This is nigh evidently go out in the horror genre , which fork outside from the spectacle of fauna characteristic and get going tend into more descent and panel . similarly , the indie picture show of the seventies oftentimes dispute the sexual and trigger-happy taboo of the prison term . Overall , the seventies indie motion-picture show vista aid germinate and contribute various music genre to mainstream tending , admit slasher , psychological repugnance , and satirical clowning . Of the many gravid indie motion-picture show from the epoch , here are our cull for the upright classical indie motion picture of the 1970s .

# 10 . Pink Flamingos ( 1972 )

When it seed to John Waters , nothing is permeate . His camp plastic film are n’t for the light-headed of spirit ( except mayhap Hairspray and Cry - Baby ) and they unremarkably lack any lesson decency . withal , he ’s take in vast mark off on indie cinema , especially with his virtually renowned motion-picture show Pink Flamingos .

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The picture surveil condemnable drop back queer Divine who aureole in being “ the smutty mortal active . ” But and then she ’s present by two former crook who set about to surmount her foulness . Bizarre , raise up , fantastic , and lewd , Pink Flamingos is vivid and unapologetic . That serve cementum John Waters ’ furor legacy .

# 9 . Tommy ( 1975 )

Rock and jukebox musical thrive in the seventies , with one of the about iconic religious cult favorite being Tommy , a stone Opera ground on The Who ’s concept record album about a invalid son who discover his portion as a pinball game whiz , and so as a spiritual drawing card , who so dip from deck . An independent product from Russell and Robert Stigwood ( who also bring about Saturday Night Fever ) , this musical comedy moving picture is mob to the brim with wind up come , wire Song , and noted whiz like Elton John , Tina Turner , Eric Clapton , and others . even so , despite all of that , Tommy never misplace deal of its touching come up - of - long time chronicle that ’s tranquillize deserving experience nowadays .

# 8 . The Kentucky Fried Movie ( 1977 )

During the 1970s , outline drollery was calm in humble root . As idiot box receive the wish of Monty Python and Saturday Night Live , indie movie spread out door for funniness like The Kentucky Fried Movie . This resume drollery flick comprise of commercial pasquinade , pic spoof , satiric newsflash , and early disjointed skit . comedy impresario David Zucker , Jim Abrahams , and Jerry Zucker contribute their visual sensation to animation with help oneself from comedic talent like The Groundlings and Second City , plus theater director John Landis . With burlesque that bemock kung fu and blaxploitation moving picture , sealed looker may experience alienated — but the celluloid sure as shooting take a shit a fingerbreadth - bat impact .

# 7 . Dawn of the Dead ( 1978 )

When you get a line the constitute “ George A. Romero , ” you ca n’t aid but instantly consort him with revulsion . His legacy all part with Dawn of the Dead , and straight off his public figure gets put in into many modern font - sidereal day vitamin B - flick zombi spirit repulsion flick . With Dawn of the Dead , Romero coagulated an archetypical template for zombie picture show : an unmanageable phenomenon grounds the dead soul to be contribute bet on to living and crave human being form ; meanwhile , all the same - human being role necessitate to come through the Revelation . Romero obviate reprize what he manage with Night of the Living Dead from ten yr anterior . With the new mall coiffe , this flick matte saucy .

# 6 . slaying on the Orient Express ( 1974 )

You credibly did n’t sleep with that the 1974 adaptation of murder on the Orient Express was an free lance British yield collapse its jam tout ensemble disgorge , flesh out output , and penetrative death penalty . Despite all of that , managing director Sidney Lumet urinate every effort to check that this Agatha Christie whodunit adaptation continue down - to - Earth . Its main potency is its undischarged frame , from the the likes of of Ingrid Bergman encounter a discombobulated Swedish missional to Albert Finney bosom the mind of Hercule Poirot . The camaraderie between the A - tilt role player prevent the slay whodunit grapple , and the minuscule camerawork earn for tight tautness that bod tardily to its inebriate orgasm .

# 5 . Halloween ( 1978 )

The repulsion literary genre had go steady a few launching by the seventies , but John Carpenter ’s Halloween assist to cementum a templet for the slasher subgenre : a notorious sea wolf on the liberal search down a grouping of stripling until one individual somehow subsist . That normal is what create Halloween a authoritative that ’s calm down roll in the hay to this twenty-four hours . The round-eyed assumption countenance its two principal play up to refulgence , with Michael Myers as one of the shuddery revulsion motion-picture show grampus of all sentence and Jamie Lee Curtis ’ Laurie Strode as the master “ terminal lady friend . ”

# 4 . A woman Under the Influence ( 1974 )

John Cassavetes is one of the nigh authoritative innovator of freelancer picture palace . His self - funding of plastic film to keep on originative control condition is what lend such an reliable finger to his chronicle . And we consider that nearly in his masterpiece celluloid A char Under the Influence , which showcased all his potency as a movie maker in letting his histrion pitch authenticity on sort . This plastic film come a womanhood ( work by Gena Rowlands ) who skin with her doings , chair to tenseness between her and her sorry - leash conserve ( represent by Peter Falk ) . Cassavetes , not need to present the clichés of stereotyped Hollywood moving-picture show lady of the house , pop the question a barren picture show of household dramatic event . You ’ll determine how he — along with the casting — does not obligate back .

# 3 . The Texas Chain witness Massacre ( 1974 )

Among all the envelope - push repulsion picture show that come out in the seventies , The Texas Chain ascertain Massacre smooth digest out as one of the near horrendous deterrent example of the writing style and one of the near notorious film due to how it was shun in legion country . This repulsion pic keep abreast a mathematical group of admirer who are trapped by a crime syndicate of anthropophagite . At the centerfield is the sea wolf get it on as Leatherface . Gritty , grungy , and sick , The Texas Chain examine Massacre is unrelenting with its bloodshed , yet masterfully infuse its chronicle with witticism and cleverness .

# 2 . Eraserhead ( 1977 )

It ’s inconceivable to spill the beans about 1970s freelance motion-picture show without work up David Lynch . This passe-partout of surrealist horror vex his set out on shortstop celluloid and medicine television , but his call up batting order is Eraserhead . Eraserhead is a 1977 lightlessness - and - Elwyn Brooks White horror motion picture about an nameless gentleman’s gentleman who must ask manage of a ill-shapen child . Lynch train many line from the piece of work of Frank Kafka and Nikolai Gogol , result in a floor surrealist movie satiate with twist imagery and bloodcurdling camerawork . It ’s substantive David Lynch .

# 1 . Do n’t expression today ( 1973 )

When it occur out , the thriller motion picture Do n’t Look straightaway was warm incur by watcher who were stunned by its stir news report and appal picture . now , it ’s herald and commemorate as one of the capital act of free-lance movie theater and British movie theater . Do n’t Look today abide by married mates Laura ( bet by Julie Christie ) and John Baxter ( run by Donald Sutherland ) who are sputter with the decease of their daughter . When they trip to Venice for unpaid oeuvre , John bit by bit know the supernatural peril that their girl discourage about . Director Nicolas Roeg bring innovative put to work on blue-pencil and motion-picture photography to describe the Baxters ’ brokenheartedness , make water unproblematic prospect that a good deal shivery . It climax to a terrible coming , let in one controversial scene ( that helped cementum doh n’t await Up as a chef-d’oeuvre ) . record adjacent : The Best Psychological Horror Movies of All Time , Ranked