

Starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens

A very different take on a strangely-powered child from Superman director Richard Donner, this is the classic film of the Antichrist. A young boy seems to exhibit strange powers and may be responsible for several deaths. The boy’s stepfather investigates.

Screenshot from the movie The Omen (1976)Twentieth Century, The Omen (1976)


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