1973 — The Exorcist
Unfortunately, horror is a genre that loves to follow trends rather than create or depart from them. You see your eerie abandoned house, where teenagers have huddled, and a maniac with a knife takes them out one by one. Director William Friedkin thankfully abandoned all other cliches in order to create a truly visceral and horrific experience. Evil does not lurk around every corner in the magnificent estates of Georgetown. It isn’t even in your closet. The terrible snarl of a possessed youngster is right in front of you.
1973 — The Exorcist
1974 — Chinatown
Roman Polanski’s sleek direction and highly layered performances from Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway elevated this murder thriller to classic cinema level, with one of the best screenplays ever written. The plot is enhanced with intrigue and subtleties that make the conspiracy appear more bigger and evil than one could think by brilliantly making its basic enigma more accessible — the buying and droughting of land to sell at a higher price.
1974 — Chinatown