Best Horror Movies of the 70's

Suspiria is a great example of Italian horror movies in the 70's. Technically this would be considered giallo, which is Italian for mystery. I would consider this to be Dario Argento at his best.

Like many giallo films, there are plenty of plot holes, but it more than makes up for this shortcoming with visual style. The color schemes are great, and the atmosphere complements the story perfectly.

If you don't mind some gore, then I would recommend you see this at least once.

Don't Look Now is a strange, somewhat surreal horror movie starring Donald Southerland and Julie Christie. The basic premise is that Southerland and Christie have a daughter that drowns in the beginning of the movie. They move to Venice because Southerland has work there, and they meet a couple of sister who claim that one of them is a psychic. There is a series of strange happenings, and Southerland keeps seeing the image of what appears to be his daughter disappearing in the alleys of Venice. We follow the couple as they attempt to deal with the recent death of their daughters.

This is a great movie, that should keep you guessing. The ending is good, but the build up to the ending is great. There's no gore in this, and it relies on atmosphere to give that somewhat uncomfortable feeling.

The Exorcist
The Version You've Never Seen

70s horror movies often had religious themes and lots of attractive women, and this film is no exception. The Devil's Nightmare is an Italian/Belgium collaboration. I really enjoy this movie, but from what I've seen on forums, you either love it or hate it. It is kind of goofy, but it was Italian horror in the 1970s....all their movies were goofy. We follow 7 tourists that are supposed to represent the 7 deadly sins, that are forced to seek shelter in a creepy castle for the night. Little do they know that a succubus is also in the castle, and she just wants to take each of them out based on their sin.

All in all, I like it, but it may not be for everybody. The Devil's Nightmare is in the public domain, so I posted the full film in my film review. Be warned, there is mature material in the film.

With Black Christmas we have one of the first holiday themed horror movies. We have Olivia Hussey running around a sorority house during Christmas break as a stalker takes out the sorority sisters one by one. We get to see the telephone being used as a tool of fright, which for the time was pretty original, though Silent Night, Bloody Night used this same device 2 years earlier.

Anyways, this is a fun movie to watch. Though, I will say, you have to keep in mind that this was pretty innovative for its time. We've seen so much today that we often can't see the beauty in our origins.

If you enjoy the Hammer horror films of the late 50s through the mid 70s, then I think that you would probably like The House That Dripped Blood. In fact, you would probably enjoy all of the Amicus horror anthologies. I've listed some of them below. These films have the same look and feel of the Hammer films, but they are set in modern times, and don't have the gothic scenery and clothing that Hammer films had.

If you have a very small attention span, then these films fare perfect for you. Anthology films are a series of short stories within a story. Creepshow would be an example.

The House That Dripped Blood has two of my favorite actors in it, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, and they are both great. This is great fun, and I highly recommend this Amicus classic.

John Carpenter is a favorite director of mine, and this is the second movie that I saw by him (the first being Big Trouble in Little China, of course). I was little and this came on during Halloween time. It scared me, but I couldn't stop watching. Michael Meyers is too cool, and this movie is too great.

If I could only watch one movie during Halloween, this would be that movie. I think it's brilliant that this is considered one of the first slasher movies, and there isn't really any blood in it.

If somehow you made it this far in life, and you still haven't seen this, then you must.

The Exorcist
The Version You've Never Seen

The Omen

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Dawn of the Dead
Ultimate Edition

Phantasm

Carrie
Special Edition

Deep Red

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage:
Special Edition

Four Flies on Grey Velvet

Zombi

The Amityville Horror

The Last House on the Left

Alien
(Divimax Special Edition)

Dr. Phibes

Asylum

Blacula

The Brood

Jaws

Captain Kronos
Vampire Hunter

Count Dracula

Countess Dracula

The Crazies

Dracula

Exorcist II
The Heretic

From Beyond the Grave

Tales from the Crypt / Vault of Horror

Dracula A.D. 1972

The Satanic Rites of Dracula
Special Edition

Young Frankenstein

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed

Frankenstein & The Monster From Hell

The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires

The Wicker Man

Taste the Blood of Dracula

When a Stranger Calls

Horror Express
Remastered Edition

Let's Move On To The 80s!