5 of the best 1970s horror movies

Horror movies have had a revamp this year with some surprisingly successful installments. This year has restored my faith in the genre with hits like The Substance, Longlegs, Terrifier 3, and many more. The movies have been great, and a few have paid homage to the films of the past.

The 1970s was an important era for horror, with fewer restrictions on violence, horror movies took a turn for the better. The movies from the 1970s are some of the greatest films ever made and paved the way for the horror genre. I want to take a look back at some of the best movies the 1970s has to offer and what they did for the horror movies of today.

The Exorcist (1973)

The Exorcist is one of those movies that will go down in history as one of the scariest movies ever. It kickstarted the demonic possession genre and influenced many movies after. The Exorcist has many sequels and spinoffs, including an upcoming film written and directed by Mike Flanagan. 

The Exorcist is about young Regan, who is implied to have become possessed after playing around with an Ouija board. Her mother takes her to multiple doctors, believing the problem to be neurological. She quickly realizes that what's happening to Regan can not be explained by modern medicine. She seeks out a priest to perform an exorcism. 

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Dawn of the Dead is a zombie horror directed by George A. Romero, who also helmed Night of the Living Dead (1968). Zombie movies will always be popular and continue to be reinvented in new ways to keep us horrified. There is no shortage of good zombie movies but Dawn of the Dead has inspired many sequels and remakes.

Dawn of the Dead follows the standard zombie movie recipe: the dead begin to come to life. This plague spreads across the country and infects too many people for it to be stopped. Roger, Stephen, Fran, and Peter steal a helicopter to escape the city. The group ends up in a shopping mall, spending their days hiding out from the dead.

Alien (1979)

Alien is one of the biggest horror franchises, and it continues to grow. Just this year, Alien: Romulus hit theaters and was a huge success, with talks of a sequel in the works.

Alien follows the crew of Nostromo in outer space, who are awoken by a distress signal. The crew is unaware of what the signal means, and in their attempt to help, one of the crew members is infected with an alien spawn. The alien is set loose on the vast spaceship and starts picking off the crew one by one.

Jaws (1975)

Jaws is an underrated horror movie simply because people don't view it as traditional horror. However, this movie scared a generation and made people terrified to swim in the ocean. Steven Spielberg created one of the most popular movies in history, which inspired four more movies (some like to pretend they don't exist).

Jaws is about police chief Martin Brody and his hunt for a great white shark who begins a notorious killing spree. Martin is determined to keep the townsfolk safe, but Mayor Larry Vaughn refuses to close the beach for the summer, the most popular time for tourists.

Carrie (1976)

Carrie is based on the book by Stephen King that was published in 1974. The movie was quite popular in its time and is considered to be the best Stephen King movie adaptation. The movie was remade in 2013 but was not well received, lacking the charm of the original. Carrie is now getting a TV series that will also be produced by Mike Flanagan.

Carrie White is an outcast at her high school and faces daily bullying from her classmates and verbal abuse from her mother. One of Carrie's classmates pities her and asks her boyfriend to take Carrie to the prom. However, the popular girls face detention for their behavior towards Carrie and are prohibited from attending prom. The girls want revenge on Carrie and plan to humiliate her at prom, but little do they know Carrie has telekinetic powers.

Other popular movies from the 1970s:

• The Omen (1976)
• The Wicker Man (1973)
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
• Halloween (1978)
• Suspiria (1977)
• House (1977)
• The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
• Eraserhead (1977)
• Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)