Best '70s horror movies
The 1970s have been referred to as a 鈥攁nd with good reason. This is the decade that birthed the slasher franchise as we know it with the debut of "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" and "Halloween." It gave us horror blockbusters like "Jaws" and "Alien," both of which inspired franchises of their own. On the whole, horror captured the feeling of the era, delivering paranoid thrillers like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "Don't Look Now," along with the sharp social satire of "Dawn of the Dead" and "The Stepford Wives."
These films continue to be talked about, analyzed, and revived. In honor of its 50th anniversary, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is through November 2025 with some of the original cast in attendance. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of "Jaws," which enjoyed a of its own, along with . Other '70s horror films live on in different ways: The story of "Alien" has continued with the FX on Hulu series "," which wrapped up its first season on Sept. 23, 2025. The well-received show between the original "Alien" and the 1986 sequel "Aliens."
But which of these beloved movies are the best of the best? When it comes to the greatest horror films of the 1970s, there's almost too much to choose from. To figure out which titles truly rise to the top, 麻豆原创 compiled a list of the best '70s horror movies of all time based on our own 麻豆原创 score, a weighted index split evenly between user rating and . To qualify, the film had to have horror as one of its genres on IMDb, have a Metascore, and have at least 5,000 IMDb user votes. Ties were broken by votes.
#50. God Told Me To (1976)
- Director: Larry Cohen
- 麻豆原创 score: 71.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.2
- Metascore: 55
- Runtime: 91 minutes
#49. Demon Seed (1977)
- Director: Donald Cammell
- 麻豆原创 score: 72.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.3
- Metascore: 55
- Runtime: 94 minutes
#48. Rabid (1977)
- Director: David Cronenberg
- 麻豆原创 score: 73.1
- IMDb user rating: 6.3
- Metascore: 56
- Runtime: 91 minutes
#47. Burnt Offerings (1976)
- Director: Dan Curtis
- 麻豆原创 score: 73.3
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Metascore: 48
- Runtime: 116 minutes
#46. Phase IV (1974)
- Director: Saul Bass
- 麻豆原创 score: 73.4
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Metascore: 49
- Runtime: 84 minutes
#45. The Fury (1978)
- Director: Brian De Palma
- 麻豆原创 score: 73.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.3
- Metascore: 64
- Runtime: 118 minutes
#44. The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
- Director: Wes Craven
- 麻豆原创 score: 73.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.3
- Metascore: 64
- Runtime: 90 minutes
#43. Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971)
- Director: John D. Hancock
- 麻豆原创 score: 74.3
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Metascore: 58
- Runtime: 89 minutes
#42. When a Stranger Calls (1979)
- Director: Fred Walton
- 麻豆原创 score: 74.3
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Metascore: 58
- Runtime: 97 minutes
#41. Shivers (1975)
- Director: David Cronenberg
- 麻豆原创 score: 74.3
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Metascore: 58
- Runtime: 87 minutes
#40. The Vampire Lovers (1970)
- Director: Roy Ward Baker
- 麻豆原创 score: 74.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Metascore: 63
- Runtime: 91 minutes
#39. The House That Dripped Blood (1971)
- Director: Peter Duffell
- 麻豆原创 score: 75.1
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Metascore: 55
- Runtime: 102 minutes
#38. Asylum (I) (1972)
- Director: Roy Ward Baker
- 麻豆原创 score: 75.1
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Metascore: 65
- Runtime: 88 minutes
#37. Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)
- Director: Alfred Sole
- 麻豆原创 score: 75.3
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Metascore: 67
- Runtime: 107 minutes
#36. Race with the Devil (1975)
- Director: Jack Starrett
- 麻豆原创 score: 75.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Metascore: 53
- Runtime: 88 minutes
#35. Dracula (1979)
- Director: John Badham
- 麻豆原创 score: 76.4
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Metascore: 67
- Runtime: 109 minutes
#34. Horror Express (1972)
- Director: Eugenio Mart铆n
- 麻豆原创 score: 76.5
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Metascore: 68
- Runtime: 88 minutes
#33. Long Weekend (1978)
- Director: Colin Eggleston
- 麻豆原创 score: 76.8
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Metascore: 61
- Runtime: 97 minutes
#32. Twins of Evil (1971)
- Director: John Hough
- 麻豆原创 score: 76.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Metascore: 62
- Runtime: 87 minutes
#31. The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)
- Director: Dario Argento
- 麻豆原创 score: 77.0
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Metascore: 63
- Runtime: 112 minutes
#30. Daughters of Darkness (1971)
- Director: Harry K眉mel
- 麻豆原创 score: 77.1
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Metascore: 74
- Runtime: 87 minutes
#29. The Legend of Hell House (1973)
- Director: John Hough
- 麻豆原创 score: 77.3
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 56
- Runtime: 95 minutes
#28. Magic (1978)
- Director: Richard Attenborough
- 麻豆原创 score: 77.6
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 49
- Runtime: 107 minutes
#27. Phantasm (1979)
- Director: Don Coscarelli
- 麻豆原创 score: 78.0
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Metascore: 72
- Runtime: 89 minutes
#26. Zombie (1979)
- Director: Lucio Fulci
- 麻豆原创 score: 78.2
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 54
- Runtime: 91 minutes
#25. The Medusa Touch (1978)
- Director: Jack Gold
- 麻豆原创 score: 78.7
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 49
- Runtime: 109 minutes
#24. The Brood (1979)
- Director: David Cronenberg
- 麻豆原创 score: 79.1
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 63
- Runtime: 92 minutes
#23. The Stepford Wives (1975)
- Director: Bryan Forbes
- 麻豆原创 score: 79.2
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 54
- Runtime: 115 minutes
#22. The Other (1972)
- Director: Robert Mulligan
- 麻豆原创 score: 79.3
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 65
- Runtime: 108 minutes
#21. The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)
- Director: Nicolas Gessner
- 麻豆原创 score: 80.2
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Metascore: 53
- Runtime: 91 minutes
#20. Sisters (1972)
- Director: Brian De Palma
- 麻豆原创 score: 80.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 70
- Runtime: 93 minutes
#19. Martin (1976)
- Director: George A. Romero
- 麻豆原创 score: 81.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Metascore: 68
- Runtime: 95 minutes
#18. Black Christmas (1974)
- Director: Bob Clark
- 麻豆原创 score: 82.5
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Metascore: 65
- Runtime: 98 minutes
#17. Theater of Blood (1973)
- Director: Douglas Hickox
- 麻豆原创 score: 84.2
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 104 minutes
#16. Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
- Director: Brian De Palma
- 麻豆原创 score: 84.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Metascore: 67
- Runtime: 91 minutes
#15. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
- Director: Jim Sharman
- 麻豆原创 score: 85.7
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 65
- Runtime: 100 minutes
#14. Suspiria (1977)
- Director: Dario Argento
- 麻豆原创 score: 86.2
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Metascore: 79
- Runtime: 92 minutes
#13. The Omen (1976)
- Director: Richard Donner
- 麻豆原创 score: 86.5
- IMDb user rating: 7.5
- Metascore: 62
- Runtime: 111 minutes
#12. Don't Look Now (1973)
- Director: Nicolas Roeg
- 麻豆原创 score: 86.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 95
- Runtime: 110 minutes
#11. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
- Director: Philip Kaufman
- 麻豆原创 score: 86.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 75
- Runtime: 115 minutes
#10. Eraserhead (1977)
- Director: David Lynch
- 麻豆原创 score: 87.0
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Metascore: 87
- Runtime: 89 minutes
#9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
- Director: Tobe Hooper
- 麻豆原创 score: 87.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 83 minutes
#8. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
- Director: Werner Herzog
- 麻豆原创 score: 87.2
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 79
- Runtime: 107 minutes
#7. Carrie (1976)
- Director: Brian De Palma
- 麻豆原创 score: 87.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 85
- Runtime: 98 minutes
#6. The Wicker Man (1973)
- Director: Robin Hardy
- 麻豆原创 score: 89.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.5
- Metascore: 87
- Runtime: 88 minutes
#5. Deep Red (1975)
- Director: Dario Argento
- 麻豆原创 score: 89.4
- IMDb user rating: 7.5
- Metascore: 89
- Runtime: 127 minutes
#4. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
- Director: George A. Romero
- 麻豆原创 score: 90.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 71
- Runtime: 127 minutes
#3. Halloween (1978)
- Director: John Carpenter
- 麻豆原创 score: 91.3
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 87
- Runtime: 91 minutes
#2. The Exorcist (1973)
- Director: William Friedkin
- 麻豆原创 score: 94.9
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 122 minutes
#1. Alien (1979)
- Director: Ridley Scott
- 麻豆原创 score: 100.0
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Metascore: 89
- Runtime: 117 minutes
