Love them or loathe them, B-movies have always been an important part of film history. Though they’ve been around for as long as their bigger-budget A-movie counterparts (e.g., since the dawn of cinema), they really came into their own in the late 1960s and ‘70s. Times were a-changing, and as young people gradually became disaffected with political and social establishments, so too did they with the Hollywood establishment. Since B-movies were typically made without any major studio involvement, they could go places A-movies wouldn’t dare. B-movies became, in essence, a more personal, visionary, and radical alternative to the mainstream and oftentimes out-of-touch Hollywood product.
These exploitation-style B-movies quickly became just as popular as the major film studio productions, and much of that is due to the success of one high-octane, low-budget flick calledEasy Rider. Soon hundreds of cheap exploitation films flooded the theaters, and while many struck brilliance such asThe Texas Chain Saw MassacreandAssault on Precinct 13, countless others faded from view and memory as quickly as they debuted. Though a list chronicling these forgotten ‘70s B-movies could contain hundreds of entries, we’ve narrowed down the following list to 22 that are worthy of rediscovery.
22The Incredible Melting Man (1977)
The Incredible Melting Manis a low-budget sci-fi horror about an astronaut who, after embarking on a trip to outer space that goes horribly wrong, returns to Earth as a man who melts incredibly. Featuring incredible melting effects from a young Rick Baker, who would later go on to craft many ofthe greatest special effects of the ‘80s, this gloopy mess of a movie began life as a spoof of ‘50s sci-fi schlock and wound up becoming a source of ridicule in and of itself. This overlooked slimeball pairs beautifully on a double bill with the also very much forgotten 1959 flickFirst Man into Space, which follows a very similar tragic astronaut-turned-monster tale, albeit without any melting.
21The Man from Hong Kong (1975)
The Man from Hong Kongis an Ozploitation (Australian exploitation) classic from cult director Brian Trenchard-Smith. It follows a Hong Kong cop on a deadly mission to put an end to a sadistic Australian drug lord’s crime spree. StarringOne-Armed Swordsmanstar Jimmy Wang Yu and one-time James Bond George Lazenby, this explosive actioner blends Kung Fu and spy movie tropes into a beautiful East-meets-West mishmash. The fact that it has been all-but-forgotten in the decades since its release is a crime, as it is a blast from start to finish and truly the stuff of B-movie legend.
20I Drink Your Blood (1970)
The ultimate Satanic hippie trashterpiece,I Drink Your Bloodis a proto-splatter, proto-slasher horror that, in spite of being an important link in the evolution of the horror genre, is not very well known outside of enthusiasts’ circles. It follows a group of devil-worshipers who turn into zombie-like cannibals after eating rabies-spiked meat pies. The film was originally intended to be released asHydrophobia, but the title was changed toI Drink Your Bloodwhen it was released on a double bill with an unrelated voodoo zombie flick calledI Eat Your Skin.I Eat Your Skinis slow and not very engaging, butI Drink Your Bloodis a drive-in classic guaranteed to delight with its depraved violence and adorably lo-fi filmmaking, then leave you foaming at the mouth for more.
19Deranged (1974)
Also known asDeranged: Confessions of a Necrophile, this scuzzy little movie is based on the life and crimes of Ed Gein. LikePsychobefore it andThe Texas Chain Saw Massacreof the same year,Derangedhas an eerie backwoods aura and a childlike killer obsessed with death and domineering elders, yet it’s oddly not near as well-known. Interestingly, the film was produced in part byA Christmas Storydirector Bob Clark, who also directed a pair of wonderful and mostly forgotten ‘70s horror flicks that deserve honorable mention on this list:DeathdreamandChildren Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things.
18Tourist Trap (1979)
Tourist Trapis a supernatural slasher about a group of young friends who are forced to stop at an out-of-the-way roadside attraction, and are subsequently attacked by its weird proprietor and his living mannequins. Although the movie was one of the first films to follow in the slasher cycle kicked off byHalloween, it really owes more of its stylistic and structural design toThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre. This is especially true when it comes to the film’s overall look, as production designer Robert A. Burns worked on both this and Tobe Hooper’s Texas-set proto-slasher.All-in-all,Tourist Trapis one of the creepiest and most atmospheric slashers ever made, and as such is deserving of much more recognition.
Related:These B Movies Are Absolutely Worth Your Time
17Asylum (1972)
While many horror fans may associate the “horror anthology” subgenre with the ‘80s and ‘90s – the time when the likes ofCreepshowandTales from the Cryptreigned supreme – there was once a studio that pumped out dozens of top-notch films of a similar ilk in the ‘70s.As Slash Film explains, “What has gone long-unacknowledged is a series of horror anthology films arriving partway between those genre classics and the comic books that directly inspired them, courtesy of the England-based Amicus Productions.” One of Amicus’ best and yet least well-known contributions to the subgenre isAsylum.
Directed by genre master Roy Ward Baker and written byPsychoauthor Robert Bloch, the film tells four creepy stories about the insane, all wrapped up in a spooky framing story. Gorgeous gothic sets give the film some class, but the gory horror and in-your-face sex appeal gives this the requisite sleaze to be considered a proper B-picture.
16The Creeping Flesh (1973)
The Creeping Fleshreleased at the end of the British gothic horror cycle, which was so popular in the middle ‘60s but waned at the turn of the decade. As such, this slow-burn Victorian period horror-drama opened to very little fanfare and dropped out of theaters rather quickly. Just because it was unfashionable for the time, however, does not mean that it’s without merit; In actuality,The Creeping Fleshis a clever thriller about a giant prehistoric skeleton that can regrow its flesh and blood when exposed to water. Additionally, its blood is discovered to be the essence of evil, and winds up infecting the townspeople.
Although the movie is lighter on the skeleton-monster action than you might hope, the drama elements are quite engaging and the two lead roles aremagnificently acted by genre icons Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
15Cannibal Girls (1973)
Cannibal Girlsis an oft-forgotten horror-comedy gem and one ofGhostbustersdirector Ivan Reitman’s first films. It’s about a couple who honeymoon at a quiet little hotel, only to find out that it’s run by an insane man and his harem of cannibalistic women. Although the film’s marketing materials are arguably better than the film itself (the poster advertising it as “the picture with the warning bell!” and the masterpiece of aGrindhouse trailer that you should watch NOW),Cannibal Girlsis a blood-soaked delight that deserves more love.
14The Swinging Cheerleaders (1974)
One of many exploitation masterpieces from B-movie auteur filmmaker Jack Hill,The Swinging Cheerleadersis perhaps a little less well-known thanSwitchblade SistersorFoxy Brown, but truly his whole filmography deserves more recognition. Digressions aside,The Swinging Cheerleadersis both a hilarious comedy and a touching drama, all wrapped up into one sleazy package. This is pure, unadulterated B-movie bliss.
13Futureworld (1976)
Futureworldis the criminally underseen sequel to the ‘70s sci-fi hitWestworld. Unlike its clever predecessor,Futureworldfits firmly into the B-movie camp; it’s cheesier and made by a studio of considerably lower prestige than its predecessor (Westworldwas an MGM production whileFutureworldwas made by the independent American International Pictures, notorious for such films asShe Gods of Shark ReefandGirls in Prison). That being said, the silly sequel is tons of fun, one ofthe best killer robot movies ever made, and features a memorable performance from counterculture icon Peter Fonda.
