The Crypt Charts
The Top 31 Horror Movies of the 1970s
Thirty-one films that defined the 1970s in horror — ranked by the Crypt Score, our audience-first blend of IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and viewer votes.
Ranked by Crypt Score · Updated weekly · captured Jul 20, 2026
Eligibility: a title needs at least 2 rating sources and 1,000+ votes to chart — no thin-data entries.
Jaws
PG1975 · Horror, Thriller, Adventure · 124m · Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary
When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to kill the beast before it strikes again.
The Exorcist
R1973 · Horror, Drama · 122m · Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow
When a mysterious entity possesses a young girl, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.
Halloween
R1978 · Horror, Thriller · 91m · Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Kyes, P. J. Soles
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween Night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
Dirty Harry
R1971 · Action, Crime, Thriller · 102m · Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, John Vernon
When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.
Dawn of the Dead
NR1978 · Horror, Science Fiction · 127m · David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, Gaylen Ross
During an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter, and his television-executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.
The Wicker Man
R1973 · Horror · 93m · Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento
Police sergeant Neil Howie is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. The investigation is further complicated as Howie’s religious views clash with those of the island’s residents.
Carrie
R1976 · Horror, Thriller · 98m · Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt
Withdrawn and sensitive teenager Carrie White faces bullying from her classmates and abuse from her fanatically pious mother. When she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers, things take a dark and violent turn.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
R1974 · Horror · 83m · Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain, William Vail
Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way, they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.
Frenzy
1972 · Crime, Thriller, Horror · 116m · Jon Finch, Barry Foster, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Anna Massey
London is terrorized by a vicious sex killer known as The Necktie Murderer. Following the brutal slaying of his ex-wife, down-on-his-luck Richard Blaney is suspected by the police of being the killer. He goes on the run, determined to prove his innocence.
The Night Stalker
NR1972 · Mystery, Horror, Thriller · 74m · Darren McGavin, Carol Lynley, Simon Oakland, Ralph Meeker
Wisecracking reporter Carl Kolchak investigates a string of murders in Las Vegas and suspects the culprit is a vampire. His editor thinks he's crazy and the police think he's a nuisance, so Kolchak takes matters into his own hands.
The Night Strangler
NR1973 · TV Movie, Horror, Mystery · 90m · Darren McGavin, Jo Ann Pflug, Simon Oakland, Scott Brady
After being run out of Las Vegas, reporter Carl Kolchak heads for Seattle and another reporting job with the local paper. It's not long before he’s on the trail of another string of bizarre murders. It seems that every 21 years, for the past century, a killer murders a certain number of people, drains them of their blood, and then disappears into the night. Kolchak is on his trail, but can he stop him?
Helter Skelter
1976 · Crime, Drama, Thriller · 184m · George DiCenzo, Steve Railsback, Nancy Wolfe, Marilyn Burns
The investigation of two horrific mass murders leads to the capture and trial of the psychotic pseudo-hippie Charles Manson and his "family".
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
PG1978 · Science Fiction, Horror · 116m · Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum
The residents of San Francisco are becoming drone-like shadows of their former selves, and as the phenomenon spreads, two Department of Health workers uncover the horrifying truth.
The Devils
R1971 · Drama, History, Horror · 112m · Vanessa Redgrave, Oliver Reed, Dudley Sutton, Max Adrian
A charismatic 17th-century French priest becomes the target of a sexually obsessed nun’s witchcraft accusations, which corrupt church and state officials are all too happy to exploit.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
R1975 · Comedy, Science Fiction, Horror · 100m · Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien
After getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, newly engaged couple Brad and Janet encounter the eerie mansion of the flamboyant, seductive Dr Frank-N-Furter and a variety of eccentric characters. Through elaborate dance and rock music, the mad scientist unveils his latest creation: a perfect, muscular man.
The Omen
R1976 · Horror, Thriller · 111m · Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw
Immediately after their miscarriage, the US diplomat Robert Thorn adopts the newborn Damien without the knowledge of his wife. Yet what he doesn’t know is that their new son is the son of the devil.
Eraserhead
NR1977 · Horror, Science Fiction · 89m · Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph, Jeanne Bates
First-time father Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.
Don't Look Now
R1973 · Thriller, Drama, Horror · 110m · Donald Sutherland, Julie Christie, Hilary Mason, Massimo Serato
While grieving a terrible loss, a married couple meet two mysterious sisters, one of whom gives them a message sent from the afterlife.
Phantom of the Paradise
PG1974 · Comedy, Horror, Music · 92m · William Finley, Paul Williams, Jessica Harper, George Memmoli
Singer-songwriter Winslow Leach seeks revenge on the nefarious music producer Swan, who steals both Winslow's music and his favorite singer for the grand opening of Swan's new rock palace, the Paradise.
The Abominable Dr. Phibes
PG1971 · Horror, Comedy · 95m · Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten, Hugh Griffith, Terry-Thomas
After a team of surgeons botches his beloved wife's operation, the distraught Dr. Phibes unleashes a score of Old-Testament atrocities on his enemies.
Theatre of Blood
1973 · Comedy, Horror · 104m · Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry, Harry Andrews
A Shakespearean actor takes poetic revenge on the critics who denied him recognition.
10 Rillington Place
PG1971 · Crime, Thriller, History · 111m · Richard Attenborough, John Hurt, Judy Geeson, Pat Heywood
The story of British serial killer John Christie, who committed most or all of his crimes in the titular terraced house, and the miscarriage of justice involving Timothy Evans.
The Honeymoon Killers
R1970 · Crime, Drama, Romance · 108m · Shirley Stoler, Tony Lo Bianco, Mary Jane Higby, Doris Roberts
Martha Beck, an obese nurse who is desperately lonely, joins a "correspondence club" and finds a romantic pen pal in Ray Fernandez. Martha falls hard for Ray, and is intent on sticking with him even when she discovers he's a con man who seduces lonely single women, kills them and then takes their money. She poses as Ray's sister and joins Ray on a wild killing spree, fueled by her lingering concern that Ray will leave her for one of his marks.
Black Christmas
R1974 · Horror, Mystery, Crime · 98m · Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon
As the residents of the Pi Kappa Sigma sorority house prepare for the festive season, a stranger begins to harass them with a series of obscene phone calls.
Tales from the Crypt
PG1972 · Horror · 93m · Joan Collins, Peter Cushing, Roy Dotrice, Richard Greene
When a tourist group become lost within ancient catacombs, they meet the sinister Crypt Keeper, who tells them each their fate. The enigmatic figure's macabre stories involve a wife dabbling in murder, a retired sanitation worker targeted by his suspicious neighbors, and an adulterer who may face a fitting demise if the yarns come true.
Martin
R1978 · Horror, Drama · 95m · John Amplas, Lincoln Maazel, Christine Forrest, Elyane Nadeau
A young man, convinced he's a vampire, goes to live with his elderly and hostile cousin in a small Pennsylvanian town, where he tries to suppress his bloodlust.
The Last Wave
PG1977 · Drama, Mystery, Horror · 106m · Richard Chamberlain, Olivia Hamnett, David Gulpilil, Frederick Parslow
A Sydney lawyer defends five Aboriginal people in a ritualised taboo murder and in the process learns disturbing truths about himself and premonitions.
Count Dracula
1977 · Horror, Thriller, Drama · 150m · Louis Jourdan, Frank Finlay, Susan Penhaligon, Judi Bowker
Jonathan Harker visits the Count in Transylvania to help him with preparations to move to England. Harker becomes Dracula's prisoner and discovers Dracula's true nature. After Dracula makes his way to England, Harker becomes involved in an effort to track down and destroy the Count, eventually chasing the vampire back to his castle.
An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe
1970 · TV Movie, Horror, Mystery · 54m · Vincent Price
Renowned horror actor Vincent Price narrates four tales of terror by renowned horror author Edgar Allen Poe: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Sphinx, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Pit and the Pendulum.
Soylent Green
PG1973 · Science Fiction, Crime, Mystery · 97m · Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, Chuck Connors, Joseph Cotten
In the year 2022, overcrowding, pollution, and resource depletion have reduced society’s leaders to finding food for the teeming masses. The answer is Soylent Green.