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31 Movies of Halloween Challenge – The 1970’s Movie List
31 Movies of Halloween Challenge
It’s almost Halloween! With only 31 days to go, we thought we’d share our 31 Movies of Halloween Challenge. It’s a small goal we set ourselves every year and it’s super simple. Watch 31 horror movies (at the very least) during the month of October. We use this time to discover new movies, older classics and some absolutely terrible ones, that either leave us feeling queasy or just plain confused. So to help you join our challenge we are going to share 4 lists of movies from the 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s, 2000’s and 2010’s. The first up – the 1970’s Horror Movie List.
What Made 1970’s Horror Movies So Good
The 1970’s were not just about Flower Power, bell bottoms and Hippies. Antiwar sentiment ran high. People were sickened by the graphic footage of casualties beamed into their houses every night from the Vietnam War. Civil Rights resulted in political unrest. The Watergate Scandal shook people’s belief in the trustworthiness of their Government. Crime rates and unemployment soared. All of this pain, shock and dread made the new wave of 1970’s horror movies really popular.
Realistic, gritty, gory movies replaced gothic fantasies and ghost stories. Known as the Golden Age of Horror people gorged themselves on the new groundbreaking new entries into the genre. Boundaries were pushed to their limits thanks to the relaxed approach of the American Censors. People like Tom Savini used their experience in the Vietnam War to bring bloody realism to their effects on the big screen. Iconic creatures, monsters, villains and franchises were born.
Our Must Watch List of 1970’s Horror Movies
So to help you pick movies to watch during our 31 Movies of Halloween Challenge, here is 31 films from the Seventies we’d recommend you give a try. We have sorted this list alphabetically to try and be as unbiased as possible!
1. A Bay of Blood
This film helped inspire Friday the 13th. You can watch the movie in full here for free on YouTube. The plot is as follows: “The murder of a wealthy heiress by her husband triggers a series of brutal killings in the surrounding bay area.”
2. Alien
Chestbursters. Facehuggers. Xenomorphs and Ellen Ripley. This movie has it all!
The plot: “After a space merchant vessel perceives an unknown transmission as a distress call, it’s landing on the source moon finds one of the crew attacked by a mysterious lifeform, and they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun.”
3. Asylum
The plot: “In order to secure a job at a mental institution, a young psychiatrist must interview four patients inside the asylum.”
4. Black Christmas
The plot: “During their Christmas break, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger.”
5. Carrie
A Stephen King novel turned into a really good movie.
6. Dawn of the Dead
The sequel to George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead features hordes of zombies, a shopping mall and great social commentary about the dangers of consumerism.
The plot: “Following an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia S.W.A.T. team members, a traffic reporter, and his television-executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.”
7. Don’t Look Now
A slow burner that will stay with you for days afterwards.
The plot: “A married couple grieving the recent death of their young daughter are in Venice when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond.”
8. Eraserhead
A movie that will have you asking “WTF did I just watch?”
9. Halloween
The Shape himself Michael Myers in his very first outing!
10. I Spit on your Grave
A movie deemed so violent and graphic that it was banned for years after being classed as a “Video Nasty”
The plot: “An aspiring writer is repeatedly gang-raped, humiliated, and left for dead by four men whom she systematically hunts down to seek revenge.”
11. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
The Pod People are taking over!
12. It’s Alive
Watch this monster movie for the effects from Rick Baker and a killer infant.
13. Jaws
The film responsible for people’s fear of sharks and water!
14. Phantasm
A weird ongoing series, that introduced us to the Tall Man, his zombie minions and a killer flying sphere.
15. Rabid
You are in for a gory body horror experience from Director David Cronenberg.
16.Salem’s Lot
Another Stephen King adaptation. The floating kid outside the window is creepy as hell. It’s also directed by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Tobe Hooper.The plot: ”A novelist and a young horror fan attempt to save a small New England town which has been invaded by vampires.”
17. Shivers
David Cronenberg’s debut movie, which earned him the title of Master of Body Horror. It’s an unusual take on a zombie movie.
18. Tales from the Crypt
5 mini horror movies that will creep you out!
19. The Abominable Dr. Phibes
This is one of Vincent Price’s best roles. He’s a deranged serial killer using the 9 plagues of Moses to kill his victims.
20. The Amityville Horror
Based on a true story. Do not watch this if you have just moved into your new house.
21. The Brood
David Cronenberg again. The man was busy in the 70’s! We can’t really reveal more without ruining the plot.
22. The Crazies
While lacking zombies, this George A. Romero movie, is full of violence, dread, tension and mass hysteria thanks to a viral infection in a small town.
23. The Exorcist
There are 2 versions now available. The original cut which we highly recommend over the Director’s Cut. While the Director’s Cut contains the “spider-walk” scene it also contains extra scenes that don’t really add anything to the film and affect it’s pacing.
24. The Hills Have Eyes
This is the story of what happens when you ignore the warnings of the crazy old man at the gas station.
25. The Omega Man
An apocalyptic movie based on Richard Matheson’s “I Am Legend”.
26. The Omen
A movie spawned the fear of the number 666 and one which gave Rottweiler dogs a bad name.
27. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
It’s time to do the Time Warp and embrace your inner Freak while rocking out to the great soundtrack!
28. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The film that introduced us to Leatherface!
29. The Wicker Man
A real slow burner, where the religious creepiness builds up into a worthy payoff.
30. Tourist Trap
Telekinesis and spooky mannequins. We’re in!
31. Zombi 2
The plot: “Strangers searching for a young woman’s missing father arrive at a tropical island where a doctor desperately searches for the cause and cure of a recent epidemic of the undead.”
The Challenge
So there you have it. 31 movies from the Seventies to help you get started with the Challenge. Which movies on this list will you be watching? Tell us which ones you love, hate and will flat out refuse to watch! Make sure to tell us why too. Be sure to keep us in the loop on how you are progressing through your 31 Days of Halloween Movie Challenge.
