The Super Powered Fancast

Horror movies are a mainstay of American cinema and as we edge closer to Halloween, we at the Super Powered Fancast are going to share some of our favorite Horror Movies from the 1970’s (when I was born) to today. Although there are several great horror films from each decade, these articles for focus on our top five and you are welcome to agree or disagree as well as add your choices through the comments section below.

5. Jaws (1975)

Often touted as the first blockbuster and a film that has, so far, never been remade, Jaws makes the list for a horror thriller that scared people away from beaches, public pools and even bathtubs. One of the reasons the film is so great is because you barely see the shark. Jaws exists as an ominous off-screen presence through most of the film. The reactions of terror and fear from the actors on-screen allow the audience to fill in the blanks of what they might be seeing when Jaws goes on the attack. What really holds onto the viewers fear and amplifies it is the terror inducing slow build of John Williams’ iconic score.

4. Alien (1979)

Alien invasion has been part of the movie experience since the space race in the 1950’s. Although Invasion of the Body Snatchers touched on the concept of aliens taking the place of your friends and neighbors with the ultimate goal of replacing humanity, Ridley Scott’s Alien took the concept of invasion to a visceral, more personal place. Setting the film on a spaceship cut off from Earth, the film manages to be both a monster on the loose horror film as well as a psychological thriller with every corner and dark space possibly containing the creature. The invasion aspect of the horror film comes from having the facehugger attach itself to a human host so that it can implant its eggs inside, thus making one of the humans on the ship the incubator of their own death.

3. Carrie (1976)

Based on the novel by Stephen King, Carrie is the story of a young woman who develops telekinetic powers after her first period and both the relentless bullying she faces in high school as well as the mental, verbal and physical abuse of her religious mother push Carrie White towards a dark and violent reckoning with everyone in her life. There are some heavy emotional scenes in the film and the theme of blood is used not to enhance the horror, but to symbolize Carrie’s changing both in the beginning and the end.

2. Halloween (1978)

John Carpenter’s Halloween makes this list because the film is everything it sets out to be and doesn’t try to be something that it’s not. After the initial interlude where we see what Michael Myers did to his sister, it isn’t touched on again. We don’t know what Michael’s motives are. We never find out why he decided to pick Laurie Strode as his victim. With the exception of Loomis’ explanation, Michael Myers is merely a shape stalking the night. In essence, he is a shark like Jaws. He moves through the night seemingly without thought or reason and hunts his victims like an animal stalking prey. This makes Michael more dangerous because he cannot be reasoned or bargained with. He is a force of nature in the film and that serves the horror of it.

1. The Exorcist (1973)

The top film on this list scared me not because it included a series of grisly murders or jump scares of creatures emerging from the darkness. The Exorcistscared myself and audiences because it was about the loss of self. Young Regan is possessed by a demon for seemingly no reason. She did nothing to bring on this possession and can seemingly do nothing to expel the demon from her. That loss of control of one’s own body to an unknown entity is horrific in itself, but when the demon begins to lash out, seemingly feeding on Regan herself, it becomes an even bigger threat. The film becomes even more terrifying when the only help Regan’s mother can get to try and save her daughter is from an older priest who is vulnerable physically and a young priest who is vulnerable emotionally and spiritually. Watching the demon exploit those weaknesses makes the film more sinister and horrific.

What are your picks for the top horror films of the 1970’s? Let us know what you choices are in the comments below.

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