The 5 Best Horror Films of the 1970s
The 5 Best Horror Films of the 1970s
The 1970s really started my introduction to horror movies. Saturday afternoon movies and the occasional Friday movie with the predominate desire to be scared or, at least, shocked and the 70's delivered some real classics.
Number 5 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
I've always thought that this movie was the earliest precursor of the "torture porn" movie genre of today and it delivered scares and shock in equal measure. Loosely based on true events, the movie gives us the story of five teenagers who visit a house inhabited by a chainsaw wielding manic and his demented family. As gruesome as a movie can get, the kids are dispatched in seemingly escalating and horrific ways. Made on minuscule budget, this is spare, but effective filmmaking and the acting is better than the material. If it's shock and horror you want, then The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the cure for your ill.
Number 4 - Halloween (1978)
This movie started both John Carpenter's career and gave live life to the Michael Myers franchise. Director Carpenter uses Hitchcockian techniques to full effect as he depicts a night of horror in a small town when a supernaturally empowered psycho-killer returns to his home town to wreak some unknown vengeance. Carpenter chills us with both suspense and horror as the film starts out slow and builds in tempo and impact. Another low budget movie Halloween looks more expensive than it's small budget.
Number 3 - Dawn of the Dead (1979)
George Romero's sequel to his shocking and classic Night of the Living Dead is an in-your-face gore fest in places, but also shows intelligence with social commentary. We follow a group of four survivors as they escape the big city just before everything collapses in the face of an onslaught of the living dead. The quartet find safe harbor in an indoor shopping mall and take up house there after clearing out all the zombies. Their "happy" existence is interrupted when a roving group of marauders decide they want the group has -- the mall. Filled with inventive and gruesome special effects, Dawn of the Dead is a movie for the horror lover in you.
Number 2 - The Exorcist (1973)
This is different than the first three movies in that it has a real Hollywood budget and cast. Based on the best selling William Peter Blatty novel, director Friedkin gives the story of a little girl inhabited by an unspeakable evil and her mom's attempt to do whatever it takes to free her from it's influence. What makes this film so effective is that the context around this unnatural and extraordinary happening all seems so real. It makes the extraordinary seem almost plausible. Wonderfully acted and produced, the Exorcist is a movie to keep you up at night.
Number 1 - Alien (1979)
Not strictly a horror film because of its science fiction setting, Alien delivers suspense and stark terror as the crew of a space freighter discover that they have brought something on board that is dreadfully lethal and horrible. Made by visual stylist supreme, Ridley Scott, this movie has sets and situations that seem like they could be authentic projections of the future. Sigourney Weaver got propelled to stardom playing the resourceful and courageous Ripley. What makes this film so scary is the suspense that Scott wrings out of every shot. I can say that Alien is the scariest film I've ever seen in a theater.
Honorable Mention: Jaws -- If I consider Jaws a horror film, it would have been number 2 on the list.
The 1970s really started my introduction to horror movies. Saturday afternoon movies and the occasional Friday movie with the predominate desire to be scared or, at least, shocked and the 70's delivered some real classics.
Number 5 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
I've always thought that this movie was the earliest precursor of the "torture porn" movie genre of today and it delivered scares and shock in equal measure. Loosely based on true events, the movie gives us the story of five teenagers who visit a house inhabited by a chainsaw wielding manic and his demented family. As gruesome as a movie can get, the kids are dispatched in seemingly escalating and horrific ways. Made on minuscule budget, this is spare, but effective filmmaking and the acting is better than the material. If it's shock and horror you want, then The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the cure for your ill.
Number 4 - Halloween (1978)This movie started both John Carpenter's career and gave live life to the Michael Myers franchise. Director Carpenter uses Hitchcockian techniques to full effect as he depicts a night of horror in a small town when a supernaturally empowered psycho-killer returns to his home town to wreak some unknown vengeance. Carpenter chills us with both suspense and horror as the film starts out slow and builds in tempo and impact. Another low budget movie Halloween looks more expensive than it's small budget.
Number 3 - Dawn of the Dead (1979)George Romero's sequel to his shocking and classic Night of the Living Dead is an in-your-face gore fest in places, but also shows intelligence with social commentary. We follow a group of four survivors as they escape the big city just before everything collapses in the face of an onslaught of the living dead. The quartet find safe harbor in an indoor shopping mall and take up house there after clearing out all the zombies. Their "happy" existence is interrupted when a roving group of marauders decide they want the group has -- the mall. Filled with inventive and gruesome special effects, Dawn of the Dead is a movie for the horror lover in you.
Number 2 - The Exorcist (1973)
This is different than the first three movies in that it has a real Hollywood budget and cast. Based on the best selling William Peter Blatty novel, director Friedkin gives the story of a little girl inhabited by an unspeakable evil and her mom's attempt to do whatever it takes to free her from it's influence. What makes this film so effective is that the context around this unnatural and extraordinary happening all seems so real. It makes the extraordinary seem almost plausible. Wonderfully acted and produced, the Exorcist is a movie to keep you up at night.
Number 1 - Alien (1979)Not strictly a horror film because of its science fiction setting, Alien delivers suspense and stark terror as the crew of a space freighter discover that they have brought something on board that is dreadfully lethal and horrible. Made by visual stylist supreme, Ridley Scott, this movie has sets and situations that seem like they could be authentic projections of the future. Sigourney Weaver got propelled to stardom playing the resourceful and courageous Ripley. What makes this film so scary is the suspense that Scott wrings out of every shot. I can say that Alien is the scariest film I've ever seen in a theater.
Honorable Mention: Jaws -- If I consider Jaws a horror film, it would have been number 2 on the list.
posted by Random at
8:03 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home