Best Horror Films of 1975

1975 was a pivotal year for horror — the moment it roared into the mainstream. While the genre had been building momentum with grindhouse grit and arthouse surrealism, this was the year horror became blockbuster entertainment. At the same time, indie and international filmmakers continued to push boundaries with disturbing, cerebral, and subversive fare. From shark-infested beaches to the darkest corners of human psychology, horror in 1975 was both crowd-pleasing and uncompromising.

The Horror Landscape in 1975

Mainstream Breakthrough

Thanks to Jaws, horror was no longer relegated to midnight screenings and drive-ins. It was now event cinema. Spielberg’s thriller wasn’t just a box office smash — it was the blueprint for the modern blockbuster.

Psychological and Pessimistic

The shadow of Vietnam and Watergate still lingered, and horror reflected a jaded world. Trust in institutions eroded, and films turned inward, exploring madness, guilt, and repression.

Science, Superstition, and the Supernatural

1975’s horror blended themes of science and superstition, showcasing everything from vampiric viruses to cursed rituals and Frankensteinian experiments gone wrong.

Top 10 Horror Films of 1975

1.Jaws

Runtime: 2hr 10min

The shark, the score, the spectacle. Spielberg’s masterpiece turned primal fear into a cultural phenomenon — and redefined horror forever.

Jaws (1975), directed by Steven Spielberg, is a landmark in horror and blockbuster cinema, blending primal fear with masterful suspense. Set in the seaside town of Amity Island, the story follows a police chief, a marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter as they track a massive great white shark responsible for a string of brutal attacks. With its iconic score, pioneering effects, and nail-biting tension, Jaws transformed a simple premise into a cultural phenomenon—tapping into deep fears of the unknown lurking beneath the surface. It redefined summer movies and proved that horror could dominate both the box office and critical acclaim.

2.The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Runtime: 1hr 38min

Campy, transgressive, and endlessly quotable. A glam-rock monster musical that became a cult institution and reimagined horror tropes with glitter and fishnets.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) is a wildly original blend of horror, comedy, and musical spectacle that became a cult phenomenon. The film follows a straitlaced couple, Brad and Janet, who stumble upon a strange castle inhabited by the flamboyant Dr. Frank-N-Furter and his bizarre entourage. As the night spirals into a celebration of sex, science fiction, and self-expression, the film dismantles genre conventions with camp, charm, and boundary-pushing energy. Featuring iconic songs, outrageous costumes, and Tim Curry’s unforgettable performance, The Rocky Horror Picture Show remains a midnight movie classic and a cultural touchstone for generations of outsiders and rebels.

3.Race with the Devil

Runtime: 1hr 28min

A Satanic panic road thriller where cults lurk behind every RV stop. A tense mix of action, paranoia, and occult terror.

Race with the Devil (1975) is a high-octane blend of action, horror, and paranoia that follows two couples on a road trip through rural Texas who accidentally witness a satanic ritual murder. As they try to escape and report the crime, they find themselves pursued by a relentless cult that seems to have eyes everywhere. Mixing car chases with occult terror, the film taps into 1970s anxieties about isolation, distrust, and hidden evil in the American heartland. With its escalating tension and explosive finale, Race with the Devil delivers a gripping ride that fuses grindhouse thrills with supernatural dread.

4.Shivers (aka They Came from Within)

Runtime: 1hr 27min

David Cronenberg’s slimy, sexual parasite horror — part body horror, part social satire, and deeply disturbing.

Shivers (1975), David Cronenberg’s shocking debut feature, is a body horror milestone that fuses sexuality, infection, and social collapse. Set in a luxury high-rise apartment complex, the film follows the outbreak of a parasite that turns its hosts into hypersexual, violent beings. As the infection spreads, the building descends into chaos, exposing the fragility of civilization and the dark urges lurking beneath domestic life. With its clinical atmosphere, provocative themes, and visceral imagery, Shivers launched Cronenberg’s career and helped define the "venereal horror" subgenre. It’s a disturbing, subversive vision of contagion and societal breakdown.

5.The Stepford Wives

Runtime: 1hr 55min

A suburban nightmare about conformity, control, and misogyny. Satirical and chilling, with eerie restraint and an unforgettable finale.

The Stepford Wives (1975) is a chilling blend of suburban satire and psychological horror that explores gender roles, conformity, and control. The film follows Joanna, a strong-willed photographer who moves with her family to the seemingly perfect town of Stepford, only to grow suspicious as the local women exhibit eerie, submissive behavior. As she investigates further, Joanna uncovers a disturbing conspiracy rooted in patriarchal dominance and technological manipulation. With its slow-building dread and incisive commentary, The Stepford Wives delivers a quietly terrifying vision of domestic horror—where perfection comes at the cost of autonomy and identity.

6.Deep Red

Runtime: 1hr 38min

Dario Argento’s giallo masterpiece. Stylish kills, a haunting Goblin score, and some of the best horror cinematography of the decade.

Deep Red (1975), directed by Dario Argento, is a masterful giallo that blends brutal murder mystery with surreal, psychological horror. The film follows a jazz pianist who witnesses the aftermath of a grisly killing and becomes obsessed with solving the crime. As he digs deeper, he uncovers a twisted web of childhood trauma, repressed memories, and eerie clues—all set against Argento’s signature visual style of bold colors, stylized violence, and haunting set pieces. With its unforgettable Goblin score and shocking twists, Deep Red is considered one of the finest giallo films ever made, and a defining work in Argento’s blood-soaked legacy.

7.The Devil’s Rain

Runtime: 1hr 26min

Melting faces, satanic rituals, and Ernest Borgnine as a goat-demon. Pure ‘70s occult excess with a cast you wouldn’t believe.

The Devil’s Rain (1975) is a bizarre and visually striking occult horror film that dives deep into Satanic panic and supernatural vengeance. The story follows a man trying to rescue his family from the clutches of a devil-worshipping cult led by the menacing Jonathan Corbis, played by Ernest Borgnine. As ancient curses and melted faces take center stage, the film unfolds like a fever dream filled with eerie desert churches, chanting acolytes, and cosmic evil. Known for its star-studded cast (including William Shatner and a young John Travolta) and its legendary melting finale, The Devil’s Rain is a cult oddity drenched in atmosphere and apocalyptic dread.

8.Lisa and the Devil

Runtime: 1hr 35min

Mario Bava’s surreal, dreamlike ghost story. A gothic, spiraling descent into madness and death — re-edited in the U.S. as The House of Exorcism.

Lisa and the Devil (1974), directed by Mario Bava, is a dreamlike and haunting tale that blurs the line between death, desire, and the supernatural. The film follows a tourist named Lisa who becomes stranded in a mysterious European town and is drawn into a decaying villa inhabited by strange figures—including a butler who eerily resembles the devil. As time warps and reality unravels, Lisa becomes trapped in a gothic nightmare filled with mannequins, corpses, and ghostly echoes of the past. Lushly shot and steeped in surrealism, Lisa and the Devil is one of Bava’s most atmospheric and poetic works—a tragic, eerie meditation on fate and illusion.

9.Picnic at Hanging Rock

Runtime: 1hr 55min

An Australian slow-burn psychological mystery that’s more dread than gore — eerie, enigmatic, and timeless.

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), directed by Peter Weir, is a haunting, lyrical mystery that blends psychological tension with ethereal beauty. Set in 1900 Australia, the film follows a group of schoolgirls from a strict boarding school who vanish without explanation during a picnic at the ancient, otherworldly site of Hanging Rock. As the community struggles to understand the disappearances, the film delves into themes of repression, nature’s mysticism, and the unknowable. With its hazy cinematography, hypnotic pacing, and unsettling sense of absence, Picnic at Hanging Rock is a landmark in art-house horror, evoking dread not through violence, but through mystery and silence.

10.The Ghoul

Runtime: 1hr 28min

Peter Cushing stars in this British gothic chiller about trauma, isolation, and a flesh-eating secret hidden in the attic.

The Ghoul (1975), starring Peter Cushing, is a moody British horror film that blends gothic atmosphere with psychological decay. Set in 1920s England, the story follows a group of revelers whose car trouble leads them to a fog-shrouded estate owned by a reclusive former missionary. As dark secrets emerge, they discover the house hides a monstrous presence in the attic—Cushing’s tormented character is guarding a cannibalistic son born of trauma and forbidden rituals. With its decaying mansions, religious guilt, and creeping dread, The Ghoul reflects the era’s fascination with psychological horror cloaked in traditional gothic trappings.

Underrated Picks Worth Your Time

Let's Scare Jessica to Death (re-released buzz)

Runtime: 1hr 28min

Continued to build a cult following for its ghostly ambiguity and eerie tone.

Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971) is a haunting, melancholic psychological horror film that blurs the boundaries between madness, grief, and the supernatural. After being released from a mental institution, Jessica retreats to a rural farmhouse with her husband and a friend, hoping for peace—but she becomes increasingly disturbed by ghostly visions, eerie townsfolk, and a mysterious woman who may be a vampire. Shot with a dreamlike atmosphere and unsettling ambiguity, the film explores isolation, mental illness, and the fragility of reality. Let’s Scare Jessica to Death is a quietly terrifying, emotionally resonant cult classic that lingers long after it ends.

Bug

Runtime: 1hr 39min

William Castle's last film, featuring fire-starting insects and ecological anxiety.

Bug (1975), directed by Jeannot Szwarc and co-written by horror legend William Castle, is a strange and unsettling entry in the eco-horror subgenre. The film begins with a powerful earthquake that releases a swarm of heat-generating, fire-starting cockroaches from deep within the earth. As a scientist investigates the phenomenon, his experiments lead to increasingly dangerous mutations—blurring the line between scientific curiosity and man-made catastrophe. With its blend of apocalyptic tension, creature horror, and claustrophobic paranoia, Bug transforms a simple infestation into a nightmarish allegory about nature’s wrath and humanity’s hubris. It's a quirky, creepy film that ends in unexpected and chilling ways.

The Reincarnation of Peter Proud

Runtime: 1hr 45min

A psychological thriller with a haunting reincarnation twist.

The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975) is a cerebral supernatural thriller that explores identity, memory, and the eerie possibility of past lives bleeding into the present. The story follows Peter, a college professor plagued by vivid dreams and visions of a life he’s never lived—including a mysterious woman, a strange house, and his own violent death. As he investigates, Peter discovers that his dreams are real memories from another man’s life—and he may be the reincarnation of a murdered husband. With its moody atmosphere, slow-building tension, and metaphysical themes, The Reincarnation of Peter Proud is a haunting meditation on fate, obsession, and the unresolved echoes of the past.

Trilogy of Terror

Runtime:

Technically a TV movie, but its killer doll segment has scarred generations.

Trilogy of Terror (1975) is a made-for-television horror anthology that became an enduring cult classic, thanks especially to its unforgettable final segment. Starring Karen Black in all three stories, the film adapts tales by Richard Matheson, exploring themes of repression, madness, and supernatural terror. While each segment offers a distinct psychological twist, the standout is “Amelia,” in which a woman is terrorized in her apartment by a ferocious Zuni fetish doll brought to life. With its tight pacing, eerie atmosphere, and Black’s transformative performances, Trilogy of Terror showcases the power of minimalist horror and helped pave the way for TV anthologies and creature-based scares.

Horror Highlights & Trivia

• Jaws Changed Everything – First summer blockbuster. Theaters ran it all summer. People were afraid to swim for months.

• 
  

• Cronenberg’s Birth as a Horror Auteur – Shivers introduced a filmmaker who would redefine body horror.

• 
  

• Giallo Hits Its Peak – Deep Red refined the giallo formula with operatic style and brutal efficiency.

• 
  

• From Sex to Science – Themes of bodily invasion and psychological repression dominated horror narratives.

• 
  

• Cults and Conspiracies – Reflecting public fear of secret societies, horror leaned heavily into Satanic and social paranoia.

Where to Watch These Today

• Streaming:

  • Jaws – Amazon Prime

  • The Stepford Wives – Tubi

  • Shivers – Roku, Tubi

  • Deep Red – ARROW, Shudder

  • Picnic at Hanging Rock – Max, Criterion Channel

• Physical Media:

  • Jaws – Universal Blu-ray 4K

  • Deep Red – Arrow Video 4K

  • Shivers, The Devil’s Rain, and Lisa and the Devil – Available through specialty labels like Severin, Vinegar Syndrome, and Kino Lorber.

Closing Thoughts

1975 wasn’t just a great year for horror — it was a turning point. Jaws proved horror could dominate the box office, while directors like Cronenberg and Argento pushed the genre into uncharted territory. Whether you preferred slick creature features or surreal psychological nightmares, 1975 offered something new, bold, and unforgettable. The legacy of this year’s films continues to ripple through horror cinema today.