5 Horror Movies From The 1970s That Have Aged Incredibly Well

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To be included, the movie had to firmly be in the horror genre, as opposed to a thriller. Sorry, Jaws. Just missing the cut were Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Crazies, The Wicker Man, Phantasm, Black Christmas, Carrie, Suspiria, The Omen, and Don’t Look Now.

5) Alien

While Ridley Scott’s Alien kicked off a franchise that’s going strong to this day it works just as well as a one-off as it does the beginning of something much larger. It’s one of the ultimate single isolated locale horror films. No section of its setting is safe, any corner could be shielding its antagonist, who blends in with the walls, and a small crew only becomes smaller.

Alien is tightly paced, the cast list is one of the most impressive in the horror genre’s history, and the Xenomorph couldn’t be any more well-designed. Aliens may be more consistently exciting, but the franchise never topped its first time out he gate.

Stream Alien on Hulu.

4) Dawn of the Dead

Even though George A. Romero made three movies after his initial undead trilogy, those first trio are the only trio worth watching. This is primarily because they each had something cutting to say.

In the case of Dawn of the Dead, the focus was all on consumerism. And, in America, consumerism will be a relevant topic of discussion be it in the 1970s or the 2070s. Not to mention, it’s just a ridiculously entertaining and occasionally endearingly nasty movie.

3) Halloween

Like the next entry on our list, Halloween is so impactful partially because it’s what isn’t shown that is scary. And, with John Carpenter’s classic, there is next to no blood…there’s just a ton of anticipation followed by gut-punches.

And, like Alien, which we touched on earlier, it’s a movie that led to a massive franchise yet works just as well as a one-off as it does the start of a big running story (that has been prone to reboots and various timelines). The difference is, in this case, it absolutely works even better as a one-off. A single evening of terror that ends on a note that makes you feel uncomfortable, as if you need to continuously look over your shoulder be it day or night.

Stream Halloween on fuboTV.

2) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

There’s nothing in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre that feels remotely removed from reality. What you see seems very much like what you could get if you step on the wrong property.

None of the cast of Tobe Hooper’s classic could be called seasoned professional actors, and that only serves to further emphasize the film’s realism. Toss in the fact that the film’s lack of blood makes your really imagine what that chainsaw is doing to its cast of young characters and Chain Saw is terrifying from moment one and never lets up. It plays like a grisly documentary shot five decades in the past.

Stream The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on Prime Video.

1) The Exorcist

Even for the secular, The Exorcist is horrifying. It’s most commonly cited as the scariest movie ever made 50 years later for good reason: It’s just that.

But the reason it’s so scary isn’t because it’s a rapid-fire attempt to frighten or upset the audience, but rather because it’s incredibly character focused. That approach doesn’t age. We’re watching a mother’s increasing desperation as her daughter is overtaken by something she doesn’t understand, much less know how to fight. Naturally, the head turn and spider walk are jarring moments of horror film history, but they work as well as they do because of Ellen Burstyn’s performance.