Best Horror Films of 1970
- HaHa Horrors
- May 1
- 9 min read
Updated: Jun 20
1970 was a transitional year for horror — the fading echo of classic Gothic traditions clashed with bold new experimentation. The world was changing, and horror was on the cusp of its most transformative decade. While much of the genre still leaned on castles, cloaks, and vampires, a grittier, more psychological horror began creeping in. International filmmakers from Italy, Spain, and Japan brought surrealism and shock, foreshadowing the boundary-breaking horror that the 1970s would soon deliver in full.
The Horror Landscape in 1970
Gothic Horror Still Reigns
Studios like Hammer Films still produced lush period pieces filled with vampires, witches, and Victorian decay. Horror was elegant — but that elegance was starting to crack.
The Rise of Giallo
Italy began sharpening the blade. With murder mysteries soaked in color, sex, and style, the giallo genre started to emerge — a forerunner to the slasher film.
Experimental and Erotic Horror
In Europe, especially, filmmakers leaned into surrealism and sexuality, blending horror with art-house sensibilities and challenging censorship norms.
Top 10 Horror Films of 1970
1.The Vampire Lovers
Runtime: 1hr 31min
Hammer goes erotic with Ingrid Pitt in this sensuous take on Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla. Gothic, gory, and groundbreaking in its portrayal of queer themes.
The Vampire Lovers (1970) is a bold and sensual reimagining of classic vampire lore, marking a provocative turning point for Hammer Films. Loosely based on Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla, the film centers on the alluring and deadly Carmilla Karnstein, who seduces and drains young women in the misty landscapes of 19th-century Austria. As suspicion grows and bodies pile up, Carmilla’s true nature is revealed — a vampire who feeds on both blood and forbidden desire. With dreamlike visuals, erotic undertones, and Ingrid Pitt’s mesmerizing performance, The Vampire Lovers blends Gothic atmosphere with daring sexuality, ushering in a new era of horror that was more psychological, transgressive, and unapologetically adult.
2.Taste the Blood of Dracula
Runtime: 1hr 31min
Christopher Lee returns for one of his most iconic outings as the Count. Stylish, bloody, and drenched in Victorian atmosphere.
Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) continues Hammer Films’ Gothic legacy with a tale of hypocrisy, decadence, and vengeance. When a group of wealthy Victorian gentlemen secretly indulge in dark rituals and accidentally resurrect Count Dracula (played by Christopher Lee), they unleash his wrath upon themselves and their families. The film explores themes of repressed desire and moral duplicity, as Dracula manipulates the next generation to exact revenge. With its richly atmospheric sets, striking color palette, and undercurrents of generational rebellion, Taste the Blood of Draculaserves as both a traditional vampire story and a critique of rigid societal norms.
3.Hatchet for the Honeymoon
Runtime: 1hr 28 min
Mario Bava blends giallo with psychological horror in this slick, stylish, and deeply twisted story about a deranged bridal dress designer.
Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970) is a stylish and unsettling descent into the fractured mind of a killer, directed by Italian maestro Mario Bava. Blending giallo suspense with psychological horror, the film follows John Harrington, a handsome bridal fashion designer who harbors a deadly obsession — he murders brides to piece together repressed childhood memories that may explain his compulsion. As his sanity unravels and the supernatural creeps in, John’s world becomes a nightmarish swirl of mirrors, mannequins, and blood-red lighting. With its elegant visuals, eerie score, and twisted narrative, Hatchet for the Honeymoon is both a chilling character study and a prime example of early giallo cinema’s obsession with beauty, madness, and death.
4.Equinox
Runtime: 1hr 22min
A proto-Evil Dead that mixes stop-motion monsters with Lovecraftian lore. Made by students, but surprisingly eerie and influential.
Equinox (1970) is a low-budget cult classic that bridges 1950s creature features with the cosmic terror of Lovecraftian horror. The story follows a group of college friends who stumble upon a mysterious book in the woods — a demonic text that opens a gateway to another dimension. As they’re hunted by monstrous beings and a sinister park ranger possessed by dark forces, the group realizes they’ve unleashed something ancient and unstoppable. Made on a shoestring budget but bursting with imagination, Equinox features inventive stop-motion effects and surreal landscapes that helped pave the way for independent horror. Its raw energy and otherworldly atmosphere earned it a loyal following and a place as a spiritual precursor to The Evil Dead.
5.Cry of the Banshee
Runtime: 1hr 31min
Vincent Price faces off against witchcraft and vengeance in this late-period Gothic with folk horror flavor.
Cry of the Banshee (1970) is a grim and supernatural tale of vengeance set in Elizabethan England, where cruelty and witch-hunting run rampant. Vincent Price stars as the sadistic magistrate Lord Edward Whitman, who ruthlessly persecutes suspected witches in the name of order and piety. But when he targets a powerful coven led by the mysterious Oona, he unwittingly seals his fate — summoning a demonic spirit to exact revenge on his family. Steeped in pagan imagery, eerie forests, and gothic dread, Cry of the Banshee blends folk horror with the occult, casting a dark spell that lingers well after the final scream.
6.Dorian Gray
Runtime: 1 hr 41min
A lesser-known but beautifully made Italian adaptation of Wilde’s tale. Lavish, sensual, and steeped in dread.
Dorian Gray (1970) is a sleek and sensual adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic tale of vanity, corruption, and the price of eternal youth. Set in a decadent modern Europe, the film follows the beautiful and enigmatic Dorian Gray, who makes a Faustian bargain — his portrait will age and bear the marks of his sins, while he remains young and flawless. As Dorian descends into a life of hedonism, betrayal, and moral decay, the hidden portrait grows ever more grotesque, reflecting the monster he’s become. With a moody atmosphere, erotic overtones, and a haunting performance by Helmut Berger, Dorian Gray transforms Wilde’s moral fable into a stylish Euro-horror meditation on identity, obsession, and the rot beneath beauty.
7.The House That Screamed
Runtime: 1hr 45min
Spanish boarding school horror with proto-slasher elements. A slow burn with a brutal payoff.
The House That Screamed (1970), also known as La Residencia, is a chilling Spanish horror film that blends Gothic atmosphere with proto-slasher elements. Set in a remote 19th-century boarding school for troubled girls, the story follows a new student who begins to suspect that something sinister lurks behind the school's strict rules and disappearances. As tensions rise and the young women vanish one by one, the film builds toward a shocking and brutal climax involving a disturbed young man and a grotesque secret. With its elegant period setting, slow-burning suspense, and eerie score, The House That Screamed stands as a precursor to later slasher films, offering a stylish, psychological take on repression, control, and hidden violence.
8.Count Yorga, Vampire
Runtime: 1hr 33min
A modern-day (1970s) Dracula-type vampire stalks L.A. Rich in mood, shock, and sequels to come.
Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) brings the Gothic bloodsucker into modern-day Los Angeles, blending classic vampire lore with a contemporary setting for a fresh and eerie twist. The story follows the suave and mysterious Count Yorga, a Bulgarian occultist who charms his way into a séance — but his interest in the participants runs deeper than mere curiosity. As young women begin to fall ill and vanish, a group of friends uncover Yorga’s true identity and confront the ancient evil hiding behind his urbane facade. With Robert Quarry’s commanding performance and a moody, low-budget atmosphere, Count Yorga, Vampire reinvents the Dracula archetype for a new era, launching a cult series and helping to usher vampires into the modern world of 1970s horror.
9.The Dunwich Horror
Runtime: 1hr 30min
Dean Stockwell stars in this psychedelic Lovecraft adaptation. Weird, woolly, and unforgettable.
The Dunwich Horror (1970) is a psychedelic slice of cosmic horror that brings H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos to the screen with eerie style and occult flair. Set in the sleepy, sinister town of Dunwich, the film follows Wilbur Whateley (played by Dean Stockwell), a strange and charismatic man who seeks to open a portal to the ancient gods known as the Old Ones. As Wilbur draws a young woman into his dark rituals, a local doctor (Ed Begley) races to uncover the truth about his family’s unholy past and the monstrous force lurking in the hills. With its swirling visuals, dreamlike atmosphere, and creeping sense of dread, The Dunwich Horror captures the essence of Lovecraftian terror — a world where ancient evil lies just beneath the surface, waiting to return.
10.Jigoku (re-release buzz in the West)
Runtime: 1hr 41min
This 1960 Japanese vision of hell saw a revival of interest in 1970. It remains one of the most terrifying, surreal depictions of the afterlife ever put to film.
Jigoku (1960) is a surreal and harrowing descent into spiritual torment, widely regarded as one of the earliest and most unsettling Japanese horror films. Directed by Nobuo Nakagawa, the film follows a guilt-ridden theology student named Shiro who becomes entangled in a tragic series of events involving betrayal, death, and moral decay. The first half unfolds in a stark, noir-like realism, but the second plunges headlong into a nightmarish vision of Buddhist Hell, where sinners endure graphic, symbolic punishments for their earthly crimes. With its bold visual style, haunting score, and uncompromising imagery, Jigoku broke taboos and redefined cinematic horror, offering a deeply philosophical and grotesque meditation on guilt, punishment, and the afterlife.
Underrated Picks Worth Your Time
Blood on Satan’s Claw (early previews & buzz; released wide in 1971)
Runtime: 1hr 41min
British folk horror with satanic teens and creeping dread.
Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971) is a cornerstone of British folk horror, weaving a tale of rural dread, adolescent possession, and buried evil in 17th-century England. When a plowboy uncovers a strange, demonic skull in a field, a wave of supernatural corruption begins to spread through a nearby village. The local youth—led by the seductive and malevolent Angel Blake—fall under a sinister influence, forming a cult and committing gruesome acts in service of a growing, unseen force. As the adults struggle to understand the rising madness, ancient pagan terror tightens its grip.
Night Slaves
Runtime: 1hr 12min
A made-for-TV psychological horror that’s oddly hypnotic and eerie.
Night Slaves (1970) is a moody and mysterious made-for-TV sci-fi horror film that blends small-town Americana with eerie alien control. The story follows Clay Howard, a man recovering from a traumatic car accident, who travels with his wife to a quiet rural town for rest. But each night, the townspeople vanish—only to return in the morning with no memory of their absence. Clay, immune to the strange influence due to a metal plate in his head, uncovers a bizarre and haunting truth: the town is being used by extraterrestrial forces. With its unsettling atmosphere, slow-burn pacing, and themes of autonomy and alienation, Night Slaves offers a haunting meditation on conformity and control beneath its sci-fi premise.
Mark of the Devil
Runtime: 1hr 37min
A nasty slice of witch-hunter horror from West Germany. Brutal, sleazy, and ahead of its time.
Mark of the Devil (1970) is a brutal and controversial exploration of religious hypocrisy and institutionalized cruelty, set during the height of the European witch-hunting era. The story follows Count Christian von Meruh (Udo Kier), a young witch-hunter who begins to question the sadistic methods of his superior, the ruthless Lord Cumberland (Herbert Lom), as innocent women are tortured and executed in the name of piety. With graphic depictions of violence, including real torture devices and shocking set pieces, the film was marketed as “positively the most horrifying film ever made” — complete with barf bags in theaters. Mark of the Devil is both a visceral exploitation film and a grim condemnation of fanaticism and abuse of power, standing as one of the most infamous entries in 1970s Euro-horror.
Revenge of the Vampire
Runtime: 1hr 25min
A lesser-known European vampire film that mixes Hammer stylings with dreamy surrealism.
Revenge of the Vampire is a moody and atmospheric Mexican horror film that blends classic Universal-style aesthetics with a distinctly Latin flavor. The story follows the resurrection of Count Karol de Lavud, a suave and deadly vampire who returns from the grave to reclaim his lost love and terrorize a quiet town. With the help of hypnotism and dark charm, he ensnares his victims while a small group of investigators race to uncover the truth and stop the spreading curse. Featuring fog-shrouded cemeteries, creaking crypts, and a rich black-and-white visual palette, Revenge of the Vampirechannels vintage gothic horror while carving out its own identity in the genre. With elegant direction and haunting atmosphere, it remains a standout in the legacy of Latin American horror cinema.
Horror Highlights & Trivia
Hammer Gets Risqué – The Vampire Lovers pushed boundaries with nudity and sexuality, heralding a more adult direction for Hammer.
Giallo Awakens – Hatchet for the Honeymoon showed Bava steering Italian horror into a new direction of psychological murder mystery.
Folk Horror Creeps In – Though not fully bloomed yet, early echoes of folk horror began surfacing in films with witches, curses, and rural dread.
Horror Goes Psychedelic – Films like The Dunwich Horror embraced color, sound, and surreal visuals for a more hallucinogenic scare.
Where to Watch These Today
Streaming:
The Vampire Lovers – Tubi, Pluto TV, Prime Video
Taste the Blood of Dracula – Max, AMC+
Hatchet for the Honeymoon – ARROW, Shudder
The House That Screamed – Prime Video, rare physical media
Count Yorga, Vampire – Available on MGM HD, occasional Blu-ray prints
Physical Media:
The Vampire Lovers, Cry of the Banshee, Count Yorga – Available via Scream Factory or Warner Archive
Hatchet for the Honeymoon, The House That Screamed – Arrow Video and Spanish boutique labels
Equinox – Criterion DVD edition as part of their “Monsters and Madmen” line
Closing Thoughts
1970 didn’t define a new era of horror — it hinted at it. Beneath the capes and candlelight, something more subversive was stirring. This was a year of vampires and maniacs, witches and madness, where Gothic tradition met psychedelic experimentation. Horror was about to break free — and 1970 was its final, eerie whisper before the scream of the decade ahead.
