For every Scream or Halloween , there are 10 other scary movies that never really found their audience. Here are some noteworthy horror films from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s that are worth a look. WARNING: Mild gore ahead.
Frogs (1972)
Director: George McCowan
The wealthy Crockett family has a beautiful plantation on a lake in Florida. Patriarch Jason (Ray Milland) hates the natural wildlife and orders an exterminator to spray pesticides around the house. That's when the fauna start fighting back — not just frogs, but also snakes, lizards, birds, spiders, leeches, and turtles. It's absurd horror with a message: Namely, don't fuck with Mother Nature.
MGM
Deathdream (1972)
Director: Bob Clark
U.S. soldier Andy Brooks (Richard Backus) is shot and killed in Vietnam. Before he dies, he hears his mother's voice, reminding him that he promised to come back. And he does eventually return, but Andy is changed — and soon the people around him start dying. This Canadian slasher film is both scary and melancholy, revisiting the classic tale of a wish gone wrong.
Blue Underground
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)
Director: Nicolas Gessner
Rynn Jacobs (Jodie Foster) is only 13, but she lives by herself — and no one knows why. Her nosy landlady Cora Hallett (Alexis Smith) and the landlady's creepy son Frank (Martin Sheen) try to discover the truth, with dire consequences. While arguably more thriller than horror, this unsettling film goes to very dark places, including an especially disturbing ending.
MGM
Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)
Director: Alfred Sole
At her First Communion, Karen (Brooke Shields) is strangled to death, and her sister Alice (Paula Sheppard) is accused of the crime. The creepy grinning mask is Alice's, but it's unclear who is responsible as more people are attacked by the relentless killer. The mask itself makes Alice, Sweet Alice memorable — by which I mean, terrifying.
Anchor Bay
