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When it comes to nominate the greatest decade in American picture palace , the ‘ 70s isbound to come up as a secure rival . This is the tenner that wreak moviegoers the “ New Hollywood ” apparent motion , which blend big - studio apartment filmmaking and arthouse sensibilities to produce movies likeThe Godfather , Taxi Driver , Star Wars , andOne Flew Over the Cuckoo ’s Nest .
The cynicism of this era of cinema can be impute to the political climate of the time . American audiences were on edge due to the Watergate malicious gossip and the Vietnam War . Naturally , a social climate of fear was gravid for repugnance movies . Some veridical masterpieces of the genre hit theaters in the seventies .
Jaws (1975)
Steven Spielberg raise with 1975’sJaws , wide affect to be the first - ever summer smash hit , that unreasonable gore and an R valuation are n’t what matter when creating a sense of apprehension in an hearing . Despite its PG evaluation , Jawsis one of the most terrifying movies ever made . Spielbergused all the trick from the Hitchcockian suspense playbookto make his audience revere a 25 - foot great white shark for two hours whileonly in reality look it for around four minutes .
WhatelevatesJawsabove its shark - infested imitatorsis its perfectly make screenplay . This is n’t a movie about a shark ; it ’s a motion picture aboutthree mismatched guys . The shark is just there to get them on a sauceboat together in the middle of the ocean .
Carrie (1976)
Brian De Palma is one of the masters of cinematic violence . He ’s turned on - screen battue , once ignore as Hollywood ’s anatomy of smut , into an art descriptor . He was the perfect filmmaker to bring Stephen King ’s launching novelCarrieto the heavy screen door .
The title character develops telekinetic powers while facing merciless bullying from both her abusive spiritual zealot mother and her fellow high schoolers . It ’s only a matter of time before she snap , and De Palma establish the suspense masterfully .
The Exorcist (1973)
Until the latest adaptation of Stephen King’sItcame along in 2017 , William Friedkin ’s 1973 classicThe Exorcistwas the long - reigning highest - grossing horror pic of all time .
The account of a non-Christian priest ’s effort to exorcise a demon that has possess a 12 - twelvemonth - sure-enough girl really captured the zeitgeist in the ‘ 70s . While there are sight of other contenders , The Exorcistis regularly bluster as the scariest motion picture ever made .
Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
Afterdefining the zombi spirit mythoswith an eerie parallel to America ’s unworthy history of racism inNight of the Living Dead , George A. Romero keep up it up with a zombie - infest caustic remark of consumer culture , Dawn of the Dead .
With its legion of the undead swarm to the dear mall , Dawn of the Deadhas both gnarly , lineage - soaked violence and prick social commentary in spades .
The Wicker Man (1973)
Although it ’s been ruined for many modern moviegoers by the painful Nicolas Cage remaking , Robin Hardy’sThe Wicker Manremains an unsettling masterpiece of sept horror .
One of the few horror cinema look at to be high art , The Wicker Manis the pioneer and pinnacle of the “ constabulary enforcement ship’s officer croak to spooky isolated berth where all is not as it seems ” subgenre .
Don’t Look Now (1973)
Every parent ’s bad incubus is realize in the chilling gap minute ofDon’t see Now . Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland star as a couple who go to Venice follow the accidental death of their girl when the husband is commissioned to bushel a church out there .
While the story has supernatural element , the focus ofDon’t Look Nowis strictly on the very real fear of losing a child and the core it can have on a twain ’s psyche .
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
All theTexas Chainsawsequels have devolved into an exercise in one - upmanship built around exuberant ferocity , but Tobe Hooper ’s original masterpiece is relatively bloodless .
Hooper used the integral tenseness in the immediate terror of Leatherface to create more dread and fear than any amount of bloodshed ever could .
Halloween (1978)
John Carpenter prepare the guide for the slasher with his minimalist 1978 hitHalloween . The narration of an escape mental patient role stalking a bunch of teenagers and finding that one of them is right smart more badass than he anticipated has been slackly copied fourth dimension and time again , but few have make out tight to matchingthe magnificence of Carpenter ’s oeuvre .
Laurie Strode , diddle by iconic scream fairy Jamie Lee Curtis , is the quintessential revulsion movie booster ( and one of the smartest , most resourceful last girl ever write ) , while the faceless embodiment of pure inhumanity that is Michael Myers is the quintessential horror movie baddie .
Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott’sAlienisa masterclass in pacing . Instead of rushing into the scourge , Scott takes his time introducing the characters and their world . The crew members on the Nostromo are just like us . We get to eff Kane as a regular guy wire before a facehugger latch onto him and impregnates him with a bod - consume extraterrestrial .
The build - up is what makesthe iconic chestburster scenery at the midpointso effectual . And from there , Scott continues to ratchet down up the tension , continue the interview in awe of the xenomorph , designed beautifully by the victor H.R. Giger .
Suspiria (1977)
Dario Argento’sSuspiriaplays like an operatic incubus . The chess opening second score like a surprisal shot in the branch and then the rest of the film keep that disorient pace and haunting looker .
Noted for its bright , vivacious colors , influence on repugnance filmmakers , and musical score by Argento and prog - rock band Goblin , Suspiriais a serious contender for the greatest horror movie ever made .
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