Welcome one and all to the House of Horrors. I am your tour guide, Jeff, and today we’re taking a tour through the 1970s wing of the house. The decade gave us some of the absolute best horror films in history. Their impact and scare factor can still be felt more than 50 years later, with two of the films on this list still widely discussed today.
Without further ado, the wing is open, and it’s time to dive right in.
5. Halloween (1978)
Synopsis: Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night in 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
Possibly the most influential of all slasher films, John Carpenter’s Halloween is the reason the modern slasher subgenre even exists. While not the first of its kind, it set the template for countless imitators that followed.
Carpenter builds an uncanny mood from the title sequence alone — a slow zoom on a jack-o’-lantern accompanied by his now-iconic score — and follows it with an expertly shot prologue that pulls the audience directly into the story. Michael Myers is crafted with meticulous care: an unstoppable force of evil whose presence looms over every frame.
4. Snuff (1975)
Synopsis: A so-called “snuff” film involving the exploits of a cult leader leading a gang of bikers in a series of supposedly real killings on film.
Snuff has gone down in history less for its quality and more for its notoriety. The filmmakers took an already poorly made biker–drug war movie and tacked on a staged “real” murder scene involving one of the actresses. The result was a marketing frenzy that played heavily into urban legends about underground snuff films.
The bulk of the movie is low-rent action and gore, but the final mock murder sequence — complete with finger-chopping and intestine-ripping — is what cemented its infamy. It’s worth seeing purely for historical context within the 1970s exploitation circuit, but if you’re after quality filmmaking, look elsewhere.
3. The Last House on the Left (1972)
Synopsis: Two teenage girls heading to a rock concert for one’s birthday try to score marijuana in the city, where they are kidnapped and brutalized by a gang of psychopathic convicts.
Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left is a primal, almost Neanderthal-like descent into brutality. Its disturbing imagery leaves a permanent mark on the subconscious of anyone who sees it.
The film follows two carefree young women who, in their search for weed, cross paths with a small-time dealer named Junior. He lures them to his gang’s hideout, leading to a harrowing 45-minute sequence of humiliation, assault, and ultimately murder. Craven pushes the boundaries of what the horror genre could portray in the early 1970s, creating a visceral and unforgettable experience.
2. Deliverance (1972)
Synopsis: Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it’s dammed and turned into a lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a canoeing trip they’ll never forget into the dangerous American backcountry.
Deliverance, adapted from James Dickey’s novel and directed by John Boorman, blends survival drama with raw horror. Four businessmen set out for a weekend adventure, only to encounter the darkest aspects of human nature — from deep-seated poverty to physical and sexual violence.
The 1970s backdrop of wilderness survival turns into a nightmarish odyssey, with the group trapped in an environment as hostile as their assailants. The tension is unrelenting, and several sequences — including the infamous banjo duel and the harrowing river escape — have been endlessly referenced in other works. Strong performances, especially from Jon Voight, make it both a landmark thriller and a deeply unsettling watch.
1. The Exorcist (1973)
Synopsis: When a teenage girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter.
The Exorcist, based on William Peter Blatty’s novel, follows actress Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) as she watches her daughter Regan (Linda Blair) deteriorate under the grip of demonic possession. Priests Karras (Jason Miller) and Merrin (Max von Sydow) are called to perform the exorcism, risking their lives and souls in the process.
This 1970s masterpiece remains one of the most frightening films ever made. William Friedkin’s direction, combined with Dick Smith’s groundbreaking makeup, eerie practical effects, and an unforgettable score, creates a deeply unsettling atmosphere. It’s not just a horror film — it’s a study in faith, fear, and the fragility of the human spirit.
The 1970s were a defining decade for horror cinema, pushing boundaries in storytelling, style, and subject matter. While the 1950s gave us atomic-age monsters and the 1960s introduced psychological chills and groundbreaking gothic horror, the 1970s took things to a darker, grittier, and often more shocking level.
Films like The Exorcist and Halloween didn’t just terrify audiences — they reshaped the genre for decades to come. Others, like Deliverance, The Last House on the Left, and Snuff, reflected the raw, unsettling edge that defined much of the decade’s filmmaking.
Even now, these movies stand as cultural touchstones, their imagery and themes still influencing modern horror. The 1970s may be long gone, but its horrors remain timeless — lurking in the shadows, ready to haunt new generations of viewers.
