Sinister Cinema: The 70's

Welcome back to Sinister Cinema. For this week's list, we find ourselves in the 1970's - a glorious, gory decade for horror movies. Presented below are what I believe to be the 15 best the genre has to offer, ranked by: how much I like them, how objectively good they are, and how scary they are. Please read and enjoy (at your own peril, of course).

1970's 

15.) Black Christmas (1974): Arguably the very first slasher flick ever made, Black Christmas is vicious, depraved, and incredibly innovative. Bonus points are awarded to lead actresses Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder, whose genuine performances really elevate this thing beyond its silly, trashy aspirations.

14.) The Omen (1976): While at a glance this devil-child blockbuster seems to share a few too many similarities with The Exorcist (which, one can assume, will appear farther up this list), The Omen is nonetheless impressive. The plot plays out like a film noir mystery, the score is absolutely spine-tingling, and it's all polished over with a glossy Hollywood spit-shine.

13.) Carrie (1976): Based on Stephen King's debut novel, this film adaptation might be even more iconic than its source material. Director Brian De Palma, along with a perfectly cast Sissy Spacek, do an incredible job expressing our protagonist's humility, humiliation, and subsequent retribution.

12.) The Brood (1979): Man oh man, is this a weird movie. Directed by eccentric genius David Cronenberg, it covers a lot of wacky ground, from mutant children to psychoplasmic pregnancy to murder by mallet to, yes, even afterbirth consumption. Wowzers.

11.) The Legend of Hell House (1973): Few haunted house movies have the teeth, the balls, and the heart necessary to truly be considered classic. Thankfully, The Legend of Hell House has it all and then some, living up to its namesake and delivering some of the most unsettling scares of the 70's.

10.) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978): While the original film from 1956 is frightening in its own right, this remake has a distinct personality, one that is subversive and seductively scary. It takes its time, but the second half drops like the blade of a guillotine.

9.) Dawn of the Dead (1978): This sequel to 1968's Night of the Living Dead is zombie master George Romero once again delivering a smart, cynical horror statement. Taking aim at American consumerism, our heroes find themselves trapped in a mall infested with the undead, who wander from store to store reliving their favorite pastime - shopping.

8.) Duel (1971): How strange to include this made-for-TV thriller alongside blockbusters and Oscar winners, but with a wet-behind-the-ears Steven Spielberg at the helm for his first full-length directorial effort, how could you go wrong? With a minimalist script and a breakneck pace, this movie is frantic, freaky fun.

7.) Deliverance (1972): Rarely do movies tap into fears so primal, so buried in our subconscious, then have the courage to display them so prominently and with such finesse. With Deliverance, we watch as four friends suffer a gauntlet of atrocity that is practically unfathomable. A note to the uninitiated: prepare to be rocked to your core.

6.) Alien (1979): Of course this classic science-fiction stunner ranks so highly on my list. Here we have director Ridley Scott's magnum opus, a harrowing survival story that unfolds like a space-age slasher flick. The production design, from the ramshackle ship to the bloodthirsty beastie, are disturbingly beautiful. But best of all? The tension and the kills that follow are some of the best ever committed to celluloid.

5.) Don't Look Now (1973): For a movie I'd never even heard of until my early 20's, this often overlooked horror gem is simply fantastic. As beautiful as it is brutal, as cinematic as it is sinister, Don't Look Now is one of the decade's best. The scares roll at you in waves, drowning you beneath unexpected chills and thrills. And the ending? Wow. Worth a second or even a third watch.

4.) Jaws (1975): What else is there to be said about Spielberg's masterpiece of suspense? The plot is lean and mean, the performances from our three lead actors are phenomenal, the tension is thicker than blood, John Williams' score is melodically macabre, and it's all punctuated with scares so intense it'll make you fear open water for, I don't know, the rest of your life? This movie was the first ever summer blockbuster, and did a lot to mainstream B-movie horror tropes. If you're the only person left alive who hasn't seen it, do yourself a favor and rectify this error as soon as you can.

3.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974): Before seeing this movie, I'd snobbishly dismissed it as hokey, schlocky trash. Surely it was only worthy of drive-ins and midnight screenings, populated by grindhouse enthusiasts with campy sensibilities. God, how completely wrong I was. This deliciously dreadful flick is practically without peer, notable for pitch-perfect work behind the camera (directed by the always-awesome Tobe Hooper) and a keen attention to detail. Cinemassacre's James Rolfe often characterizes the low-budget glory of it all as feeling like a documentary you'd watch in science class. He's absolutely right. There's a palpable reality that's unnerving to even the most hardcore horror hounds. It's awesome.

2.) The Exorcist (1973): My mom likes to tell a story about the time her and her sister went to go see The Exorcist is theaters. They were on a double date, and all my mom can remember is throwing a jacket over her face, covering her ears, and waiting for the whole thing to be over. My wife's experience, though it happened over three decades later, was similar: a basement full of kids watching it on a Friday night, and one of them spent the film's duration rocking back and forth whispering The Lord's Prayer urgently into a pillow. I remember my first viewing was in a well-lit living room at a buddy's house, and while I slogged through it alright at the time (at 14, I had already declared myself a horror aficionado, so my reputation was on the line), I nonetheless had nightmares for months after. Bad nightmares. The kind I still remember to this day. So, yeah...it's pretty incredible.

1.) Halloween (1978): But it all comes down to this, doesn't it? At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how big a movie's budget is, or how enthusiastic the reception from Hollywood elites - all that matters is horror. And with John Carpenter's classic, the horror is black as midnight, tinged with the flickering orange of a jack-o-lantern's candle. This is the ultimate scary movie, one that defined the genre for decades and inspired filmmakers for generations. The premise is iconic. The villain is iconic. The music, the protagonist, the foil, the kills...everything is iconic. And that ending? I've never been more frightened by the static shot of an empty yard, bathed in moonglow, the wind rustling through the trees. This isn't just the best horror movie of the 70's - it might be the best horror movie ever. It uses the backdrop of a typical suburban Halloween, with all its mischief and juvenile fun in tact, to unveil the bloody, brutal heart of the holiday. It is a truly disquieting juxtaposition, one that no other movie has managed to replicate. This should be mandatory October viewing, an annual experience to remind you how awesome Halloween can be.