By Geoffrey Huchel

Although the early 1970s experienced a financial slump it proved to be a benchmark decade, as an art form and as a business, which tremendously affected the development of movie making. The restrictions that were put in place decades before on language, adult content, and sexuality have loosened, allowing filmmakers to experiment and take greater risks. In addition, the hippie movement, the civil rights movement, free love, the growth of rock and roll, and drug use has certainly impacted filmmaking during the decade.

The 1970s brought a rebirth of the gritty crime film. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971), starring Gene Hackman and SERPICO (1973), starring Al Pacino, were two noteworthy ones. It’s widely known that the 1970s gained lucrative success in the horror genre, especially with films like the terrifying THE EXORCIST (1973), starring a young Linda Blair. Other notable horror films of the decade included THE OMEN (1976), ALIEN (1979), CARRIE (1976), BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) and HALLOWEEN (1978), which was a pre-cursor to the classic slasher flicks of the 1980s and 1990s. Cult horror films were also popular in the 1970s, such as THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972), THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977) and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974), all of which got the remake treatment years later.