Horror in the 1970s

Now on display in the Upper Lobby: a new vintage poster exhibition from collector Barry Yuen.

Exhibit Notes:

The 1970’s were a very fruitful, even innovative time for films in general and Horror films in particular.  The genre itself was getting something of a shaking up.  The old-style Gothic horror, so popular during the 60s, was beginning to go out of fashion – The Edgar Allen Poe cycle ended in the early 70’s with CRY OF THE BANSHEE and MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE – and become replaced by more visceral, more graphic horrors.   Like citizens of ancient Rome attending the Colosseum, audiences wanted to see more blood, and not just in horror movies (look at a movie like THE GODFATHER, for example).  Horror movies were becoming split between up-market (THE EXORCIST being a prime example of a horror movie given a big budget and produced by a Hollywood studio) and down-market (the many films that were shown only in drive-ins, which were hugely popular venues in the 70’s).  The horror hits of the 70’s were cultural phenomena that entered the public consciousness, like THE EXORCIST, THE OMEN, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE,  HALLOWEEN, CARRIE, DAWN OF THE DEAD,  and ALIEN.  These key films not only spun off numerous sequels and/or remakes, they were frequently imitated by others looking to get on the bandwagon, setting off long-lasting trends, most notably the Slasher Movie Trend, The Demonic Possession Trend, and the Zombie Trend, which continue even to this day!  And let’s not even get started on all the JAWS rip-offs, which also continue to this day.

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