1976 horror films - Lots of demons, fuck

 1976 seemed to be full of fanfiction of The Exorcist with some Rosemary's Baby thrown in. Still got some Jawsploitation films. It feels like we're really getting into the heart of capitalistic horror trends: seeing one film success and then producing a million fanfics of it xP But here's the films we watched followed by our faves at the end!

The Omen: My first time seeing it! It felt very much like fanfic of The Exorcist, but I felt like it did The Exorcist better! I could actually watch The Omen multiple times and have a good time. There were some weird logical issues and plot holes though. Pretty film, but it had its issues.

Dr. Black and Mr. White: The Blaxploitaion Jekyll and Hyde. It wasn't the strongest Blaxploitation film we'd seen yet, but it focused a lot on interesting colorism issues at the time as well as class-race intersectionalities.

Eaten Alive: Ooo such a hidden gem. Had Robert Englund. Few other big actors. Calls itself a gator film, but it's more of a rural slasher. I had so much fun with this. The lighting was a treat. The villain was a treat. And you get to see Englund's bulge. What's not to like???

Grizzly: A bear focused Jawsploitation film. Even copied some of the music from Jaws! The coolest part of this is that there was a sequel with big actors like...Charlie Sheen I think. A few other big actors. Anyway, the sequel was made but never released...until this year. Until 2021. So like...there's a NEW 1970s film that just came out lol. Can't wait to see that one.

Land of the Minotaur: A very Hammer-y film. Surprisingly not enough Minotaur schlong. Good plot though. I enjoyed the film. I appreciated the use of setting. Plus, you get to see the guy who plays the doctor in Halloween.

Rattlers: A snake version of Willard. It was okay. Can't say too much good about it. Not really worth the watch honestly.

Squirm: A Jawsploitation film with worms. Surprisingly horrifying! They do a really good job with special effects, and it was generally enjoyable. It hurt knowing some of these rednecks from my own hometown haha. But for a worm film, it was enjoyable, genuinely.

To the Devil a Daughter: One more Hammer-Lee film. Very Omen-y. I found myself liking the characters of this one. It was enjoyable, but a bit of a slow burn at times.

The Town that Dreaded Sundown: Y'know, in some ways, just as horrifying as Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In other ways, it was very silly. Like the guy could blow the trombone while his mouth was covered. Still, an interesting and terrifying film.

King Kong: Easily my fav King Kong movie so far. Jessica Lange? Hells yeah. Such interesting consumerism and capitalism critiques happening here. And I enjoyed the special effects despite it often being critiqued for them. Super entertaining film, compared to the Peter Jackson or original.

Savage Bees: Okay, this one was pretty ridiculous. It's not quite Birdemic bad...but it's pretty bad.

Snuff: Not as bad as things HGL had done, but it's along those veins, especially the ending.

Clown Murders: Sin did not like this film at all. I thought it picked up though! It felt like if Lois Duncan wrote a film with a clown killer instead of a hook-handed man. But that's the kind of story you're in for. Interpersonal dynamics with murderers who are filled with early regret.

Dogs: Jawsploitation film with dogs. It's okay. Nothing too exciting. I think Grizzly was better.

Drive-In Massacre: Ooo another rare gem. It was so fun watching this, especially imagining seeing it at an actual drive-in. It had a lot of shots that were intended to make that specific cinematic setting even more anxious. Loved the characters. Plot is a bit...slight. But that's not too distracting from the entertainment value.

God Told Me To: We were fully expecting to hate this one, given it's by the same guy who did It's Alive. But it was all right. A religious allegory turned sci-fi. Supernatural would be proud lol. It's fine. Had a lot of fun mystery elements to it.

Burnt Offerings: A Dan Curtis film a la House of Dark Shadows. I enjoyed it! I tend to enjoy Curtis' stuff though. He does a lot writing-wise with a low budget what a lot of high-budget films can't do. So I'd recommend it.

Carrie: My first time seeing the whole film! I loved seeing Cathie Martell (I love my Twin Peaks; that's just her name now) as Carrie's mother. Sissy did a good job as Carrie. I thought the film was a decent adaptation of the book. I didn't have toooo many issues with it really.

Satan's Slave: Any film with Michael Gough is down to be creepy. He's kind of an underrated horror star. This had a lot of twisty twists that made it particularly fun.

Tenant: A Polanski Apartment film. It was different actually seeing Polanski as an actor. It was a very creepy and surreal film, but I have to say I've enjoyed the whole Apartment trilogy.

Kiss of the Tarantula: A spider Willardsploitation film. Sin did not like this one. I thought it was okay despite its unrealistic moments. It's average.

So, favorites!

Mine are definitely Eaten Alive, Squirm, King Kong, and Drive-In Massacre. They were just entertaining for me, and they had specific gimmicks or actors that just made me love them.

Sin's faves are mostly wrong: Squirm [I'll allow that one], Carrie [It was good, but not that good], God Told Me To [um, no?], Town that Dreaded Sundown [you would say that, coming from Texas], Minotaur [you would say that too, having a bull-sona].

Comment question of the day! What's the most underrated horror actor you know?