The 1970s were a great decade for horror. The genre began to evolve and moved further away from the campy monster and alien movies of the 50s and 60s. While plenty movies of that style were released in the 70s, films from this decade had a distinctly darker and harder edge to them. The 70s also spawned many huge horror franchises still in play today with films like Alien, Halloween, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre all making their debut.
Plenty of movies from the 70s have been remade and updated throughout the years. The original Halloween has undergone several re-imaginings in the last two decades, but some great ones have been left untouched. The start of the 70s was 52 years ago, and there are many films with great ideas that could benefit from a remake.
Don't Look Now (1973)
The 1973 film Don't Look Now has come to be considered a masterpiece in the years since its release. Innovative editing style, use of recurring motifs, and a groundbreaking sex scene cemented it in the history books. The film features fantastic performances by Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie as grieving parents transposed to Italy in the wake of their young daughter's death. Once there, the lives of the two descend into a nightmarish spiral of foreboding as Sutherland is tormented by visions of his daughter in her red coat around the city.
Although a classic film, Don't Look Now could benefit from a remake. There are some outdated ideas, especially the use of a female little person as something monstrous. There are also countless ways in which the advancement of filmmaking could benefit a remake as well, creating a surreal feel to the film that differs from the original.
The Car (1977)
In The Car, a driverless car with no doors appears and begins terrorizing James Brolin and the rest of his small town. This sinister matte black vehicle begins targeting the residents of the town indiscriminately, from cyclists to the school marching band. It becomes clear that the car is some kind of demonic entity when it is unable to enter the hallowed ground, and it explicitly targets Brolin's girlfriend after she insults it. The film ends when Brolin and his fellow officers lure the car into a canyon and blow it up, causing a demonic face to appear in the smoke.
The Car has a great premise and genuinely creepy antagonist in the car, however, it suffers from a serious pacing problem with large swathes of inaction that don't add to the tension. In the hands of a great writer and director, a remake could create a truly terrifying movie experience.
Phase IV (1974)
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Visually striking and offbeat sci-fi film Phase IV was created by acclaimed graphic designer Saul Bass. In Bass's only feature film, outstandingly intelligent ants begin taking over an Arizona town. A cosmic event triggers the rapid evolution of ants, who begin to build large, strange constructs in the desert. The town is evacuated and a team of scientists is brought in to study the phenomenon, but the bugs fight back and learn to immunize themselves against chemical attacks. Ultimately, it becomes clear that the ants want to adapt the human race to ant life, not end it.
A remake could benefit from the progress of visual effects in film. The ants could be integrated into the human world more effectively, and the world of the ants could be made even more intricate. The technology featured in the film that the human scientists utilize could also benefit from an upgrade.
Magic (1978)
Starring Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, and Burgess Meredith, the puppet nightmare film Magic follows a mentally ill man who cannot control his ventriloquist dummy on or off the stage. Failed magician Corky (Hopkins) returns from hiatus with a combination magician and ventriloquist act; however, as the film progresses, Corky becomes more and more unhinged, channeling his inner rage through his dummy Fats. Fats soon becomes the controlling presence in Corky's life, forcing him to kill those around him.
Creepy doll movies are always a good bet, and a remake of Magic could bring in a whole new audience for the film. Blumhouse loves doll-based horror and would do a good job of updating the movie for the 2020s.
The Brood (1979)
The Brood is David Cronenberg's meditation on divorce starring Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, and Art Hindle. Frank and Nola are embroiled in a nasty custody battle for their daughter Candice. Complicating matters is Nola's severe mental illness for which she is undergoing treatment. A backdrop of strange murders by terrifying childlike creatures is also at play, and when one of the creatures is killed and an autopsy reveals strange anatomy. As it turns out, Nola's rage is causing her to parthenogenetically give birth to a brood of child monsters that target the subject of her anger.
The only reason for a remake of The Brood is to improve the look of the brood themselves. By today's standards, they aren't particularly scary, and have a very cheap look to them. The rest of the film still holds up as a frightening dissection of rage and relationships.