Best Horror Films Of The 70s Poll

[Slippery Jack]

Great list. The Shout is about 85 places too low, but it's your list!

. . .

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

I have the American Shriek Show DVD. It really beggars belief why it hasn't been released in the UK as there'd be a decent market for a special edition DVD.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Slippery Jack

. . .

Despite how low it appears on my list, I do love The Shout. Definitely recommended for anyone who hasn't seen it.

[Rik]

No Dawn of the Dead

I see a lot of people ranking Don't Look Now quite high, it's holding up the rest of my list at the minute, never seen what all the fuss is with it. I think I'll give it another watch to see if my feelings have changed in the last 10 years, maybe it will move up a couple of places

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Rik

No Dawn of the Dead

I decided to knock it off.

It was only there in my draft version under consideration. It's a film I like in some respects, but was blinded by its cult status rather than personal enjoyment when I first included it. As I started really delving into my rankings, it started to sink lower and lower until... gone.

I have thought as to why I don't like it as much as other horror fans seem to, and have come to the conclusion that it is due to me not liking action films much. Dawn is basically a horror action film, a lot of the horror elements (and even the zombies) take a back-seat to the action sequences and dialogue and interactions between the characters. This is also probably why I don't rate Aliens much either.

Originally Posted by Rik

I see a lot of people ranking Don't Look Now quite high, it's holding up the rest of my list at the minute, never seen what all the fuss is with it. I think I'll give it another watch to see if my feelings have changed in the last 10 years, maybe it will move up a couple of places

Don't Look Now is excellent. It's really tense and chilling, plus both Sutherland and Christie put in a great performance. The cinematography is also excellent, with some great scenes of the Venice canals. Hopefully the ending wasn't spoiled for you on your first watch, as that could diminish the impact of the film greatly.

[Rik]

I've got it lined up for another viewing some time this week, it's not that I don't like the film, I just never saw what all the fuss was about when I first watched it, hence the reason why I haven't watched it in about 10 years.
There's quite a few that are low down on my list at the minute that I need to rewatch, that's why I only posted a top 5 for now as those are the only ones guaranteed not to change. The rest contains about 50% of films I haven't watched in a long time so their order will be decided when I watch them again, still struggling to reach 100 though, 70 at the minute

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

I'm not sure about the order but I would spend hours moving around those from 11 to 25 and still not be happy, but here's my top 25:

1. The Exorcist
2. Dawn of the Dead
3. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
4. The Wicker Man
5. Don't Look Now
6. Halloween
7. Alien
8. Suspiria
9. Jaws
10. Deep Red/Profondo Rosso
11. Zombie Flesh Eaters/Zombi 2
12. Carrie
13. A Bay of Blood
14. Eraserhead
15. Black Christmas
16. The Devils
17. The Blood on Satan's Claw
18. Martin
19. The Tenant
20. The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue
21. Picnic at Hanging Rock
22. Don't Torture a Duckling
23. The Abominable Dr. Phibes
24. Phantasm
25. A Lizard in a Woman's Skin

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Nice to see Lizard make your list too, Nos

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Nice to see Lizard make your list too, Nos

I think my list will be almost entirely populated by Gialli and British films.

No Alien or Dawn of the Dead though.

[jiraffejustin]

I watched the Wizard of Gore, and I was expecting something exciting and interesting. I was left with something boring and tiresome. The gore was at least amusing though, but not much else was of note.