Best Horror Films of 1977
- HaHa Horrors
- May 8
- 9 min read
1977 was a year of extremes in horror. From the dreamy surrealism of European art-horror to the blistering cruelty of American exploitation, this was a year that stretched the genre’s boundaries to their limits. Horror in 1977 was strange, vicious, and visionary. It was a year of cults, cannibals, witches, and warped reality — a reflection of a world reeling from cultural disillusionment and economic unease. Filmmakers weren’t pulling punches — they were breaking rules.
The Horror Landscape in 1977
The Rise of Art-Horror
With films like Suspiria and Eraserhead, 1977 marked a clear turn toward horror as visual and symbolic art. Dream logic, abstract storytelling, and experimental sound design began to take center stage.
American Horror Gets Meaner
Following the path carved by The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Last House on the Left, U.S. horror in 1977 leaned into violence and nihilism. Survival horror was on the rise, and it wasn’t pretty.
Paranoia and the Supernatural
As anxieties over cults, corporations, and government control grew, horror explored psychic powers, spiritual conspiracies, and apocalyptic dread.
Top 10 Horror Films of 1977
1.Suspiria
Runtime: 1hr 39min
Dario Argento’s kaleidoscopic nightmare — all color, sound, and witchy madness. A masterpiece of Italian horror and arguably the most visually stunning horror film ever made.
Suspiria (1977), directed by Dario Argento, is a surreal and nightmarish descent into supernatural horror. The film follows Suzy Bannion, an American ballet student who arrives at a prestigious German dance academy, only to discover it is a front for a coven of witches. As the school’s eerie atmosphere deepens and students begin to disappear or die mysteriously, Suzy uncovers a hidden world of occult rituals, ancient evil, and hypnotic horror. Known for its vivid color palette, Goblin’s haunting score, and dreamlike editing, Suspiria is a landmark in art-horror — an unsettling experience as much about mood and atmosphere as it is about plot.
2.Eraserhead
Runtime: 1hr 29min
David Lynch’s haunting debut — a surreal body-horror meditation on anxiety, fatherhood, and industrial decay. Deeply unsettling and utterly singular.
Eraserhead (1977), the debut feature from David Lynch, is a nightmarish, surreal meditation on anxiety, fatherhood, and industrial alienation. The film centers on Henry Spencer, a quiet, awkward man living in a bleak, industrial cityscape who is forced to care for his grotesquely deformed infant after a failed relationship. As Henry grapples with his fear, guilt, and crumbling psyche, the film plunges into a series of disturbing visions and dreamlike sequences that defy conventional narrative. With its haunting sound design, stark black-and-white cinematography, and nightmarish imagery, Eraserhead is a deeply personal and experimental horror film that established Lynch’s signature style and remains a cult classic of avant-garde cinema.
3.The Hills Have Eyes
Runtime: 1hr 29min
Wes Craven follows Last House with another brutal tale of civility versus savagery. A violent, unforgiving survival horror classic.
The Hills Have Eyes (1977), directed by Wes Craven, is a raw and brutal survival horror film that explores the thin line between civilization and savagery. The story follows the Carter family, whose cross-country road trip is violently derailed when their RV breaks down in a desolate desert once used for nuclear testing. Stranded and vulnerable, they are hunted by a feral, cannibalistic clan that lives in the hills. As the Carters are picked off one by one, those who survive are forced to fight back with a savagery of their own. Gritty, unflinching, and steeped in social commentary about the American family and violence, The Hills Have Eyes cemented Craven’s reputation as a fearless voice in horror.
4.House (Hausu)
Runtime:
Japan delivers a psychedelic haunted house film like no other. Cats, pianos, blood fountains — Hausu is a fever dream of experimental terror.
House (Hausu, 1977), directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, is a wildly surreal and visually inventive Japanese horror film that defies categorization. The story follows a schoolgirl named Gorgeous and her six friends, each with distinct personalities, who travel to her aunt’s remote, crumbling mansion for a summer getaway. Once there, the house itself begins to devour them one by one through a series of bizarre, nightmarish events involving haunted pianos, killer lamps, and rivers of blood. Blending absurd comedy, experimental visuals, and ghost story tropes, House is a psychedelic fever dream of horror — more a sensory experience than a linear narrative. Its avant-garde style and unique tone have made it a cult favorite and a standout in the genre’s history.
5.Martin
Runtime: 1hr 35min
George A. Romero’s most underrated film — a slow-burn deconstruction of vampire mythology that mixes bleak realism with tragic delusion.
Martin (1977), directed by George A. Romero, is a haunting and ambiguous take on the vampire mythos, blending psychological drama with horror. The film follows a troubled young man named Martin, who believes he is an 84-year-old vampire, though he lacks fangs or supernatural powers. Instead, he sedates women with syringes and drinks their blood in grim, methodical fashion. Sent to live with a devoutly religious relative in a decaying Pennsylvania town, Martin struggles with his identity, guilt, and the possibility that his "curse" is a delusion rooted in trauma. Moody, intimate, and deeply unsettling, Martin strips away gothic romanticism to explore loneliness, repression, and the blurred line between monster and man. It's one of Romero's most personal and underrated films.
6.The Sentinel
Runtime: 1hr 32min
A gothic throwback with a modern sensibility. A model moves into a Brooklyn brownstone that might be a literal gateway to Hell.
The Sentinel (1977), directed by Michael Winner, is a chilling blend of religious horror and psychological torment, rooted in the tradition of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist. The film follows Alison Parker, a New York model who moves into a mysterious brownstone apartment building, only to be plagued by disturbing visions, strange neighbors, and a growing sense that something is terribly wrong. As Alison investigates, she uncovers a dark secret: the building is a gateway to Hell, and she has been chosen to guard it. With its eerie atmosphere, shocking imagery, and a cast that includes Hollywood veterans and rising stars, The Sentinel delivers a bleak, unnerving take on guilt, damnation, and spiritual duty.
7.Rituals
Runtime: 1hr 29min
A Canadian answer to Deliverance, but darker and more horror-driven. Tense, atmospheric, and criminally underseen.
Rituals (1977), directed by Peter Carter, is a tense and gritty survival horror film often compared to Deliverance but with a darker, more nightmarish edge. The story follows five doctors on a remote Canadian wilderness trip that quickly devolves into terror when they realize they are being hunted by an unseen, vengeful presence. As they struggle through the harsh terrain, their friendships fracture, and buried guilt surfaces, revealing each man’s personal demons. The atmosphere grows increasingly oppressive, and the line between man and monster blurs. With its haunting isolation, psychological depth, and brutal realism, Rituals is a chilling exploration of retribution, vulnerability, and the primal instinct to survive.
8.The Car
Runtime: 1hr 38min
A killer car haunts the desert. It’s campy and wild — and somehow genuinely terrifying. Jaws on wheels.
The Car (1977), directed by Elliot Silverstein, is a unique blend of supernatural horror and action-thriller, featuring a mysterious black sedan that terrorizes a small desert town. After a series of brutal hit-and-run murders, local sheriff Wade Parent tries to uncover the car’s origin, only to realize that it seems to have no driver — and no earthly explanation. As the car stalks the townspeople with demonic precision, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary vehicle but a malevolent force with a mind of its own. With its striking desert visuals, eerie musical cues, and a premise that plays like Jaws on four wheels, The Car has earned cult status as one of the decade’s more bizarre and entertaining horror entries.
9.Shock (aka Beyond the Door II)
Runtime: 1hr 33min
Mario Bava’s final film — a creepy, disorienting possession story with strong visuals and eerie performances.
Shock (1977), directed by Mario Bava (with uncredited contributions from his son Lamberto Bava), is a haunting psychological horror film that blurs the line between supernatural terror and mental breakdown. The story follows Dora, a woman trying to rebuild her life with her new husband and young son in a house once shared with her deceased first husband. As unsettling events escalate—furniture moves, voices whisper, and her son begins behaving disturbingly—Dora becomes convinced that a malevolent force tied to her past is haunting them. With its eerie atmosphere, dreamlike pacing, and disturbing child imagery, Shock (also known as Beyond the Door II in some markets) serves as a fitting swan song for Mario Bava, masterfully combining classic ghost story elements with psychological dread.
10.The Child
Runtime: 1hr 25min
A strange, low-budget blend of psychic horror, zombies, and backwoods atmosphere. Uneven but unforgettable.
The Child (1977), directed by Robert Voskanian, is a low-budget, surreal horror film that blends backwoods Gothic atmosphere with supernatural menace. Set in a decaying rural estate, the film follows Alicianne, a young woman hired to care for a strange little girl named Rosalie. As Alicianne settles in, she discovers that Rosalie harbors deep resentment over her mother’s death — and possesses a terrifying psychic ability to summon the undead. With nightmarish imagery, a disorienting tone, and zombie attacks that feel ripped from a fever dream, The Child is a strange, eerie entry in 1970s horror. Its mix of childlike innocence and grotesque violence makes it an unsettling and underrated gem in the decade’s lineup of creepy-kid cinema.
Underrated Picks Worth Your Time
The Pack
Runtime: 1hr 35min
Killer dogs terrorize a beach community. Surprisingly emotional and well-acted.
The Pack (1977), directed by Robert Clouse, is a tense and unsettling natural horror film that taps into primal fears of nature turning against humanity. Set on a remote island during the off-season, the film follows a small group of residents and visitors who find themselves hunted by a pack of abandoned domestic dogs that have gone feral. As the animals grow more aggressive and coordinated, the survivors must fight for their lives against creatures they once considered companions. With its slow-burn pacing, eerie isolation, and grounded realism, The Pack offers a grim reflection on human negligence and the thin line between tame and wild. It's a quietly effective entry in the wave of 1970s eco-horror that pits man against the natural world.
Shock Waves
Runtime: 1hr 30min
Nazi zombies rise from the ocean. A slow-burn aquatic horror that’s perfect for cult film lovers.
Shock Waves (1977), directed by Ken Wiederhorn, is a slow-burning, atmospheric horror film that blends aquatic dread with Nazi zombie exploitation. The story follows a group of tourists whose boat crashes near a remote island, where they discover a decaying hotel and encounter a mysterious, reclusive SS commander played by Peter Cushing. Soon, waterlogged undead soldiers—remnants of a secret Nazi experiment to create unstoppable amphibious killers—rise from the sea to stalk and kill the survivors. With its eerie underwater sequences, haunting silence, and sun-bleached, dreamlike visuals, Shock Waves builds tension through mood rather than gore. It's a cult favorite for fans of 1970s horror oddities, notable for its unique concept and unsettling atmosphere.
Death Bed: The Bed That Eats
Runtime: 1hr 17min
Yes, it’s real. Yes, it’s weird. Yes, it’s worth watching at least once.
Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1977), written and directed by George Barry, is one of the most bizarre and surreal entries in horror cinema. The film centers around a demonic bed, cursed by the death of a lustful demon, that consumes anyone who lies upon it—dissolving flesh, bone, and belongings in a vat of digestive acid beneath its sheets. Told through poetic narration by a trapped ghost behind a painting, the story unfolds like a fever dream, blending gothic horror, absurdist humor, and experimental visuals. Long unreleased and nearly lost to time, Death Bed gained cult status decades later for its one-of-a-kind premise and unapologetic strangeness. It’s not a traditional horror film—it’s an eerie, art-house oddity that lingers in the mind like a half-remembered nightmare.
Horror Highlights & Trivia
Suspiria Launches a Trilogy – Argento’s film kicked off the Three Mothers series, influencing horror aesthetics for decades.
Lynch’s Arrival – Eraserhead became a midnight movie staple and announced Lynch as a new master of the surreal.
Post-Vietnam Survival Horror – The Hills Have Eyes reflected American trauma and paranoia, turning the desert into a death trap.
Witchcraft, Cults, and Psychics – 1977’s films played into the decade’s obsession with the supernatural and unseen evil forces.
Where to Watch These Today
Streaming:
Suspiria – Tubi, Prime Video (original 1977 version)
Eraserhead – Criterion Channel
The Hills Have Eyes – Shudder, Pluto TV
House (Hausu) – Max, Criterion Channel
Martin – Rare, but available through select boutique Blu-ray labels
Physical Media:
Suspiria, Eraserhead, Martin, and House – All available via boutique labels like Arrow Video, Severin, and Criterion.
The Sentinel and Rituals – Scream Factory and Kino Lorber have physical editions.
Closing Thoughts
1977 was horror without a safety net. It was strange, visceral, and visionary. The year brought us some of the most artistically daring and thematically bleak horror films ever made — works that continue to influence genre filmmaking to this day. Whether you’re looking for beauty, brutality, or baffling brilliance, 1977 offers a little of everything — and a lot of nightmares.
