Underrated '70s Horror Movies You Should Watch Next

If you're looking for a good horror movie, the 1970s are a great place to start. Boasting such beloved classics as "Halloween," "Carrie," "Suspiria," and "Alien," the '70s are commonly seen as one of the most revolutionary decades for the genre. With previously strict rules regarding cinematic depictions of horror growing lax by the late 1960s (per NPR), '70s horror movies pushed the envelope further than audiences had ever thought possible, crafting some of the most terrifying films imaginable.

Even now, decades later, many of the most famous horror movies of the 1970s continue to rank as some of the scariest movies ever made. It's the era that saw an influx of slasher movies, as well as mainstream hits like "The Exorcist" and "Jaws," which dominated worldwide box offices everywhere (per IndieWire). At the same time, lower-budget exploitation films continued to rise throughout the U.S., some of which — like "The Hills Have Eyes" and "The Amityville Horror" — became cult hits in subsequent decades.

For as many well-known horror movies there are in the 1970s, there are also a ton of films that are frequently overlooked by contemporary audiences today. From Italian giallo films to little-known early works from acclaimed genre directors like Wes Craven, Brian De Palma, and David Cronenberg, here are some of the most criminally underrated horror movies of the 1970s that we recommend checking out.

Warning: some spoilers below.

The following film includes depictions of sexual assault and violence.

It's fitting that the 1972 directorial debut of Wes Craven was a horror film, seeing as how intrinsically tied to the genre the director would grow to be. "The Last House on the Left" follows two teenage girls, who are abducted and horrifically attacked by a gang of psychopathic fugitives. Venturing into the woods, the gang unknowingly come upon one of the girl's parents, who agree to shelter them for the night. Little do they know, the parents have a plan to take swift, brutal revenge for the girls' assault.

An exploitation film based on Ingmar Bergman's "The Virgin Spring" (per The Guardian), "The Last House on the Left" left audiences practically speechless upon its original release. According to Steven Jay Schneider's essay "The Legacy of 'Last House on the Left'," Craven earned both praise and criticism for his unflinching approach to the horror genre (per "Horror at the Drive-In: Essays in Popular Americana"). The film's realistic portrayal of violence led to its innovative marketing tagline: "Can a movie go too far?" The gambit worked, as "The Last House on the Left" grossed $3 million against its meager $87,000 budget (per The Numbers).

Reviews of the film have steadily improved over the years, with even the most apprehensive critics noting just how influential it truly was. In his book "Leonard Maltin's 2014 Movie Guide," respected film critic Leonard Maltin called the movie "Repellent but admittedly powerful and (for better or worse) influential horror shocker." It was nominated for AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Thrills list, and was remade into a more financially successful reboot in 2009.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Thanks to films like "Carrie" and "Phantom of the Paradise," Brian De Palma became one of the definitive names of mainstream horror by the end of the 1970s. De Palma followed up his 1976 box office hit "Carrie" with "The Fury," one of his most overlooked contributions to the genre, which was also one of the first times he worked with a larger budget and more well-known cast of actors (per Den of Geek). 

Peter (Kirk Douglas) is an ex-CIA agent attempting to rescue his psychic son from the clutches of an unscrupulous former colleague (John Cassavetes), who wants to use him for shadowy government operations. To help free his son, Peter asks for the assistance from a young high school student (Amy Irving) with similar telekinetic abilities, who is only now just beginning to understand the limits of her mental powers.

While "The Fury" may not be as popular a De Palma film as "Carrie," it's still an enthralling horror movie that blends the psychic aspects of "Carrie" with fears of government paranoia that were depicted in De Palma's later work "Blow Out." Critics praised "The Fury" for its tone, performances, and John Williams' booming score. Philip French wrote for The Guardian that "The polished melodrama is enhanced by John Williams's score and blood flows from the start in characteristic fashion. ... De Palma locates his bizarre events in a plausible, sharply observed world."

An unsung classic in the psychological horror genre, 1971's "Let's Scare to Jessica to Death" follows a woman fresh out of a mental health clinic named Jessica (Zohra Lampert), who moves to a remote farm in New York with her husband and a close friend. Upon moving into her new home, Jessica begins to have a series of disturbing, possibly supernatural experiences that leave her slowly questioning her sanity.

Combining the more psychological horror elements found in novels like "The Turn of the Screw" and "The Haunting of Hill House," director John Hancock managed to create a film with a distinct air of mystery that leaves plenty of room for audience interpretation. Initially released in 1971, "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" left most critics divided, as some felt alienated by the ambiguities surrounding the film's nature and almost illusory tone.

Over the years, however, it's gone on to become a beloved cult classic among modern horror fans, with Time Out and the Chicago Film Critics Association ranking it on their lists for the 100 scariest films of all time. "'Jessica' did in many ways serve as a forerunner for what would come later, as filmmakers like David Lynch would delve into dreamscapes that refused to sustain themselves explicitly in cohesive narratives," said Syfy's Sara Century. According to Trailers From Hell, "The Twilight Zone" creator Rod Serling called the movie one of "the most frightening films he'd ever seen in his life."

"Tales from the Crypt" may be more synonymous with its later HBO series, but in the early 1970s, a feature-length adaptation was the first to bring EC Comics' iconic horror comic to the screen (per IMDb). Faithfully based on EC's horror title of the same name, Freddie Francis' 1972 "Tales from the Crypt" takes several of the comic's best stories and presents them in an anthology format, as the Crypt Keeper (Ralph Richardson) explains to a group of people the manner in which they'll die.

Dark, grim, and gritty, "Tales from the Crypt" lacks the inherent dark humor found in the HBO take on the comic, but still manages to deliver one of the most enjoyable anthology movies of the 1970s. This is in part due to its ensemble cast of stars like Joan Collins, Richard Greene, Ian Hendry, and accomplished horror actor Peter Cushing.

Released during a time when the horror genre was seeing an influx in anthology films (many of them weird and ridiculous), "Tales from the Crypt" was one of the greatest and most memorable horror movies released at the time, receiving positive reviews in 1972. Famed film critic Roger Ebert lauded "Tales from the Crypt" for its faithfulness in recreating the look, format, and tone of the original comics: "It's put together something like the comic books, with the old Crypt Keeper acting as host and narrator ... the visuals and decor have been planned in bright basic colors and gray, so they look something like comic panel."

David Cronenberg will forever be known as the master of body horror, thanks to his work on films like "The Brood," "Scanners," and "Videodrome." In "The Brood," Cronenberg delivered one of the most defining contributions to body horror, pioneering the sub-genre and pushing it in memorably disgusting new directions.

Amidst a series of brutal murders by what look like parka-clad demonic children, a man (Art Hindle) tries to contact his wife, who's receiving experimental treatments from a renowned yet controversial psychotherapist (Oliver Reed). Mixing elements of familial drama with aspects of slasher and body horror films, "The Brood" is one of the movies that defined the trajectory of Cronenberg's career. The popularity of the movie helped the young Cronenberg gain enough exposure to helm later body horror films in the next two decades, each more shocking and stomach-churning than the last (per RogerEbert.com).

At the time of its release in 1979, "The Brood" earned generally positive reviews. However, as Cronenberg became an increasingly well-known director behind such films as "The Fly" and thrillers like "A History of Violence," "The Brood" — like many of his body horror films — became something of a cult classic. "Combining intellectual, metaphorical and visceral shocks, and building to one of the most unforgettable and queasiest finales in horror cinema, 'The Brood' stands out even within the outré Cronenberg oeuvre," said IndieWire.

An indescribably strange movie that eludes proper description, the 1977 Japanese horror film "House" follows a group of young women who travel to a friend's isolated country home, where they get consumed by the house one person at a time. While that may seem like a simple or straightforward premise, the film is anything but, as it contains extended hallucinatory sequences. These scenes are extremely weird in nature and include everyday household items like lamps and pianos devouring the young women whole.

Part dark comedy, part horror, "House" was a boundary-pushing experimental film that is often seen as one of the most original horror films ever made. It's been admired for taking the haunted house concept and turning it completely on its head, and is now seen as beloved cult classic of Japanese horror films. Publications like Screen Rant, Bloody Disgusting, and Rotten Tomatoes have each included it on their list of the best Japanese horror films and/or best horror films of all time.

Jeff Shannon summed it up for The Seattle Times: "'House' turns into a horror-fantasy comedy that grows increasingly absurd as the body-count rises, provoking more laughs than fear with over-the-top scenes involving severed limbs, a ravenous piano, attacking mattresses and a cat with telekinetic powers." There's simply nothing else quite like it.