10 Cult Classic Movies From The 70s
#Whattowatch The academy is dumb, there is no award winner on this list.
The 1970s have been roundly disparaged because of the movies they produced, many of which were mainstream in some incarnation and are remembered more for their campy costumes or unbelievable plots. Nonetheless, there were several movies that have grown over time to become true underground classics, appreciated mostly by those who know something about and understand the New Hollywood directors and actors who made them. Below is a list of my ten favorite cult movie classics from the 1970s.
When The Warriors premiered in June 1979, long-time Los Angelenos thought Hollywood had made another classic for John Ford’s “town without pity.” But this time the filmmakers actually lived in that town, where gangs roamed and cars were used as weapons—a fact that drove the biggest fear of all: angry young men with guns plus huge city streets. Here are 10 more cult classics from the 70s, plus a bonus film. Man Who Would Be King is a film directed by John Huston and produced by Sam Spiegel, with dialogue by Beverley Cross. It is an adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling story of the same name. The film stars Sean Connery and Michael Caine as British soldiers who travel to Kafiristan (in modern-day Afghanistan), where they become kings. The screenplay was written by Huston, with uncredited contributions by Authur Torchlain, Eric Raynolds, John Collier, and Connery.
Plot: In a small town in Northern Minnesota, a group of unemployed teenagers runs a summer camp for underprivileged kids. Things go awry when a shady businessman swindles the mayor out of $25,000 and it's up to the counselors (including Bill Murray) to get it back. Meatball is an idealistic look at growing up that has aged remarkably well. William Blinn's script is packed with funny sequences and complex, interesting characters (something few comedies are able to pull off today). The cast gets plenty of chances to shine and make fun of themselves along the way, delivering rapid-fire one-liners that often go straight from brain to mouth before they've even finished being thought. There is nothing cynical or mean-spirited about Meatballs, which is probably why it has withstood the test of time so remarkably well as one of my personal favorite comedies.
This movie became a true cult classic after its release and has since earned much praise for its macabre edginess and impressive special effects. The biblical plagues used to kill off the surgeons that replaced his face with a wax mask were reminiscent of the Ten Plagues of Egypt, and the spooky gothic organ music written by Paul Lewis is unforgettable. The Abominable Dr. Phibes is rightly considered a horror film classic right alongside such films as The Omen and Rosemary’s Baby.
Logan’s Run (1976): Logan 5 and his mentor, Francis, embark on a mission to track down the leader of a group of renegades. Along the way, they learn that life outside the city walls is not all it is cracked up to be. The outside world is patrolled by Sandmen, who kill anyone found there who hasn’t reached “Carousel”, age 30 in this case. Runners are kids from the City who have tried to escape.
