The 1970s was a time of social and political upheaval. The early parts of the decade were mired with the Vietnam War as well as the anti-war/peace protests. They also had a president that resigned because he was going to be impeached and charged with a federal crime. To say that the decade was chaotic is a major understatement. It was also a decade of change. There was a huge push against censorship in the media and news outlets. The film industry was also affected by these changes and events. The 1970s saw some of the greatest films that were ever made: Star Wars, Superman, Enter The Dragon just to name a few. There was one genre that really began to take on a different shape: Horror. The genre has been around since the beginning of cinema and gave us amazing movies like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man and King Kong. While the genre would continue to evolve over the decades before 1970. In the 70s, horror took on a particularly mean streak that would last for decades. To be fair, there were a lot of movies that came out of that decade which were b-level schlock and not very good. That happens every decade. What I’m going to do for this Halloween special of The Best is to go over the best and most controversial horror movies that came out during the 1970s. Be aware that some of these movies are very graphic and can be very disturbing for certain audiences. You have been warned.
1972: The Last House on the Left
Now, the first two years of the decade were filled with movies that were not particularly memorable. It wasn’t until 1972 that we got to see how vicious the genre could be. Enter Wes Craven and his first real movie: The Last House on the Left. This was the film that put Wes Craven on the map. The film was notorious for its graphic and sexual violence. It was so controversial that it was banned in several countries and landed on the U.K’s Video Nasties list. I remember seeing this one several years ago and it was pretty shocking, even by today’s standards. But for 1972, this movie pissed people off. It would not be the first time that Wes Craven would craft something so savage. Oh, no. He had a lot more up his sleeve.
1973: The Exorcist
1973 had some pretty decent horror flicks, but one stood out among all others: The Exorcist. What is now regard as one of the greatest horror films of all time, was released to a suprisingly positive reaction, with some people hating the film. It’s to be expected. This is one of the most engaging horror movies that I’ve ever seen. It handles the investigation into Reagan’s possession fairly realistically with priests telling the mother to take the girl to a psychologist first. That’s exactly what would happen. The film also gained a level of notoriety with some of its……graphically violent scenes. There were some….scenes involving a crucifix which I will not describe her, but that along with the foul language coming out of Linda Blair’s mouth during the movie took a lot of people off guard. While the film was definitely a success, it definitely came with a price.
1974: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Of all the horror films that came out during the 1970s, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, along with The Exorcist, was talked about the most. Supposedly based on a true story(which it wasn’t), the followed a group of college kids as they run into the maniacal Leatherface and his crazy cannibal family. There really wasn’t a whole lot of story here, but the images of Leatherface chasing down and killing the kids was shocking and brutal. It was very controversial upon release with several people praising it for its intensity and technical prowess while others hated the film because of its brutal violence and gore. You wanna know something funny about the film? It really isn’t that gory. One of the greatest tricks that the film pulled, even if it was unintentional, was fooling the audience into seeing something that really wasn’t there. Yeah, there was a shot of a gross skeleton at the beginning of the film and we saw a girl get put onto a hook, but do we actually see people getting eviscerated? No. It was implied, but never really shown. Even for 1974, it wasn’t that gory. 1974 also gave us the Christmas chiller, Black Christmas.
1975: Jaws; Salo, Or the 120 Days of Sodom
Jaws is an absolute classic. It’s the movie that really put Steven Spielberg on the map and made us afraid to go into the water. The reason the film worked so well was, oddly enough, because the shark they built was malfunctioning, so they had to improvise. That’s where John Williams came in with his iconic score. Every time the music played, we knew that the shark was going to attack. It’s often been said that less is more, and Jaws is a perfect example of that. It’s absolutely one of my favorite films of all time and it is perfect in almost every way. The less said about the sequels, the better.
If you’re looking for a film about subtlety, Salo ain’t it. This is easily one of the most bizarre and twisted films that I’ve ever seen. I’ve only seen it once, and I have no intention of going back for seconds. This is possibly the most controversial film on this list. The graphic nature of what takes place during this movie is disturbing. It is very clear though, that the film was targeting capitalism as a form of barbarism and how it treats the lower classes. The director of the film, Pier Paolo Pasolini was found murdered in Rome 3 weeks before the film was released. Some of the rumors of his death were a result of the film, but there’s no conclusive evidence. While the film is very difficult to sit through, there is no doubt that the film has artistic merit. It does. It’s just not my kind of art.
1976: Carrie; The Omen
What can I say about Carrie that hasn’t been said before. This is one of the best Stephen King adaptations of all time. It’s one of Sissy Spacek’s most iconic roles. The scene that everyone talks about is the prom sequence, and why not? It’s one of the most chilling and spectacular sequences of the entire movie. It also featured John Travolta in one of his earliest roles. There is no doubt that Carrie stands as one of the best horror movies of the 1970s.
Now, this is one of my personal favorites. The Omen features Gregory Peck in one of his best and unusual roles as that of a United States Senator dealing with a child that may or may not be the Antichrist. What makes The Omen work so well, is the fact it’s ambiguous about the nature of Damien. Is he really the Antichrist or are some people just believe that he is? Throughout most of the film, it’s smart enough to avoid directly answering the question. All the deaths that happen, seem to be of some kind of coincidence, until an intrepid reporter discovers an unusual pattern in his photos. While The Omen is not the goriest film on this list, it does have a sequence that really shocked the hell out of everybody, and it involves a sheet of glass. It is such an interesting film. While the sequels, would definitely answer the question of whether or not Damien is the Antichrist, I prefer the ambiguity of the original film. It makes it a lot more thought-provoking.
1977: The Hills Have Eyes
The second Wes Craven on this list, The Hills Have Eyes takes an American suburbanite family and throws them into one of the worst situations you could possibly imagine. Much like The Last House on the Left, this film was very gritty and unrelenting. The level of violence in this film was very shocking to a lot of people. In fact, in several countries, the film had to be edited down to make it more palatable for audiences. While I personally think that the 2006 film is a better movie, there is no doubt in my mind, that this film was influential. It became a huge cult classic and cemented Wes Craven as one of the greatest horror movie directors. He would go on to write and direct a sequel in 1985, which he would disown, for good reason.
1978: Dawn of the Dead; I Spit on Your Grave; Halloween
The late, great George Romero was known as the godfather of the zombie film. His first real zombie film came in the form of Night of the Living Dead. It was considered to be one of, if not, the greatest zombie film of all time. But, Mr. Romero would not stop there. He would create a follow-up film that would not only be iconic in its own right, but would rival that of the original Night of the Living Dead: Dawn of the Dead. Featuring a group of survivors that have found a mall to hole up in, they wait for rescue. The film has some of the best gore you will ever see because of Tom Savini. It’s well worth checking out.
I Spit on Your Grave(A.k.a. The Day of the Woman)
This is another one of those grindhouse, Video Nasty films that have permeated the 1970s. This one was met with a lot of criticism. A lot of people took issue with the fact that the female lead, Jennifer Hills, played by Camille Keaton, was sexually assaulted for the better part of an hour. A lot of people also dismissed the film because of the level of violence that the main character uses against her attackers. While some people had begun to start defending the film over the years, I Spit on Your Grave remains one of the most controversial and divisive movies ever put on film. The film would eventually inspire a re-make in 2010 as well as an official sequel that was finished filming last year.
When it comes to slasher movies, they all owe their existence to this one little flick by John Carpenter. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis in the role that would define her career, Halloween also starred legendary actor Donald Pleasance as Doctor Loomis, the psychologist that warned people about the evil Michael Myers. While Halloween may not technically be the first slasher film(that would by Hitchcock’s Psycho), this was the film that redefined the sub-genre. Iconic music crafted by Carpenter himself, Halloween was an exercise in terror. It wound up being one of the most iconic movies ever made, and put John Carpenter on the map.
1979: Alien
While one could argue that Ridley Scott’s Alien is a science fiction film, it is also a horror picture and deserves a spot on this list. Alien was a defining film for many reasons. It launched the careers of Ridley Scott and Sigourney Weaver, who would become the face of the Alien franchise, at least the first four movies. Not only did the film feature one of the greatest movie monsters of all time, it was also incredibly claustrophobic and dark. It’s often been said that in horror movies, it’s not what you see that scares you. Alien is a prime example of that. Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, Alien is by far one of my favorite horror movies.
A lot of the films that I have presented here aren’t necessarily the most enjoyable of films. Honestly, a film does not have to be enjoyable in order to be compelling. A lot of these films were compelling in their own way. The movies in this list are a reflection of the decade in which they were made, and as a result they mostly had something to say about politics or social issues. While one or two of the movies hit it right on the nose, the other films were a little bit more subtle about their themes. Regardless, these are the horror films that I feel defined the horror genre in the 1970s. Some of you may disagree, and that’s fine. I may do another one of these in the future, but it may take a while. Anyways, what you guys think? Is there something I left off? Let me know.