One of the most controversial Oscar winners for Best Picture and a member of American Film Institute’s “100 Years…100 Movies” list, “The Deer Hunter” has faced open accusations of historical inaccuracy, unnecessary emotional wear, and even racism. Michael Cimino’s answer to those accusations has been the same: “The Deer Hunter”, a non-polemical and inaccurate film, never postured for one side in particular. Though some of those productions are now held as mere reflections of its time, the controversy raised by others of them has not yet been overcome. Though it was another attraction of many audiences seeking to fulfill their morbid expectations solely based on its title, Carnal Knowledge resulted, instead, in a groundbreaking revision of misogyny and dysfunctional relations that ultimately reflected a period of transition. Although the real home is located in Amityville, NY, the film was shot on-location at a home in Toms River, NJ, which was converted to look like it. The score for the film added to the slow-mounting tension of the plot and was nominated for an Academy Award.

Japanese cinema is always at the forefront of progressive cinematic movements. J-Horror shaped the 00’s American horror aesthetic, while the country embraced grindhouse and exploitation movies years before the States did. A prime example is The Snare, the second segment of the “ Hanzo the Razor” trilogy. This sleazy and absurd movie is one of the must-sees entries, especially for Shintaro Katsu’s titular Hanzo role. The precursor of a considerable amount of vigilante films of varying quality that permeated the 70s, “Dirty Harry” raised a series of debates surrounding, among other things, the nature of its main character’s acts and whether its director was delivering a political message. Mainly dialogic, “Carnal Knowledge” follows the evolution of two best friends’ sexual lives. A local incident upon its release led “Carnal Knowledge” to be part of a major case before the US Supreme Court, which concluded that the film’s depictions were not offensive in any way.

The Last House on the Left” is mostly inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s masterpiece “The Virgin Spring”, a moving allegory about vengeance and redemption set in the Middle Ages. Misogynistic, pretentiously comic and widely polemical, the film faced open accusations due to its cruel depiction of women. The film’s creators tried to overcome these accusations by appealing to the only issue some critics regarded as redeemable about the otherwise widely ripped film: the “humorous spirit” beneath it. As a late outcome of the lax censorship forced by the countercultural manifestations of the 1960s, the increasing recurrence of violent films in the late 60s anticipated the 1970s experimentation with extremism in cinema. You miserable, no good, dirty sons of bitches!': Queer(y)ing 'Canuxploitation' revenge narratives in the films of John Dunning and André Link

Dirty Harry” was just the beginning of a series of films following the adventures of the now pop icon Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood in one of his most paradigmatic performances), an unorthodox and ruthless San Francisco police inspector, as he ignores the rules of the book and chases criminals by any means possible.

Sometimes consciously, others as a mere result of circumstances, the 70s were rich in productions that further crossed the already transgressed boundaries of good taste, through widely polemical depictions of sexuality, religion, morality, violence and exploitation. Departing from its inspiration, “The Last House on the Left” lets go everything about Bergman’s obsessive search for redemption, and instead focuses on the exploitation side of its revenge story. As a result, the film faced censorship in many countries due to the extremity of its sequences. Released at the end of 1973, The Exorcisthas terrified audiences ever since. The audience is introduced to a 12-year-old girl and her mother who have a playful and loving relationship with each other. When Regan ( Linda Blair) is seemingly possessed by Pazuzu, who claims to be the devil, her mother, Chris ( Ellen Burstyn) is forced to watch her daughter’s condition deteriorate. At the other end, Father Karras ( Jason Miller), who with Father Merrin ( Max von Sydow), conducts Regan’s exorcism, is conflicted by his faith which is further exacerbated by the death of his mother. Based on real events, The Amityville Horror begins with Ronald DeFeo Jr. going through the house at 112 Ocean Avenue, and murdering his entire family. One year later, George ( James Brolin) and Kathy ( Margot Kidder) move into the home. The couple requests that a priest bless the home, but when he enters, the home seemingly turns against him, including a room full of flies, stomach illness, and later, blisters on his palm. George begins to develop a more sullen and angry personality and with keeping the fireplace stoked. After 28 days, George attempts to kill Kathy and their children, but is interrupted and snapped out of his trance by Kathy. Together, the family escapes the house and drive away and never return.