10 Trashy 1970s Movies That Are Nothing But Fun

10 Trashy 1970s Movies That Are Nothing But Fun


The 1970s were a wild time for cinema and an era where trailblazing filmmakers pushed social and political boundaries with fun-filled, trashy movies. As the dawning of the New Hollywood era, which put power firmly in the hands of the creatives, the 1970s saw a litany of outrageous, subversive, and totally trashy movies get greenlit and funded and led to some of the most enduring and unusual cult classics ever made. From over-the-top horrors rated NC-17 or X to unique B-movie releases that bordered on poor taste, this was a time in moviemaking where anything was possible.




Some of the best filmmakers of the 1970s embraced trashy fun as they released badly received movies that have since been reappraised as underappreciated cult classics of their era. As a time when the culture reflected the surreal and psychedelic aftereffects of the social upheaval of the 1960s, it’s no surprise that these developments were reflected in the cinema of the following decade. While some of these films may be so subversive they turn certain viewers away, for others, they were pure trashy, fun-filled entertainment.


10 Zardoz (1974)

Directed by John Boorman

Zardoz, directed by John Boorman, is a 1974 science fiction film set in a dystopian future. Sean Connery stars as Zed, an exterminator who uncovers the truth about the god-like entity Zardoz, who controls his society. The film explores themes of class division and human evolution within a surreal and complex narrative.

Director
John Boorman

Release Date
February 6, 1974

Writers
John Boorman

Cast
Sean Connery , Charlotte Rampling , Sara Kestelman , John Alderton , Sally Anne Newton , Niall Buggy , Bosco Hogan , Jessica Swift

Main Genre
Sci-Fi


While Sean Connery may have come to encapsulate the very definition of suave 1960s charisma as James Bond, in the following decade, he embraced a whole other kind of cinematic strangeness. Zardoz was an underrated 1970s fantasy that famously featured Connery sporting a strikingly skimpy outfit that could only be described as a red mankini. Zardoz was a truly wild post-apocalyptic story about a man named Zed (Connery) living among stone-worshipping barbarians, growing food for a hidden elite called the Eternals.

Zardoz was full of trippy visuals and intense special effects as Zed began to learn more about the mysterious stone idol and found himself caught between two camps as it built toward its epic gun-filled conclusion. While Zardoz was badly received upon release, it’s since gained a reputation as an underrated cult classic. With an outrageous concept, some questionable outfit choices, and some pretentious fantasy-filled jargon, Zardoz was nothing but fun.


9 Lisztomania (1975)

Directed by Ken Russell

Roger Daltrey in Lisztomania (1975)

While the 1970s were a great time for filmmaking that saw now legendary directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola making some of their best work in the United States, across the pond in Britain, there was also a lot of experimentation going on. One of the best examples of this was Ken Russell, an outrageous filmmaker who was never afraid to push boundaries in taste and visuals. With a love for eccentric, over-the-top biopics of classical musicians, Ken Russell’s 1974 exploration of the life and work of Franz Liszt was truly one of his wildest.


Lisztomania starred Roger Daltrey from The Who as the titular composer and brought together the wild genius of its protagonist, outrageous sexuality, and vampiric subplot that pushed things into the realm of the surreal. With music by Rick Wakeman from progressive rock band Yes and scenes depicting Daltrey riding on a giant phallic object, this was a film that could have only been amid the strange and surreal context of 1970s rockstardom. From celebrity guest appearances such as Ringo Starr as the Pope to endless, outlandish imagery, Lisztomania was a wild ride from start to finish.


8 Foxy Brown (1974)

Directed by Jack Hill

After all the trailblazing Civil Rights activism of the 1960s, Black filmmakers during the 1970s sought to take charge of their representation through Blaxploitation cinema. This was a style of moviemaking focused on the African-American experience as its music, performances, and entire aesthetic pushed against the normal standards of Hollywood productions. One prime example of this was Foxy Brown, an intensely fun action film starring Pam Grier.

Foxy Brown provided a female-centric spin on the Blaxploitation genre, as its themes of female empowerment paired with overt sexuality made it a fun and progressive film. While Foxy Brown did gain some controversy and was seized and confiscated in the United Kingdom under the Obscene Publications Act (via Melon Farmers), this did not stop it from becoming a classic of its genre. Quentin Tarantino even paid homage to Foxy Brown when he cast Pam Grier as the lead in his own tribute to Blaxploitation cinema Jackie Brown.


7 The Warriors (1979)

Directed by Walter Hill

As an unapologetically gritty tale of New York street gangs, The Warriors was trashy fun in every sense of the word, as trash literally littered the streets they were surrounded by. As a ruthless and wild showcase of pure theatricality, director Walter Hill leaned into the electrifying danger of a group of Coney Island teens trying to survive a showdown against an assortment of bizarre criminal gangs. As a cult classic that went unappreciated during its own time, The Warriors has gained a special place in popular culture and has been referenced in everything from The Simpsons to John Wick.


With campy, over-the-top dialogue and highly stylized chases through city streets, The Warriors was pure 1970s, B-movie chaotic fun. As implausible as it was enjoyable, what The Warriors lacked in character depth was made up in pure energy as the shallow street gangs perfectly encapsulated the frustrating anger of youth as disenfranchised young people directed their violent impulses toward one another. Even President Ronald Reagan was a fan of the film (via Salon) and reportedly phoned its lead actor, Michael Beck, to tell him that he had screened the movie at Camp David and enjoyed it immensely.


6 Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

Directed by Don Taylor

While the first Planet of the Apes movie was an undeniable sci-fi classic of the 1960s, as the series continued with sequels throughout the 1970s, it became increasingly bizarre but no less fun. Escape from the Planet of the Apes was the third film in the series, and it saw the futuristic chimpanzees Cornelius, Zira, and Dr. Milo repairing a spaceship and entering a time warp back to the 20th century. This was the first time the Planet of the Apes series was set in the present day and acted as a fascinating precursor to the subsequent reboot series currently being made.


Escape from the Planet of the Apes has a lower budget than the previous entries in the series, which gave it more of an enjoyable B-movie aesthetic as it leaned into the wackier side of this franchise. As a character-driven story with plenty of thematic depth, Escape from the Planet of the Apes saw the apes embraced by humanity as they were lavished with media attention and became celebrity figures. This was a fun direction for the series that tried something new with its outrageous concept.

5 Tommy (1975)

Directed by Ken Russell


The psychedelic era of the 1970s saw the production of some truly wild and trashy movies, with Ken Russell’s Tommy as one of the weirdest. Starring Roger Daltrey from The Who and based on that band’s 1969 concept album of the same name, Tommy told the story of a “deaf, dumb, and blind” Messiah figure who “sure plays a mean pinball.” With countless celebrity appearances from everybody, including Elton John, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, and even Jack Nicholson, this outrageous musical was told entirely through song with no traditional dialogue.

From outrageous scenes of Ann-Margret bathing in a bathtub full of baked beans to Elton John performing in the most bizarre oversized outfit ever seen on film, Tommy took the surreal, mystical, and psychological themes of its concept album source and turned the wildness up to eleven. As a genuinely unforgettable film, Tommy was nothing but fun and a real treat for lovers of over-the-top theatrical rock music. With plenty of bizarre, trippy visuals and some of the best ever made, Tommy had to be seen to be believed.


4 Race with the Devil (1975)

Directed by Jack Starrett

Horror movies during the 1970s contributed to a moral crisis known as the Satanic Panic, as films concerning devil worshipers led to a false perception that occult rituals and Satanism were running rampant throughout America. While this was influenced by major releases like The Exorcist, movies like Race with the Devil leaned into these concerns for some trashy B-movie horror fun. As the story of two couples pursued by a Santaic cult after witnessing a human sacrifice, Race with the Devil was a frighteningly fun mashup of horror, action, and car chase movie tropes.


Race with the Devil fared well at the box office at the time of its release and has since become a cult classic of 1970s horror. With a bare-bones plot that’s more of an excuse to up the carnage and provide viewers with pure horror movie spectacle, Race with the Devil featured two strong lead performances from Peter Fonda and Warren Oates. As the perfect example of an excellent drive-in movie, Race with the Devil was a fast-paced, fun-filled thriller.

3 Flesh For Frankenstein (1973)

Directed by Paul Morrissey


Flesh for Frankenstein was also released under the title Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein, although the famous pop artist had little involvement in the final film. Packed with sexuality, nudity, and violence, this outrageous adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic 1818 novel was even rated X for its graphic concept. With a unique twist on a classic tale, Flesh for Frankenstein starred Udo Kier as Baron Frankenstein, a mad scientist attempting to reanimate male and female zombies that mate and create a master race.

As a tongue-in-cheek exercise in boundary-pushing, Flesh for Frankenstein was pure B-movie fun that took the vivid presentation of classic horror characters seen in Hammer Film Productions and pushed them to the absolute extreme. While Flesh for Frankenstein won’t be to everybody’s tastes, for lovers of subversive horror, it was a truly trailblazing depiction of gory violence and seditious sex. The gruesome action on display was made even more effective due to Flesh for Frankestein’s use of 3D technology.


2 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Directed by Jim Sharman

The pop culture influence of The Rocky Horror Picture Show was undeniable, as the movie has become shorthand for a transgressive cult cinema. With a loyal fanbase who still regularly attend interactive, fancy-dress screenings of the film, Rocky Horror connected with viewers in a way that few other movies have, as its LGBTQ+ representation was unlike anything viewers had ever seen at the time. As it told the musical story of two young people who come upon the house of the mad scientist and “sweet transvestite” Dr. Frank N. Furter, Rocky Horror was a trailblazing piece of queer cinema.


As a tribute to the horror and sci-fi B movies of the 1930s through the early 1960s, Rocky Horror had a unique appeal as it blended genres and featured now iconic songs from its cast of strange and unusual characters. From Tim Curry’s legendary performance as Furter, Susan Sarandon as Janet, and Meatloaf as the delivery boy Eddie, Rocky Horror had plenty of cult appeal and was nothing but fun. While the reception to Rocky Horror was extremely negative at first, its reputation as a midnight movie classic meant it’s endured so well all these years later.

1 Pink Flamingos (1972)

Directed by John Waters

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Pink Flamingos is a 1972 film by John Waters, known for its provocative and controversial content. The film stars Divine as Babs Johnson, who competes for the title of “Filthiest Person Alive” against a couple engaged in nefarious activities. Pink Flamingos is often cited for its shock value and unique approach to the underground cinema of the 1970s.

Director
John Waters

Release Date
March 17, 1972

Cast
Divine , David Lochary , Mink Stole , Mary Vivian Pearce , Danny Mills , Edith Massey

Runtime
107 Minutes


One cult filmmaker who always pushed the audience’s expectations and was never happy to settle for normality was John Waters. Known for his truly transgressive films, which embraced the outrageous, Pink Flamingos was probably the best example of Waters’ boundary-pushing aesthetic and lack of concern for mainstream appeal. While Pink Flamingos embraced nudity, frivolity, profanity, and notoriously scatology, it was also an exercise in pure fun and an example that cinema can be anything filmmaking wants it to be.

Pink Flamingos was a notoriously crude movie that featured its assortment of oddball characters in increasingly shocking and scandalous situations. With the drag queen Divine as “the filthiest person alive” Babs Johnson, Pink Flamingos saw her facing off against an abominable sleazy couple who attempted to humiliate her and take her title away. While this exercise in poor taste may be too much for some to bear, for others, Pink Flamingos was pure, unhinged fun.


Sources: Melon Farmers, Salon

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