Best Horror Films of 1979
- HaHa Horrors
- May 10
- 9 min read
1979 closed out the decade with a bang — and a scream. Horror had matured over the '70s, evolving from grindhouse grit to genre-defining art and blockbuster terror. In this final year of the decade, horror went to space, to Transylvania, to suburban bedrooms, and into the decaying heart of post-Vietnam America. With major studio releases, stylish debuts, and nihilistic finales, 1979 cemented horror’s dominance — and teed up the ‘80s slasher boom that was just around the corner.
The Horror Landscape in 1979
Terror in Space
The boundaries of horror expanded beyond Earth as Ridley Scott’s Alien showed that in space, no one can hear you scream — and ushered in sci-fi horror as a dominant force.
Gothic Revival
A wave of classically styled horror emerged, with lush cinematography and a return to vampires, ghosts, and period atmosphere — updated with psychological bite and modern edge.
Death of the ‘70s
With paranoia, pessimism, and decay still in full force, 1979’s horror often felt like a goodbye to a very dark decade.
Top 10 Horror Films of 1979
1.Alien
Runtime: 1hr 57min
A perfect blend of horror and sci-fi. H.R. Giger’s xenomorph, the claustrophobic design, and Sigourney Weaver’s breakout performance made this a genre game-changer.
Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, revolutionized both science fiction and horror by merging them into a tense, claustrophobic nightmare. The story follows the crew of the commercial spaceship Nostromo, who investigate a mysterious distress signal on a desolate planet—only to bring aboard a deadly extraterrestrial lifeform. As the alien matures and begins stalking the crew one by one, the film becomes a slow-burning descent into terror, isolation, and survival. With its iconic creature design by H.R. Giger, minimalist atmosphere, and a breakthrough performance by Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, Alien became a landmark film that redefined what horror could look like in the cold, vastness of space.
2.Phantasm
Runtime: 1hr 29min
Tall Man. Flying spheres. Dream logic. Don Coscarelli’s surreal nightmare blends death, loss, and cosmic horror into a cult classic.
Phantasm (1979), directed by Don Coscarelli, is a surreal, genre-bending horror film that blends science fiction, supernatural horror, and dream logic into a uniquely haunting experience. The story centers on a young boy named Mike who discovers that the local mortician—known only as the Tall Man—is using the dead for otherworldly purposes, transforming corpses into hooded dwarf-like creatures and dispatching deadly flying spheres. As Mike, his brother Jody, and their friend Reggie dig deeper, the line between reality and nightmare blurs. With its eerie atmosphere, inventive effects, and haunting score, Phantasm became a cult classic that defied conventional horror and spawned a long-running franchise rooted in fear, mystery, and the unknown.
3.Nosferatu the Vampyre
Runtime: 1hr 47min
Werner Herzog remakes the silent classic with eerie beauty and melancholic dread. Klaus Kinski’s Dracula is both monstrous and mournful.
Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), directed by Werner Herzog, is a moody, atmospheric reimagining of F.W. Murnau’s silent 1922 classic. This version stars Klaus Kinski as Count Dracula—emaciated, rat-like, and tragic—who brings plague and death to a small European town. As the vampire becomes fixated on Lucy Harker, played by Isabelle Adjani, the film delves into themes of longing, decay, and existential dread. Shot with haunting beauty and infused with a melancholic tone, Herzog’s Nosferatu is less a straightforward horror film and more a poetic meditation on the futility of desire and the inevitability of death. It's a chilling yet strangely elegiac entry into the vampire canon, bridging silent film roots with modern psychological depth.
4.The Amityville Horror
Runtime: 1hr 58min
Based on “true events,” this haunted house hit became a cultural sensation. Creepy kids, bleeding walls, and lots of flies.
The Amityville Horror (1979), directed by Stuart Rosenberg, is a supernatural chiller based on the allegedly true story of a family haunted by malevolent forces in their Long Island home. When George and Kathy Lutz move into the house with their children, they are unaware of its gruesome history—a mass murder committed by a previous resident. Soon, they are plagued by terrifying visions, violent outbursts, and a growing sense that the house itself is alive and evil. As George descends into madness, the family must confront the dark presence threatening to consume them. With its mix of domestic dread, religious imagery, and haunted house tropes, The Amityville Horror became a cultural phenomenon and sparked one of the most enduring franchises in horror history.
5.Tourist Trap
Runtime: 1hr 30min
A bizarre, low-budget fever dream. Living mannequins, telekinesis, and slasher terror — House of Wax by way of acid trip.
Tourist Trap (1979), directed by David Schmoeller, is a bizarre and unsettling blend of slasher horror and surreal supernatural elements. The film follows a group of young travelers who stumble upon a secluded roadside wax museum run by the eccentric Mr. Slausen. What begins as a quirky detour quickly spirals into a nightmarish ordeal, as the group discovers the museum’s mannequins are disturbingly lifelike—and possibly alive. As they are picked off one by one, reality fractures under the weight of telekinetic terror, eerie masks, and psychological torment. With its dreamlike atmosphere, inventive kills, and uncanny aesthetic, Tourist Trap stands out as one of the most offbeat and underrated horror films of the late 1970s.
6.Dracula
Runtime: 1hr 49min
Frank Langella stars in this romantic, brooding take on the Count. Lavish production, gothic vibes, and a strong supporting turn from Laurence Olivier.
Dracula (1979), directed by John Badham, offers a romantic and visually lush take on Bram Stoker’s classic tale, blending gothic horror with sensual elegance. Starring Frank Langella as a charismatic and brooding Count Dracula, the film reimagines the vampire not as a monstrous predator but as a tragic, alluring figure haunted by loneliness. Set in turn-of-the-century England, the story follows Dracula’s arrival and seduction of Lucy Seward, sparking a desperate battle between love and damnation. With atmospheric cinematography, a sweeping John Williams score, and a sophisticated tone, Dracula (1979) revitalized the legend for a modern audience, balancing horror with pathos and romance in a way that distinguished it from previous adaptations.
7.When a Stranger Calls
Runtime: 1hr 37min
That opening 20 minutes is legendary. Urban fear, home invasion tension, and the terrifying line: “The call is coming from inside the house.”
When a Stranger Calls (1979), directed by Fred Walton, is a tense and minimalist thriller that helped shape the modern urban horror genre. The film opens with one of the most iconic and terrifying sequences in horror history: a babysitter receives a series of unsettling phone calls, only to discover they’re coming from inside the house. After this harrowing prologue, the story shifts into a psychological cat-and-mouse game between the now-traumatized babysitter and the escaped killer, years later. Anchored by Carol Kane’s unnerving performance and a chilling atmosphere of dread, When a Stranger Calls trades gore for suspense, building its terror on isolation, vulnerability, and the intrusion of evil into everyday spaces.
8.The Brood
Runtime 1hr 32min
David Cronenberg delivers a domestic horror full of rage, trauma, and psychic monstrosities. Disturbing, clinical, and unforgettable.
The Brood (1979), directed by David Cronenberg, is a disturbing and cerebral exploration of trauma, rage, and the dark side of psychotherapy. The film follows Frank Carveth as he uncovers the terrifying consequences of an experimental therapy used on his mentally unstable wife, Nola. As her repressed anger manifests physically, a series of brutal murders are carried out by mysterious, childlike creatures. Blending body horror with emotional devastation, The Brood uses its grotesque imagery to examine the link between psychological pain and physical reality. With its stark visuals, shocking revelations, and an unflinching final act, Cronenberg’s film remains a deeply unsettling and thematically rich entry in the horror canon.
9.Salem’s Lot
Runtime: 3hr
This TV adaptation of Stephen King’s vampire novel brought quiet dread and one iconic floating vampire kid to living rooms everywhere.
Salem’s Lot (1979), directed by Tobe Hooper and adapted from Stephen King’s novel, is a chilling and atmospheric vampire tale that brings classic horror into small-town America. When writer Ben Mears returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot, he discovers that a dark presence has taken root in the form of the sinister Kurt Barlow, an ancient vampire slowly turning the townspeople into his undead followers. As the town succumbs to evil, a small group of survivors must confront the encroaching darkness. With its eerie pacing, gothic overtones, and genuinely terrifying moments—especially its iconic scenes of floating vampires—Salem’s Lot became a landmark in made-for-TV horror, proving that terror could thrive on the small screen with just as much power as in theaters.
10.Zombie (aka Zombi 2)
Runtime: 1hr 31min
Lucio Fulci’s ultra-gory, surreal Italian response to Dawn of the Dead. Eye trauma, underwater zombie vs. shark, and apocalyptic vibes.
Zombie (1979), also known as Zombi 2 and directed by Lucio Fulci, is a visceral and unapologetically gruesome Italian horror film that helped define the splatter subgenre. Marketed as a sequel to Dawn of the Dead in some regions, the film follows a group of characters who travel to a remote Caribbean island to investigate a mysterious illness—only to discover the dead are rising, driven by an ancient curse. Known for its iconic set pieces—most infamously a zombie fighting a shark and a shocking splinter-to-the-eye scene—Zombie blends pulpy thrills with atmospheric dread. With its haunting score, rotting makeup effects, and apocalyptic tone, Fulci’s film is a standout in zombie cinema, celebrated for its relentless brutality and nightmarish imagery.
Underrated Picks Worth Your Time
The Visitor
Runtime: 1hr 30min
Italian/U.S. hybrid that combines aliens, Satan, and psychic powers in total chaos. Pure cult gold.
The Visitor (1979), directed by Giulio Paradisi (under the name Michael J. Paradise), is a surreal, genre-defying blend of sci-fi, horror, and religious mysticism that defies easy categorization. The film follows a mysterious intergalactic figure sent to Earth to confront a young girl with terrifying psychic powers, part of a cosmic battle between good and evil forces. Drawing from films like The Omen, The Exorcist, and Close Encounters, it weaves a baffling but mesmerizing tapestry of telekinesis, ancient prophecy, and celestial warfare. Featuring an eclectic cast that includes John Huston, Shelley Winters, and Franco Nero as a space Jesus, The Visitor is as visually arresting as it is narratively confounding. Despite—or because of—its chaos, it has earned a cult following for its audacious ambition, dreamlike tone, and truly unforgettable strangeness.
The Driller Killer
Runtime 1hr 41min
NYC punk grime meets slasher art film. Gritty, disturbing, and infamous.
The Driller Killer (1979), directed by and starring Abel Ferrara, is a gritty, nihilistic descent into urban madness that blends grindhouse horror with punk-infused psychodrama. Set in the decaying streets of late-’70s New York, the film follows struggling artist Reno as he unravels under financial pressure, isolation, and the constant noise of a nearby punk band. As his mental state deteriorates, he begins murdering homeless men with a power drill, unleashing his suppressed rage on the city around him. Shot guerrilla-style with raw, abrasive energy, The Driller Killer is as much a portrait of artistic despair and urban alienation as it is a blood-soaked exploitation film. Controversial and banned in several countries upon release, it remains a provocative cult classic that captures the grimy pulse of a city—and a man—on the edge.
Don’t Go in the House
Runtime: 1hr 32min
Disturbed man sets women on fire in a fireproof room. Brutal and controversial.
Don’t Go in the House (1979), directed by Joseph Ellison, is a bleak and disturbing psychological horror film that explores the corrosive effects of childhood abuse and isolation. The story centers on Donny Kohler, a reclusive young man who, after the death of his domineering and abusive mother, begins luring women to his home and murdering them with a flamethrower in a fireproof, steel-lined room. Haunted by his past and plagued by hallucinations, Donny’s descent into madness is portrayed with grim intensity. With its raw, unsettling tone and controversial subject matter, Don’t Go in the House stands as one of the more psychologically harrowing and morally challenging entries in late ’70s horror, offering a grim look at trauma turned inward—and then violently unleashed.
The Evictors
Runtime: 1hr 32min
A retro ghost story from the makers of Town That Dreaded Sundown. Stylish and suspenseful.
The Evictors (1979), directed by Charles B. Pierce, is a slow-burning Southern Gothic thriller that blends true-crime atmosphere with supernatural menace. Set in 1940s Louisiana, the film follows a young couple who move into a seemingly quiet farmhouse—only to be terrorized by a series of mysterious threats linked to the home’s violent past. As they dig deeper, they uncover a history of murder, betrayal, and a sinister force that may still be lurking. With its period setting, moody cinematography, and blend of noir-inspired mystery and horror, The Evictors crafts a chilling tale of small-town secrets and haunted legacies. Less overtly bloody than many of its contemporaries, it relies on tension, dread, and a shocking climax to leave a lasting impression.
Horror Highlights & Trivia
Alien Changes Everything – A-list horror, major studio backing, Oscar-winning effects. It wasn’t just a hit — it was a new blueprint.
Cronenberg Evolves – The Brood marked Cronenberg’s turn toward emotional horror fused with body horror.
Slashers Warming Up – While Halloween hit the year before, films like When a Stranger Calls showed the slasher formula catching on.
Horror Goes International – From Herzog’s Germany to Fulci’s Italy to Canada’s Cronenberg, 1979 was a global year for horror.
Where to Watch These Today
Streaming:
Alien – Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video
Phantasm – Tubi, Peacock
The Amityville Horror – Prime, Pluto TV
Zombie – Pluto, AMC+
Salem’s Lot – DVD and some digital rentals (TV version)
Physical Media:
Alien – Multiple 4K and Blu-ray editions
Phantasm – Arrow Video box set
Zombie, The Brood, and Tourist Trap – Available via Blue Underground, Criterion, and Scream Factory
Closing Thoughts
1979 was a fittingly nightmarish send-off for the 1970s. With Alien, horror launched into the future. With Nosferatu, it mourned the past. And in the shadows between, it gave us slashers, monsters, ghosts, and trauma. From space stations to haunted suburbs to Italian islands crawling with the dead, 1979 delivered stylish, strange, and unforgettable horror. The ‘80s would be louder — but 1979 had something deeper lurking beneath.
