Wait…these were real movies?
The 70s might just be the greatest decade in movie history. It gave us The Godfather, Jaws, Dog Day Afternoon, The French Connection, and Star Wars. Movies everyone remembers. Quotes everyone knows.
But for every one of those unforgettable classics, there were probably a dozen you’ve completely forgotten about. Some of these deserve to be better known. Others…well, forgetting them might be the kindest thing we can do.
Let’s see if at least five of these actually ring a bell.
Zardoz (1974)
Sean Connery in a red diaper, thigh-high boots, and a giant floating stone head that spits out weapons. Yes, really. This was supposed to be thoughtful, philosophical sci-fi. Instead, it became one of the strangest visual swings of the entire decade. Most people have forgotten about it. And those who haven’t…kind of wish they could.
Screenshot from Zardoz, The Walt Disney Company (1974)
The Swarm (1978)
A disaster movie about killer bees. Not a few bees—millions of them, wiping out entire towns. It had a stacked cast, including Michael Caine, who later admitted it wasn’t exactly his finest moment. The 70s loved nature-gone-wrong stories. This one just went way too big.
Screenshot from The Swarm, Warner Bros. Discovery (1978)
Damnation Alley (1977)
A post-apocalyptic road trip with giant mutant cockroaches and a heavily armored survival vehicle. It sounds like it should be a cult classic. Problem is, it opened the same year as Star Wars. And yeah…that didn’t exactly work out in its favor.
Screenshot from Damnation Alley, The Walt Disney Company (1977)
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)
Before the infamous 90s disaster, there was this version. Animal-human hybrids, mad science, and a whole lot of discomfort. It had all the ingredients for something memorable. Instead, it kind of just…exists. Most people don’t even realize this story had a 70s version at all.
Screenshot from The Island of Dr. Moreau, Amazon MGM Studios (1977)
Capricorn One (1977)
Long before conspiracy theories were everywhere, this movie asked: what if a space mission was completely staged? It’s a great premise and actually handled pretty well. But it got buried under bigger, flashier sci-fi at the time—and never really resurfaced.
Screenshot from Capricorn One, Warner Bros. Discovery (1977)
The Medusa Touch (1978)
Richard Burton plays a man who may—or may not—have the ability to cause disasters with his mind. Planes crash, buildings collapse, chaos follows. It’s part psychological thriller, part supernatural mystery. Big idea, strong lead…and somehow still easy to forget.
Screenshot from The Medusa Touch, ITV plc (1978)
The Groove Tube (1974)
A sketch comedy movie that basically predicted the kind of humor Saturday Night Live would make famous. Wild, messy, and very 70s. It pushed boundaries at the time. Now? It mostly lives in that weird space of “wait…that was a real movie?”
Screenshot from The Groove Tube, Levitt-Pickman (1974)
The Car (1977)
Imagine Jaws, but instead of a shark, it’s a mysterious, driverless black car terrorizing a small town. No explanation, no backstory—just pure menace on four wheels. It’s oddly entertaining. Just not memorable enough to stick.
Screenshot from The Car, NBCUniversal (1977)
The Sentinel (1977)
A creepy apartment building, strange neighbors, and a secret that gets worse the more you think about it. It had a legit cast and real horror potential. But it never quite broke through. The kind of movie you stumble across and go, “Wait…how have I never heard of this?”
Screenshot from The Sentinel, NBCUniversal (1977)
A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Post-apocalyptic wasteland, a telepathic dog, and a story that takes some very strange turns. It’s dark, offbeat, and definitely not for everyone. Some people call it ahead of its time. Most people just call it…weird. Actually, most people don’t call it anything—because they have no idea it ever existed in the first place.
Screenshot from A Boy and His Dog, LQ/Jaf Productions (1975)
The Cassandra Crossing (1976)
A train full of passengers carrying a deadly virus, with officials making decisions that only make things worse. Big cast, big stakes, solid tension. And yet…it never stuck. One of those movies that feels like it should be more famous than it is.
Screenshot from The Cassandra Crossing, ITV plc (1976)
Coma (1978)
Patients go in for routine surgery—and never wake up. Not dead, just…gone. It’s a great premise with real tension. Michael Crichton actually directed this one. People who’ve seen it remember it. The problem is, not that many people have.
Screenshot from Coma, Amazon MGM Studios (1978)
The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975)
Jack Lemmon slowly loses it dealing with city life, unemployment, and everything going wrong at once. It’s more grounded than your typical comedy, but still sharp and funny. The kind of movie people feel like they should remember…but don’t.
Screenshot from The Prisoner of Second Avenue, Warner Bros. Discovery (1975)
Rollerball (1975)
Most people have already forgotten about the 2002 remake, let alone have any recollection of the 1975 original. A brutal futuristic sport used to control society and keep people distracted. It’s a genuinely smart concept—and honestly feels even more relevant now. But outside of film buffs, it’s not exactly a title that comes up in everyday conversation.
Screenshot from Rollerball, Amazon MGM Studios (1975)
The Stepford Wives (1975)
Suburban perfection, something clearly off, and a reveal that’s become part of pop culture. The idea stuck around. The movie itself? Not as much. A lot of people know the reference without ever having seen the original.
Screenshot from The Stepford Wives, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1975)
Race with the Devil (1975)
Two couples on a road trip witness something they absolutely weren’t supposed to see. From there, it’s paranoia, suspicion, and the feeling that no one can be trusted. Great setup. Solid execution. Still somehow disappeared.
Screenshot from Race with the Devil, The Walt Disney Company (1975)
The Last Wave (1977)
Strange events, apocalyptic visions, and a story that leans heavily into atmosphere over answers. It’s thoughtful and unsettling, but also a bit slow and hard to pin down. The kind of movie that sticks with some people…and completely loses everyone else.
Screenshot from The Last Wave, Amazon MGM Studios (1977)
Sorcerer (1977)
A tense, nerve-wracking story about transporting unstable explosives through dangerous terrain. Directed by William Friedkin, fresh off The Exorcist. It should’ve been huge. Instead, it ran straight into Star Wars and basically vanished.
Screenshot from Sorcerer, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures (1977)
The Magic Christian (1970)
Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr test just how far money can push people. The idea is solid. The execution is…very 70s. Weird, uneven, and occasionally hard to follow. Did you catch that? The movie starred Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr. Seems like an unforgettable combo. But apparently not.
Screenshot from The Magic Christian, Commonwealth United Entertainment (1970)
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
When you think of movies based on Michael Crichton books, everyone goes straight to Jurassic Park. Maybe Disclosure after that. Then possibly Congo or Sphere—if you’ve got a soft spot for questionable 90s sci-fi. But The Andromeda Strain? Not even on the radar. Which is ironic, because it’s arguably one of the best adaptations in the entire Crichton-verse. It’s smart, clinical, and unapologetically science-heavy. Critics appreciated it. Audiences? They moved on pretty quickly.
Screenshot from The Andromeda Strain, NBCUniversal (1971)
Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)
A supercomputer designed to control nuclear weapons decides humans are the problem. Sound familiar? It’s basically a proto-Terminator decades early. Smart, tense, and way ahead of its time. Still, most people have never even heard of it.
Screenshot from Colossus: The Forbin Project, NBCUniversal (1970)
Silent Running (1972)
A lone man in space trying to save what’s left of Earth’s forests, helped by a few small robot companions. It’s quiet, emotional, and a little ahead of its time. The robots? Honestly the most memorable part. It’s the kind of movie people say they respect…but rarely go back and watch.
Screenshot from Silent Running, NBCUniversal (1972)
The China Syndrome (1979)
A nuclear plant incident starts small and quickly turns into something much bigger, with a cover-up unfolding in real time. It was intense—and very timely—when it came out. Then somehow, over the years, it just faded. Not forgotten completely…just rarely brought up.
Screenshot from The China Syndrome, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1979)
The Seven-Ups (1973)
Roy Scheider leads a group of elite cops going after organized crime. It’s gritty, fast, and features a genuinely great car chase that should be talked about more. But in a decade full of iconic crime films, this one just got pushed to the side.
Screenshot from The Seven-Ups, The Walt Disney Company (1973)
The Driver (1978)
Ryan O’Neal as a quiet, hyper-focused getaway driver in a stripped-down crime story. Barely any dialogue, all tension. If it feels familiar, it should—Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn has said this was a major influence. The problem? Most people remember that movie…not this one.
Screenshot from The Driver, The Walt Disney Company (1978)
Phase IV (1974)
Ants. But not normal ants—highly intelligent, evolving, possibly taking over. It’s slow, eerie, and way more experimental than you’d expect. The kind of movie that fascinates a small group of fans…and confuses everyone else.
Screenshot from Phase IV, Paramount Global (1974)
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)
Jodie Foster plays a young girl clearly hiding something dark. It’s unsettling, mature, and anchored by a really strong performance. But it never quite broke into the mainstream the way her later work did.
Screenshot from The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, American International Pictures (1976)
The Manitou (1978)
A tumor turns out to be an ancient spirit growing inside a woman’s body. Yes, that’s the movie. And somehow, it gets even stranger from there. Even by 70s horror standards, this feels completely unhinged—which probably explains why it didn’t stick.
Screenshot from The Manitou, AVCO Embassy Pictures (1978)
Bite the Bullet (1975)
A brutal long-distance horse race across the American West, with a stacked cast led by Gene Hackman. It’s ambitious and well made. It just didn’t stand out enough in a decade full of movies that did.
Screenshot from Bite the Bullet, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1975)
So…how many did you actually know?
Be honest: How many did you really recognize? Or even more so, how many have you actually seen? If you got to five (or beyond), on either question, that’s honestly impressive. Any you never heard of that have now found their way on to your watchlist?
Screenshot from Colossus: The Forbin Project, NBCUniversal (1970)
You Might Also Like:
TV Stars Who Thought Fame Would Last Forever—Now No One Born After 2000 Has Even Heard Of Them
