The best horror movies of the 1970s
The top 3 according to 51 votes from people: The Exorcist (1973) · Halloween (1978) · Don't Look Now (1973). (Updated Nov 5, 2025.)
The Exorcist, Halloween and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: the decade that reinvented horror (IndieWire, Collider, The Playlist, Rotten Tomatoes).
Top 12
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1
The Exorcist (1973)
One of the most iconic horror films ever made.
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2
Halloween (1978)
John Carpenter founds the slasher as we know it.
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3
Don't Look Now (1973)
Nicolas Roeg, grief and a red coat in Venice.
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4
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Few films make you so uncomfortable.
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5
Jaws (1975)
Spielberg's shark terrorises a beach town.
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6
Suspiria (1977)
Dario Argento's technicolor witches.
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7
The Wicker Man (1973)
A policeman on a Scottish island with pagan rites.
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8
The Omen (1976)
Pulpy horror classed up by its A-list cast.
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9
Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott's haunted house in space.
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10
Black Christmas (1974)
The underrated film that set the slasher's rules.
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11
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
George A. Romero's zombies in a shopping mall.
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12
Carrie (1976)
Brian De Palma's prom night from Stephen King.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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