'The Exorcist'© Warner Bros.
The '70s pushed the envelope even further than the '60s, reflecting a nihilism born of the Vietnam era. Social issues of the day were tackled, from sexism (The Stepford Wives) to consumerism (Dawn of the Dead) to religion (The Wicker Man) and war (Deathdream). Exploitation movies hit their stride in the decade, boldly flouting moral conventions with graphic sex (I Spit on Your Grave, Vampyros Lesbos) and violence (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes), the latter reflected particularly in a spate of zombie movies (Dawn of the Dead) and cannibal films (The Man from Deep River). The shock factor even pushed films like The Exorcist and Jaws to blockbuster success. Amidst the chaos, the modern slasher film was born in Canada's Black Christmas and America's Halloween.
1971: The Abominable Dr. Phibes
1971: Twitch of the Death Nerve
1971: Vampyros Lesbos
1972: Blacula
1973: The Exorcist
1972: The Last House on the Left
1972: The Man from Deep River
1973: Sisters
1973: The Wicker Man
1974: Black Christmas
1974: Deathdream
1974: It's Alive
1974: Let Sleeping Corpses Lie
1974: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
1975: Jaws
1975: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
1975: Shivers
1975: The Stepford Wives
1976: Carrie
1976: The Omen
1977: The Hills Have Eyes
1977: Suspiria
1978: Dawn of the Dead
1978: Faces of Death
1978: The Fury
1978: Halloween
1978: I Spit on Your Grave
1979: Alien
1979: The Amityville Horror
1979: Phantasm
1979: When a Stranger Calls
