I’m not going to even start this post by saying I love movies. Readers, you already know this. But did you know just how MUCH? This……..much! Here are some of my seventies horror movies that scared the mess out of me as a child, but that I probably wouldn’t blink at now. Mind you, I’m not going to take that risk if I’m alone at night….a woman’s got to know her limitations.
Let’s take a look, shall we?
Note: Many of these movies, you can’t get anymore, unless you happen to run upon a VHS copy or obtain them by unscrupulous means. But, if you do run upon them at a reasonable price, they are worth looking at, even if it is just to see how well-made television movies were in the 1970s – 1980s. I dare say that they were made better than some of the theatrical releases today.
5. Audrey Rose
A stranger attempts to convince a happily married couple that their daughter is actually his daughter reincarnated.
Director: Robert Wise
Writer: Frank De Felitta (screenplay)
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Marsha Mason, John Beck
Not exactly a horror/scary movie, but it contains supernatural elements. One of Sir Anthony Hopkins’s early films.
4. Burnt Offerings
Haunted house chiller from Dan Curtis has Oliver Reed and Karen Black as summer caretakers moving into 
gothic house with their young son. The catch? The house rejuvenates a part of itself with each death that occurs on its premises.
Director: Dan Curtis
Writers: Robert Marasco (novel), William F. Nolan (screenplay), 1 more credit »
Stars: Karen Black, Oliver Reed, Burgess Meredith
Creepy, scary with Karen Black, who does creepy the best. This house is really haunted.
3. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
A young couple inherits an old mansion inhabited by small demon-like creatures who are determined to make the wife one of their own.
Director: John Newland
Writer: Nigel McKeand
Stars: Kim Darby, Jim Hutton, Barbara Anderson
I think I’m still rather scared by this movie, at least by the memory of it. The creepy whispers and the eyes…and the ending is just ….I have no words.
2. Don’t Go to Sleep
A young girl begins seeing the ghost of her sister who died in an accident a year earlier.
Director: Richard Lang
Writer: Ned Wynn
Stars: Dennis Weaver, Valerie Harper, Robin Ignico
It’s actually a movie that holds up across the time warp. Dennis Weaver (Gunsmoke) is a good actor and we all know Valerie Harper. If you are able to ignore the cheesy 70s clothes and a little overwrought drama, it’s an interesting and scary movie.
1. Trilogy of Terror
Three bizarre horror stories all of which star Karen Black in four different roles playing tormented women.
Director: Dan Curtis
Writers: William F. Nolan (teleplay), Richard Matheson (story), 4 more credits »
Stars: Karen Black, Robert Burton, John Karlen
Just a great movie. The last story, with the little scary doll is the best one. Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) is simply brilliant in his storytelling and William Nolan does his stories justice. This one holds up over time, that doll is SCARY.
Mind you, don’t go into watching these movies with the expectation of gore and slashing and Saw type storylines. Though the movies didn’t have a lot of gore to throw around, it’s the good writing and the psychological aspect that was scary. These movies sneak up on you.
Pleasant dreams, muahahahahah!!
Need more of my crazy Halloween movies? Click here. Or here.