The Horror and Gore Of 1972
The Horror and Gore Of 1972
Welcome to the second annual installment of celebrating the horror films released a half-century ago this Halloween. Since last year’s look at 1971 horror films, I have been watching horror films from 1972…as many as I could find. And after watching dozens of films, I have culled down my favorites. And yes, if you were wondering, by focusing on a specific year, I ended up discovering an incredible array of films I had never seen before as well as falling back in love with long lost friends.
1972 was a transitional year for the horror movie genre. We are one year away from the release of the Exorcist, which was the beginning of a slew of what are now thought of as classic 70s horror films. In 1972, we find the Hammer franchise which, while still active, is no longer the powerful voice of horror coming out of the UK as it had once been. Master of underground splatter films Herschell Gordon Lewis released his final horror film for decades in ‘72, while Wes Craven1 saw his debut release hit theaters. There were some solid films to come out during this twelve month period of time…and it seemed like if any country was on a roll, it was Spain (just see the below selection); there just were not a lot of classics.
But it was a blast watching the 70+ films that were findable. Starting with the way the films were processed and colorized in the early 70s, with their rich warm colors and hazy edges—that alone lures you in like the tattered comfort of a warn family leather couch. Even many films that were not great enough to be great, or bad enough to be great, had worthwhile moments that made them worth watching. Who doesn’t want to see Ray Milland get eaten by frogs in….Frogs? Or watching Orson Wells in Necromancy, slopping his way through his part as cult leader, as he would go on to do for Paul Masson wine commercials, looking to kill in order to resurrect his son (the film features a fantastic score by Fred Karger and Robert Walsh)? Mercury Players fans can also see Joseph Cotton in the sub-par Mario Bava film Baron Blood and Agnes Moorehead in the “really really lame2” Dear Dead Delilah.
The class of ‘72 features an unexpected Indian zombie-ish film Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche, where the actors stop the death toll in order to break into choreographed classic-Bollywood dance numbers. And how about the Easy-Rider-Meets-Biker horror of Curse of the Headless Horseman, featuring Warhol Superstar Ultra Violet, which answers the question as to what the fate would have been for Captain America and Billy if they had decided to drop acid at the hippy commune they came across early on the way to Mardi Gras. REALLY BAD FILM, but I could not take my eyes off it…a true hippy time capsule.
With the rise of app-based television (we cut the cable cord a long time ago in exchange for a firestick), and many free, commercial-based services (Tubi, Freebie, Peacock, Fawesome, youtube, anon) that are fighting each other for the rights to deep catalogues…it is very possible now to see some of the most random, unheard-of, rare horror movies (rare, I guess, no more).
Thus, the following are some of my favorite horror films from 1972. All of them you can watch (incredibly) online…for free…right now! Why bother trick-or-treating?
Silent Night, Bloody Night (Theodore Gershuny, USA)
One of my favorite horror films of the 1972 year….not to be confused with 1984’s Silent Night, Deadly Night…this film is the influential precursor for slasher movies to come. Focused around a house with a horrid history (including its time as an asylum where some very bad things go down), and a maniac who comes home….to kill (you can watch the film here)
Blacula (William Crain, USA)
Considered to be one of the greatest Blaxploitation films ever made, Blacula does not disappoint, with William Morris as the suave and fierce Prince Mamuwalde, a character made a vampire by Count Dracula centuries ago, hitting the hip nightclubs of Los Angeles trying to get down with a woman he thinks is the reincarnation of his lover from back in the 1700s (watch out for the great musical performance from The Hues Corporation). Noir character actor Elisha Cook Jr. plays a coroner whose inability to follow simple instructions leads to one of the best horrifying moments of the film, and Blaxploitation legend Thalmus Rasulala is fantastic in his role as Dr. Gordon Thomas, the film’s answer to vampire hunter Van Helsing (you can watch the film here).
Tower Of Evil (Jim O'Connolly, United Kingdom)
I had never heard of The Tower of Evil…and found it to be everything you want in a horror movie. A crew arrives at an island lighthouse to find a slew of dead bodies…many naked…without a clue to what happened to them. Twists, turns, flashbacks, jumps and monsters….Tower of Evil has it all. Featuring Jill Haworth who also starred in the lesser ‘72 horror Home For The Holidays with Sally Field and Julie Harris (you can watch the film here)
Horror Express (Eugenio Martín, Spain & United Kingdom)
Leaving Hammer behind to make the best Hammer-style movie of the year, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing find themselves on a train with a frozen monster (discovered by Lee) with an extra-terrestrial disposition (an unexpected and fantastic back-story). The result? Kill after kill, and even some zombie action before the credits roll. Also starring Telly Savalas. This film slipped into public domain years ago and can easily be enjoyed through The Internet Archive.
Vampire Circus (Robert Young, United Kingdom)
Speaking of Hammer films, Vampire Circus is one of many horror films that the studio produced in 1972, and is unquestioningly the best one…by a mile. Count Mitterhaus, a vampire, is killed after taking the lives of children in the 1800s, but not before putting a curse on the town. Years later, a circus group arrives in town, featuring many performers who are secretly vampires, one of whom is a relative of the Count, who starts fulfilling curse from the past. This extremely enjoyable stab in the neck can be seen on Tubi.
Blood Splattered Bride (Vicente Aranda, Spain)
This Spanish horror flick is what you might call one of the first feminist vampire films. It is a wild, unexpected trip featuring two Spanish actor greats, Alexandra Bastedo and Maribel Martín, who form a bloody allegiance which leads to a great body count. This is one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite horror films and for good reason: Blood Splattered Bride is a well paced, unexpected thrill of a horror film (and you can watch it on Tuvi)
Tombs Of The Blind Dead (Amando de Ossorio, Spain & Portugal)
Another horror film from Spain, I was not sure if I should include this film or not: the pacing is sllllowwwww. It takes a little keep-with-it attitude to get to the good stuff. But there is no denying that the Knights Templar, an ancient order of disgraced, malevolent knights that are now powerful hooded skeletons on horseback, are some of the greatest horror movie monsters ever. This film was the beginning of what would be a series featuring these beautiful undead creatures (you can watch the film here).
The Gore Gore Girls (Herschell Gordon Lewis, USA)
Herschell Gordon Lewis ended his reign as gore-specialist with one of the most plot-driven and most disgusting films of his career (and I say that in the best of ways). The man who brought you Blood Feast and 10,000 Maniacs gives you a mystery: a gumshoe on the hunt for a murderer targeting strippers in a nightclub in Chicago. This film features the most infamous cinematic moment involving an eyeball since the opening frames of Dalí & Buñuel’s Un Chien Andalou in 1929. You will never be able to unwatch some of the scenes in The Gore Gore Girls (still want to watch it? Another Tuvi presentation).
Tales From The Crypt (Freddie Francis, United Kingdom)
What happens when five people are confronted with their own deaths? Deaths that occurred in insane, bizarre ways? This film, the first film installment of the comic book anthology series, answers that question with chills and unexpected turns. Joan Collins and (again) Peter Cushing both give excellent performances in their respective acts (Cushing’s portrayal of the tragic Grimsdyke is heartbreaking and Oscar-worthy)…with each story a joyride through the horror vernacular. (you can watch the film here).
Don't Torture a Duckling (Lucio Fulci, Italy)
1972 marked the first time that horror director legend Lucio Fulci went full-bloody-mess. Killings, superstition, voodoo…and ultimately another mystery that takes its sleuths into a dark dark dark corner of small-town Sicilian life framed by Fulci’s patented disquieting, eerie direction (you can watch it here).
Death Line or Raw Meat (Gary Sherman, United Kingdom and USA)
This gruesome, bloody, cannibal-lives-under-the-subway exploration combines the best parts of a detective story and monster movie with a fantastic Third Man finalé. There is a lot of blood under the streets of London and a super-dark love story as well! The film is also a passing of the torch (I’m sure not intentional), with Christopher Lee, horror star of the golden days of Hammer Studios, appearing alongside Donald Pleasance, who would go one to find immortality in the Halloween franchise (you can watch the film here).
***Please write in the comments any horror film from 1972 you think should have made this list...there were several I was definitely on the fence about. I don’t mind admitting that I am not a huge fan of The Other, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, or Ben…all movies that are generally discussed when talkin’ ‘72 horror.
I left off Craven’s debut horror film The Last House on the Left because I am not a fan of horror films that are so purely focused on torture and misogyny.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dear_Dead_Delilah