Top 76 Ranked

Best 1977 Movies of All Time

Classic Science Fiction and Cinematic Masterpieces

Explore the best films of a landmark year in cinema history. From space operas to psychological thrillers, discover the greatest hits and cult classics.

Draft Best 1977 Movies with friends and our judges will crown a winner!

About Movies in 1977

In the long arc of cinema history, 1977 serves as the definitive boundary line between the gritty, cynical era of New Hollywood and the dawn of the global blockbuster. If the early seventies belonged to the paranoid thrillers and the weary anti-heroes, 1977 was the year the lights came back on, fueled by a sense of wonder and a massive infusion of kinetic energy. It was a year of profound contradictions, where the avant-garde and the populist collided to change the business side of the industry forever.

The gravitational center of the year was, of course, Star Wars. Before George Lucas took us to a galaxy far, far away that May, the concept of a summer blockbuster was still in its infancy. Star Wars did more than just break box office records. It redirected the focus of the major studios toward high-concept, merchandise-friendly spectacles. It proved that audiences were hungry for escapism and myth-making that utilized cutting-edge technology. The sheer scale of its success shifted the industry’s DNA, moving away from the auteur-driven somberness of the previous decade toward something more bright and communal.

Yet, 1977 was not just about space opera. It was a year where science fiction matured in two different directions simultaneously. While Lucas offered us a grand adventure, Steven Spielberg gave us Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Spielberg’s vision of first contact was grounded, awe-inspiring, and deeply spiritual. It treated the arrival of aliens not as an invasion, but as a transcendent mystery. Between these two films, 1977 effectively reclaimed the sci-fi genre from the bargain bin and placed it at the very heart of the cultural conversation.

Beyond the stars, the year captured the frantic pulse of the ground level. Saturday Night Fever arrived in December and instantly turned a niche Brooklyn disco scene into a global phenomenon. It was a film that understood the desperation of the working class while celebrating the release found on the dance floor. It made John Travolta a superstar and proved that a soundtrack could be just as much of a character as the lead actor. Meanwhile, Woody Allen’s Annie Hall redefined the romantic comedy by breaking the fourth wall and exploring the neuroses of modern love with a sophisticated, bittersweet edge. Its eventual Best Picture win over Star Wars at the Oscars became a symbolic tug-of-war between the intellectual history of cinema and its high-tech future.

The year also saw a final, beautiful flourish of the dark artistry that defined the seventies. William Friedkin released Sorcerer, a tense and punishing masterpiece that unfortunately got buried under the Star Wars hype. Suspiria brought a vivid, technicolor nightmare to screens courtesy of Dario Argento, while David Lynch made his debut with the unsettling Eraserhead.

Film fans remember 1977 because it felt like a door opening. It was the moment the medium realized its potential to create entire worlds. We look back on it as the year the movie theater truly became a temple of spectacle, leaving us with a legacy of imagination that still dictates how we watch movies today.

The Complete Rankings

Based on the top picks in drafts on SnakeDrafts

See Top Ten
76
1977 in Short Eyes (1977)
Short Eyes
1977

A young man who is charged with child molestation is placed in New York City’s infamous Tombs prison. When the other inmates in his cell block find out what he is charged with, life becomes extremely difficult for him.

Drama
Crime
1h 40m
Robert M. Young
Bruce Davison, José Pérez, Nathan George, Don Blakely
75
1977 in End of the World (1977)
End of the World
1977

After witnessing a man's death in a bizarre accident, Father Pergado goes on a spiritual retreat, where he encounters his alien double bent on world conquest.

Fantasy
Thriller
1h 28m
John Hayes
Christopher Lee, Sue Lyon, Kirk Scott, Dean Jagger
74
1977 in Street Warriors (1977)
Street Warriors
1977

Perros Callejeros is based on the juvenile delinquency of the 1970s and 80s in Spain. The story is set in Barrio de la Mina in Barcelona one of the most conflict neighbourhoods in Spain. The characters chosen were real juvenile delinquents all with criminal records, which the director used to give the film a realistic touch. This film is very powerful and dramatic, it shows how these kids were brought up to survive on the streets.

Action
Drama
1h 43m
José Antonio de la Loma
Ángel Fernández Franco, Nadia Windell, Víctor Petit, Frank Braña

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73
1977 in Sleeping Dogs (1977)
Sleeping Dogs
1977

Recluse Smith is drawn into a revolutionary struggle between guerrillas and right-wingers in New Zealand. Implicated in a murder and framed as a revolutionary conspirator, Smith tries to maintain an attitude of non-violence while caught between warring factions.

Action
Thriller
1h 47m
Roger Donaldson
Sam Neill, Warren Oates, Ian Mune, Ian Watkin
72
1977 in Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals (1977)
Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals
1977

Intrepid photographer Emanuelle is taken deep into the Amazonian jungle to search for a cannibalistic tribe long believed to be extinct.

Adventure
Horror
1h 33m
Joe D'Amato
Laura Gemser, Gabriele Tinti, Nieves Navarro, Donald O'Brien
71
1977 in Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977)
Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown
1977

The Peanuts gang, including Snoopy and Woodstock, have gone off to summer camp. After a few days of the usual summer-camp activities, they all take part in a rafting race. Battling treacherous rapids, wild animals and bullies from a rival tent, the teams make their way downriver to the finish line.

Family
Animation
1h 16m
Bill Melendez
Duncan Watson, Bill Melendez, Gail Davis, Melanie Kohn
70
1977 in Tentacles (1977)
Tentacles
1977

Several people disappear from and at the sea. Their bodies are found gnawed to the skeleton, even the marrow is missing. The scientists have no idea which animal could do such things. Dr. Turner begins to suspect that the company which builds a tunnel beneath the bay might have poisoned the environment and caused an octopus to mutate to giant dimensions...

Horror
Science Fiction
1h 42m
Ovidio G. Assonitis
John Huston, Shelley Winters, Bo Hopkins, Henry Fonda
69
1977 in Citizens Band (1977)
Citizens Band
1977

The interlaced stories of several characters in a small town united by their use of CB (citizen's band) radio.

Comedy
1h 38m
Jonathan Demme
Paul Le Mat, Candy Clark, Bruce McGill, Roberts Blossom
68
1977 in The Hobbit (1977)
The Hobbit
1977

The story follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a diminutive creative who resides in a place called Middle-Earth before he is compelled to go on a quest to find a treasure buried deep in the heart of the Lonely Mountain.

Family
Fantasy
1h 17m
Jules Bass
Orson Bean, John Huston, Hans Conried, Richard Boone
67
1977 in The Grateful Dead Movie (1977)
The Grateful Dead Movie
1977

The Grateful Dead performs live at Winterland in San Francisco in October 1974.

Music
Documentary
2h 12m
Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Donna Godchaux, Keith Godchaux
66
1977 in Demon Seed (1977)
Demon Seed
1977

A scientist creates Proteus, an organic supercomputer with artificial intelligence which becomes obsessed with human beings, and in particular the creator's wife.

Horror
Science Fiction
1h 34m
Donald Cammell
Julie Christie, Fritz Weaver, Gerrit Graham, Berry Kroeger
65
1977 in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
1977

Princess Farah refuses to marry Sinbad until Prince Kassim, her brother, is able to give his consent. However, the Prince's wicked stepmother, Queen Zenobia, has changed Kassim into a baboon in order to have her own son crowned as caliph. Sinbad, his crew, the Princess and the transformed Prince travel to a distant land, fighting every obstacle Zenobia places in their path, to seek the advice of a legendary wise man who can possibly tell how to end the spell.

Action
Adventure
1h 53m
Sam Wanamaker
Patrick Wayne, Taryn Power, Jane Seymour, Patrick Troughton
64
1977 in Last of the Mohicans (1977)
Last of the Mohicans
1977

During the French and Indian War in colonial America, a white scout, with two of his Indian brothers, helps a British officer escort two women through dangerous territory, with both French troops and hostile Indians after them.

Action
Adventure
2h 0m
James L. Conway
Steve Forrest, Ned Romero, Andrew Prine, Don Shanks
63
1977 in The White Buffalo (1977)
The White Buffalo
1977

In this strange western version of Moby Dick, Wild Bill Hickok hunts a white buffalo he has seen in a dream. Hickok moves through a variety of uniquely authentic western locations - dim, filthy, makeshift taverns; freezing, slaughterhouse-like frontier towns and beautifully desolate high country - before improbably teaming up with a young Crazy Horse to pursue the creature.

Western
Adventure
1h 37m
J. Lee Thompson
Charles Bronson, Jack Warden, Will Sampson, Kim Novak
62
1977 in Shock (1977)
Shock
1977

A couple is terrorized in their new house haunted by the vengeful ghost of the woman's former husband who possesses her young son.

Horror
1h 35m
Mario Bava
Daria Nicolodi, John Steiner, David Colin Jr., Ivan Rassimov
61
1977 in Silver Bears (1977)
Silver Bears
1977

Financial wizard "Doc" Fletcher is sent by crime boss Joe Fiore to buy a bank in Switzerland in order to more easily launder their profits. When he arrives, Fletcher finds that the bank, acquired by his associate Prince di Siracusa, consists of some shabby offices above a restaurant. To make up for this, the Prince suggests that Fletcher invests in a silver mine owned by Shireen and Agha Firdausi. This solves one problem, but the mine also attracts the attention of some of the most powerful people in the silver business. Fletcher must pull out all his wheeler-dealing skills in order to keep hold of everything he's worked for, in the process romancing a banker's discontented wife.

Comedy
Crime
1h 53m
Ivan Passer
Michael Caine, Cybill Shepherd, Louis Jourdan, Stéphane Audran
60
1977 in The World's Greatest Lover (1977)
The World's Greatest Lover
1977

When frustrated movie studio mogul Adolph Zitz announces a talent search for a romantic leading man to rival the great Rudolph Valentino, thousands of hopefuls decend upon Hollywood. Rudy Valentine, a neurotic baker from Milwaukee, knows little about romance or acting. But when his wife leaves him for the real Valentino, Rudy goes to outrageous lengths to win the role of a lifetime and win back the love of his life.

Comedy
Gene Wilder, Carol Kane, Dom DeLuise, Fritz Feld
59
1977 in The Domino Principle (1977)
The Domino Principle
1977

Roy Tucker, a Vietnam war veteran with excellent shooting skills, is serving a long prison sentence when a mysterious visitor promises him that he will be released if he agrees to carry out a dangerous assignment.

Thriller
Action
1h 38m
Stanley Kramer
Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, Richard Widmark, Mickey Rooney
58
1977 in Rabid (1977)
Rabid
1977

After undergoing radical surgery for injuries from a motorcycle accident, a young woman develops a retractable, vampiric stinger in her armpit and a thirst for human blood.

Horror
Science Fiction
Marilyn Chambers, Terri Hanauer, Frank Moore, Joe Silver
57
1977 in The Late Show (1977)
The Late Show
1977

Over-the-hill gumshoe in Los Angeles seeks to avenge the killing of an old pal, another detective who was involved in a case concerning a murdered broad, stolen stamps, a nickel-plated handgun, a cheating dolly, and a kidnapped pussycat.

Mystery
Crime
1h 33m
Robert Benton
Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill Macy, Eugene Roche
56
1977 in Speedtrap (1977)
Speedtrap
1977

After a wave of unsolved car thefts, an insurance company calls in a private investigator to solve the case. While the chief of police isn't thrilled about having an outsider come and show up his men, one of the officers is a former girlfriend who's more than willing to help him out in any way she can.

Action
Crime
1h 53m
Earl Bellamy
Joe Don Baker, Tyne Daly, Richard Jaeckel, Robert Loggia
55
1977 in MacArthur (1977)
MacArthur
1977

The film portrays MacArthur's life from 1942, before the Battle of Bataan, to 1952, when he was removed from his Korean War command by President Truman for insubordination, and is recounted in flashback as he visits West Point.

Drama
History
2h 10m
Joseph Sargent
Gregory Peck, Ivan Bonar, Ward Costello, Nicolas Coster
54
1977 in Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)
Fun with Dick and Jane
1977

When an upwardly mobile couple find themselves unemployed and in debt, they turn to armed robbery in desperation.

Comedy
Crime
1h 35m
Ted Kotcheff
George Segal, Jane Fonda, Ed McMahon, Richard Gautier
53

In order to protect the reputation of the American space program, a team of NASA administrators turn the first Mars mission into a phony Mars landing. Under threat of harm to their families the astronauts play their part in the deception on a staged set in a deserted military base. But once the real ship returns to Earth and burns up on re-entry, the astronauts become liabilities. Now, with the help of a crusading reporter, they must battle a sinister conspiracy that will stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden.

Drama
Action
2h 3m
Peter Hyams
Elliott Gould, James Brolin, Brenda Vaccaro, Sam Waterston
52
1977 in Islands in the Stream (1977)
Islands in the Stream
1977

An isolated sculptor is visited by his three sons just before the start of WWII.

Drama
1h 44m
Franklin J. Schaffner
George C. Scott, David Hemmings, Gilbert Roland, Hart Bochner
51
1977 in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)
The Island of Dr. Moreau
1977

A ship-wrecked man floats ashore on an island in the Pacific Ocean. The island is inhabited by a scientist, Dr. Moreau, who in an experiment has turned beasts into human beings.

Science Fiction
Horror
1h 39m
Don Taylor
Burt Lancaster, Michael York, Nigel Davenport, Barbara Carrera
50
1977 in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
Exorcist II: The Heretic
1977

Bizarre nightmares plague Regan MacNeil four years after her possession and exorcism. Has the demon returned? And if so, can the combined faith and knowledge of a Vatican investigator and a research specialist free her from its grasp?

Horror
1h 58m
John Boorman
Richard Burton, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow
49
1977 in Telefon (1977)
Telefon
1977

Nicolai Dalchimski, a mad KGB agent steals a notebook full of names of "sleeping" undercover KGB agents sent to the U.S. in the 1950's. These agents got their assignments under hypnosis, so they can't remember their missions until they're told a line of a Robert Frost poem. Dalchimski flees to the U.S. and starts phoning these agents who perform sabotage acts against military targets.

Thriller
Action
1h 42m
Don Siegel
Charles Bronson, Lee Remick, Donald Pleasence, Tyne Daly
48
1977 in Shock Waves (1977)
Shock Waves
1977

Visitors to a remote island discover that a reclusive Nazi commandant has been breeding a group of zombie soldiers.

Horror
Science Fiction
1h 25m
Ken Wiederhorn
Peter Cushing, John Carradine, Brooke Adams, Fred Buch
47
1977 in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977)
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
1977

Herbie, the Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own, is racing in the Monte Carlo Rally. But thieves have hidden a cache of stolen diamonds in Herbie's gas tank, and are now trying to get them back.

Romance
Comedy
1h 45m
Vincent McEveety
Dean Jones, Don Knotts, Julie Sommars, Jacques Marin
46
1977 in The Turning Point (1977)
The Turning Point
1977

As young dancers, they were best friends and fierce rivals. Deedee left the stage for marriage and motherhood, while Emma would become an international ballet icon. But when Deedee's teenage daughter is invited to join Emma's dance company and begins an affair with a young Russian star, the two women are forced to confront the choices they've made, the resentments they've hidden and the emotional truths they must face at the turning point.

Drama
Romance
1h 59m
Herbert Ross
45
1977 in Desperate Living (1977)
Desperate Living
1977

After killing her husband, Peggy Gravel and her murderous maid Grizelda wind up in the crazy town of Mortville, where Queen Carlotta presides over a sleazy collection of misfits.

Comedy
Crime
1h 31m
John Waters
Mink Stole, Jean Hill, Susan Lowe, Liz Renay
44
1977 in Airport '77 (1977)
Airport '77
1977

Flight 23 has crashed in the Bermuda Triangle after a hijacking gone wrong. Now the surviving passengers must brave panic, slow leaks, oxygen depletion, and more while attempting a daring plan, all while 200 feet underwater.

Action
Adventure
1h 54m
Jerry Jameson
Jack Lemmon, Lee Grant, Brenda Vaccaro, Joseph Cotten
43
1977 in The Serpent's Egg (1977)
The Serpent's Egg
1977

In 1923 Berlin, following the suicide of his brother, an American acrobat struggles to survive while facing unemployment, depression, alcoholism, and the social decay of Germany during the Weimar Republic.

Mystery
Drama
David Carradine, Liv Ullmann, Gert Fröbe, Heinz Bennent
42
1977 in First Love (1977)
First Love
1977

A college soccer player falls hard for a campus beauty, who is the mistress of an older married attorney.

Drama
Romance
1h 32m
Joan Darling
William Katt, Susan Dey, John Heard, Beverly D'Angelo
41
1977 in The Choirboys (1977)
The Choirboys
1977

A group of Los Angeles cops decide to take off some of the pressures of their jobs by engaging in various forms of after-hours debauchery.

Comedy
Crime
1h 59m
Robert Aldrich
Charles Durning, Louis Gossett Jr., Perry King, Clyde Kusatsu
40
1977 in Black Sunday (1977)
Black Sunday
1977

An Israeli anti-terrorist agent must stop a disgruntled Vietnam vet cooperating in a Black September PLO plot to commit a terrorist attack at the Super Bowl.

Action
Drama
Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller, Fritz Weaver
39
1977 in Grand Theft Auto (1977)
Grand Theft Auto
1977

A rich girl steals her dad's Rolls Royce and heads off to Las Vegas to get married. However, her angry parents, a jealous suitor, and a bunch of reward seekers are determined to stop her.

Comedy
Action
Ron Howard, Nancy Morgan, Elizabeth Rogers, Barry Cahill
38
1977 in The Car (1977)
The Car
1977

The Utah community of Santa Ynez is being terrorized by a mysterious black coupe that appears out of nowhere and begins running people down. After the car kills off the town sheriff, Captain Wade Parent is determined to stop the murderous driver.

Horror
Action
1h 36m
Elliot Silverstein
James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley, R.G. Armstrong
37
1977 in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
1977

A short, unhappy affair with a married man leads a dedicated schoolteacher into the alcohol-and-drug fueled underworld of singles’ bars, where she begins to engage in a pattern of dangerous sexual activity.

Drama
Crime
2h 16m
Richard Brooks
Diane Keaton, Tuesday Weld, William Atherton, Richard Kiley
36
1977 in Orca (1977)
Orca
1977

After witnessing the killing of his mate and offspring at the hands of a reckless Irish captain, a vengeful killer whale rampages through the fisherman's Newfoundland harbor. Under pressure from the villagers, the captain, a female marine biologist, and an Indigenous tribalist venture after the great beast, who will meet them on its own turf.

Horror
Thriller
1h 32m
Michael Anderson
Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson, Bo Derek
35
1977 in The Last Wave (1977)
The Last Wave
1977

A Sydney lawyer defends five Aboriginal people in a ritualised taboo murder and in the process learns disturbing truths about himself and premonitions.

Drama
Mystery
Richard Chamberlain, Olivia Hamnett, David Gulpilil, Frederick Parslow
34
1977 in Oh, God! (1977)
Oh, God!
1977

When God appears to an assistant grocery manager as a good natured old man, the Almighty selects him as his messenger for the modern world.

Fantasy
Comedy
1h 38m
Carl Reiner
John Denver, George Burns, Teri Garr, Donald Pleasence
33
1977 in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
1977

Whether we’re young or forever young at heart, the Hundred Acre Wood calls to that place in each of us that still believes in magic. Join pals Pooh, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, Owl, Rabbit, Tigger and Christopher Robin as they enjoy their days together and sing their way through adventures.

Animation
Family
1h 14m
John Lounsbery
Sterling Holloway, John Fiedler, Junius Matthews, Paul Winchell
32
1977 in The Gauntlet (1977)
The Gauntlet
1977

Phoenix cop Ben Shockley is well on his way to becoming a derelict when he is assigned to transport a witness from Las Vegas. The witness turns out to be a belligerent prostitute with mob ties—and incriminating information regarding a high-ranking official.

Drama
Action
Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince
31
1977 in Soldier of Orange (1977)
Soldier of Orange
1977

The lives of Erik Lanshof and five of his closest friends take different paths when the German army invades the Netherlands in 1940: fight and resistance, fear and resignation, collaboration and high treason.

Drama
Thriller
2h 28m
Paul Verhoeven
Rutger Hauer, Jeroen Krabbé, Lex van Delden, Derek de Lint
30
1977 in The Duellists (1977)
The Duellists
1977

In 1800, as Napoleon Bonaparte rises to power in France, a rivalry erupts between Armand and Gabriel, two lieutenants in the French Army, over a perceived insult. For over a decade, they engage in a series of duels amidst larger conflicts, including the failed French invasion of Russia in 1812, and shifts in the political and social systems of Europe.

Drama
War
Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel, Albert Finney, Edward Fox
29
1977 in Pete's Dragon (1977)
Pete's Dragon
1977

Pete, a young orphan, runs away to a Maine fishing town with his best friend a lovable, sometimes invisible dragon named Elliott! When they are taken in by a kind lighthouse keeper, Nora, and her father, Elliott's prank playing lands them in big trouble. Then, when crooked salesmen try to capture Elliott for their own gain, Pete must attempt a daring rescue.

Fantasy
Animation
2h 8m
Don Chaffey
Sean Marshall, Helen Reddy, Jim Dale, Mickey Rooney
28
1977 in Jabberwocky (1977)
Jabberwocky
1977

After the death of his father, young Dennis Cooper goes to town where he has to pass several adventures. The town and the whole kingdom is threatened by a terrible monster called 'Jabberwocky'. Will Dennis make his fortune? Is anyone brave enough to defeat the monster?

Fantasy
Comedy
Michael Palin, Harry H. Corbett, John Le Mesurier, Warren Mitchell
27
1977 in Stroszek (1977)
Stroszek
1977

Bruno Stroszek is released from prison and warned to stop drinking. He has few skills and fewer expectations: with a glockenspiel and an accordion, he ekes out a living as a street musician. He befriends Eva, a prostitute down on her luck and they join his neighbor, Scheitz, an elderly eccentric, when he leaves Germany to live in Wisconsin.

Drama
1h 48m
Werner Herzog
Bruno S., Eva Mattes, Clemens Scheitz, Wilhelm von Homburg
26
1977 in Cross of Iron (1977)
Cross of Iron
1977

It is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. In the midst of the madness, conflict brews between the aristocratic yet ultimately pusillanimous Captain Stransky and the courageous Corporal Steiner. Stransky is the only man who believes that the Third Reich is still vastly superior to the Russian army. However, within his pompous persona lies a quivering coward who longs for the Iron Cross so that he can return to Berlin a hero. Steiner, on the other hand is cynical, defiantly non-conformist and more concerned with the safety of his own men rather than the horde of military decorations offered to him by his superiors.

Drama
Action
James Coburn, Maximilian Schell, James Mason, David Warner
25
1977 in The Rescuers (1977)
The Rescuers
1977

Two agents of the mouse-run International Rescue Aid Society search for a little orphan girl kidnapped by sinister treasure hunters.

Fantasy
Family
1h 18m
Wolfgang Reitherman
Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, Geraldine Page, Joe Flynn
24
1977 in Julia (1977)
Julia
1977

At the behest of an old and dear friend, playwright Lillian Hellman undertakes a dangerous mission to smuggle funds into Nazi Germany.

Drama
Romance
1h 57m
Fred Zinnemann
Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, Jason Robards, Maximilian Schell
23
1977 in House (1977)
House
1977

Hoping to find a sense of connection to her late mother, Gorgeous takes a trip with her friends to visit her aunt's ancestral house in the countryside. The girls soon discover that there is more to the old house than meets the eye.

Comedy
Fantasy
1h 28m
Nobuhiko Obayashi
Kimiko Ikegami, Kumiko Ohba, Ai Matsubara, Miki Jinbo
22
1977 in The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
The Hills Have Eyes
1977

Taking an ill-advised detour en-route to California, the Carter family soon run into trouble when their RV breaks down in the middle of the desert. Stranded, they find themselves at the mercy of monstrous cannibals lurking in the surrounding hills.

Horror
Thriller
Susan Lanier, Robert Houston, Martin Speer, Dee Wallace
21
1977 in Equus (1977)
Equus
1977

A psychiatrist, Martin Dysart, investigates the savage blinding of six horses with a metal spike in a stable in Hampshire, England. The atrocity was committed by an unassuming seventeen-year-old stable boy named Alan Strang, the only son of an opinionated but inwardly-timid father and a genteel, religious mother. As Dysart exposes the truths behind the boy's demons, he finds himself face-to-face with his own.

Drama
Mystery
Richard Burton, Peter Firth, Joan Plowright, Harry Andrews
20
1977 in Rolling Thunder (1977)
Rolling Thunder
1977

A Vietnam veteran, Charles Rane, returns home after years in a POW camp and is treated as a hero. He has a hard time adjusting, and things go badly. A movie about the walking dead, before that meant just flesh-eating zombies.

Action
Drama
1h 40m
John Flynn
William Devane, Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Haynes, James Best
19
1977 in Providence (1977)
Providence
1977

On the eve of his 78th birthday, the ailing, alcoholic writer Clive Langham spends a painful and sleepless night mentally composing and recomposing scenes for a novel in which characters based on his own family are shaped by his fantasies and memories, alongside his caustic commentary on their behaviour.

Drama
Comedy
1h 50m
Alain Resnais
Dirk Bogarde, David Warner, Ellen Burstyn, Cyril Luckham
18
1977 in That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)
That Obscure Object of Desire
1977

After dumping a bucket of water on a beautiful young woman from the window of a train car, wealthy Frenchman Mathieu, regales his fellow passengers with the story of the dysfunctional relationship between himself and the young woman in question, a fiery 19-year-old flamenco dancer named Conchita. What follows is a tale of cruelty, depravity and lies -- the very building blocks of love.

Comedy
Drama
1h 43m
Luis Buñuel
Fernando Rey, Carole Bouquet, Ángela Molina, Julien Bertheau
17
1977 in Opening Night (1977)
Opening Night
1977

Actress Myrtle Gordon is a functioning alcoholic who is a few days from the opening night of her latest play, concerning a woman distraught about aging. One night a car kills one of Myrtle's fans who is chasing her limousine in an attempt to get the star's attention. Myrtle internalizes the accident and goes on a spiritual quest, but fails to finds the answers she is after. As opening night inches closer and closer, fragile Myrtle must find a way to make the show go on.

Drama
2h 24m
John Cassavetes
Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, Joan Blondell
16
1977 in The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
The Kentucky Fried Movie
1977

A series of loosely connected skits that spoof news programs, commercials, porno films, kung-fu films, disaster films, blaxploitation films, spy films, mafia films, and the fear that somebody is watching you on the other side of the TV.

Comedy
Evan C. Kim, Bong Soo Han, Agneta Eckemyr, Marilyn Joi
15
1977 in The American Friend (1977)
The American Friend
1977

Tom Ripley, an American who deals in forged art, is slighted at an auction in Hamburg by picture framer Jonathan Zimmerman. When Ripley is asked by gangster Raoul Minot to kill a rival, he suggests Zimmerman, and the two, exploiting Zimmerman's terminal illness, coerce him into being a hitman.

Drama
Thriller
2h 5m
Wim Wenders
Dennis Hopper, Bruno Ganz, Lisa Kreuzer, Gérard Blain
14
1977 in Women in New York (1977)
Women in New York
1977

In 1930s New York, a group of bored wealthy women convene in social situations and converse about their husbands and/or lovers.

Drama
TV Movie
1h 51m
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Eva Mattes, Margit Carstensen, Christa Berndl, Barbara Sukowa
13
1977 in Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
Smokey and the Bandit
1977

A race car driver tries to transport an illegal beer shipment from Texas to Atlanta in under 28 hours, picking up a reluctant bride-to-be on the way.

Action
Adventure
1h 36m
Hal Needham
12
1977 in 3 Women (1977)
3 Women
1977

Two co-workers, one a vain woman and the other an awkward teenager, share an increasingly bizarre relationship after becoming roommates.

Drama
Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Janice Rule, Robert Fortier
11
1977 in The Goodbye Girl (1977)
The Goodbye Girl
1977

After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor.

Comedy
Drama
1h 51m
Herbert Ross
Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings, Paul Benedict
Why it ranks

Neil Simon’s sharp, rhythmic dialogue finds its perfect vessels in this clash of theatrical egos. The result is a sophisticated comedy of manners that balances acid-tongued wit with a genuine, unforced emotional resonance.

10
1977 in A Bridge Too Far (1977)
A Bridge Too Far
1977

The story of Operation Market Garden—a failed attempt by the allies in the latter stages of WWII to end the war quickly by securing three bridges in Holland allowing access over the Rhine into Germany. A combination of poor allied intelligence and the presence of two crack German panzer divisions meant that the final part of this operation (the bridge in Arnhem over the Rhine) was doomed to failure.

Drama
History
2h 55m
Richard Attenborough
Why it ranks

Richard Attenborough’s sprawling war epic eschews easy heroism for a sobering look at the logistical failures of grand-scale military ambition. Its immense ensemble cast and staggering practical effects anchor a somber meditation on the futility of tactical hubris.

9
1977 in Sorcerer (1977)
Sorcerer
1977

Four men from different parts of the globe, all hiding from their pasts in the same remote South American town, agree to risk their lives transporting several cases of dynamite (which is so old that it is dripping unstable nitroglycerin) across dangerous jungle terrain.

Thriller
Adventure
2h 2m
William Friedkin
Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, Amidou
Why it ranks

William Friedkin delivers a masterclass in high-tension nihilism that demands the audience’s absolute endurance. This grueling, rain-soaked descent into human volatility proves that grit and suspense can be elevated to the level of high art.

8
1977 in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
The Spy Who Loved Me
1977

Russian and British submarines with nuclear missiles on board both vanish from sight without a trace. England and Russia both blame each other as James Bond tries to solve the riddle of the disappearing ships. But the KGB also has an agent on the case.

Adventure
Action
2h 5m
Lewis Gilbert
Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curd Jürgens, Richard Kiel
Why it ranks

Roger Moore finally inhabits the tuxedo with a perfect equilibrium of camp and calculated elegance. The film elevates the franchise through grander scales and iconic set pieces, reviving 007 with a much-needed injection of sheer cinematic charisma.

7
1977 in Eraserhead (1977)
Eraserhead
1977

First-time father Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.

Horror
Science Fiction
Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph, Jeanne Bates
Why it ranks

David Lynch’s industrial fever dream distills the anxieties of fatherhood into a series of haunting, monochromatic tableaus. It is a singular achievement in sound design and surrealism that lingers like a persistent, localized trauma.

6
1977 in Suspiria (1977)
Suspiria
1977

An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.

Horror
1h 39m
Dario Argento
Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bosé
Why it ranks

Dario Argento orchestrates a technicolor nightmare that prioritizes sensory overload over traditional narrative logic. The film’s aggressive palette and discordant score create a hallucinatory atmosphere of baroque horror that is utterly peerless.

5
1977 in Slap Shot (1977)
Slap Shot
1977

To build up attendance at their games, the management of a struggling minor-league hockey team signs up the Hanson Brothers, three hard-charging players whose job is to demolish the opposition.

Comedy
Drama
2h 3m
George Roy Hill
Paul Newman, Strother Martin, Michael Ontkean, Jennifer Warren
Why it ranks

Paul Newman sheds his traditional leading man vanity to play Reggie Dunlop with a masterful, foul mouthed seediness that redefined his onscreen persona. He perfectly captures the desperate charisma of a player coach clinging to a dying sport through sheer cynicism and cheap suits. It is the definitive proof that Newman could be just as magnetic playing a manipulative lowlife as he was playing a hero.

4
1977 in Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Saturday Night Fever
1977

Tony spends his Saturdays at a disco where his stylish moves raise his popularity among the patrons. But his life outside the disco is not easy and things change when he gets attracted to Stephanie.

Music
Drama
1h 58m
John Badham
John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Barry Miller, Joseph Cali
Why it ranks

Beneath the neon strobe lights and rhythmic magnetism of the Bee Gees lies a grim, sociological portrait of working-class desperation. It remains a visceral exploration of localized fame as the only escape from a suffocating Brooklyn reality.

3

New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall.

Comedy
Drama
Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane
Why it ranks

Woody Allen deconstructs the romantic comedy through a fragmented, neurotic lens that feels startlingly modern. By breaking the fourth wall and embracing non-linear storytelling, it captures the fleeting, bittersweet pulse of urban intellectualism.

2
1977 in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977

After an encounter with UFOs, an electricity linesman feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

Science Fiction
Drama
Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon
Why it ranks

Steven Spielberg trades extraterrestrial dread for a sublime, light-infused spiritualism. The film’s sonic and visual climax achieves a level of transcendental communication that redefines the science fiction genre as a site for genuine wonder.

1

Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire.

Why it ranks

George Lucas shatters the cynical veneer of New Hollywood with a breathtaking spectacle of foundational myth-making. This space opera introduces a tactile, lived-in aesthetic that fundamentally rewrites the visual grammar of the cinematic blockbuster.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts

Star Wars revolutionized the science fiction genre with its groundbreaking special effects, epic storytelling, and iconic characters, igniting a massive fan following and launching a multimedia franchise that remains popular decades later.

Close Encounters combines profound human drama with science fiction, epitomizing 1977's shift towards films that blend wonder and psychological depth, showcasing Steven Spielberg's masterful direction and innovative visual storytelling.

Saturday Night Fever captured the disco craze and urban nightlife of the era, influencing music, fashion, and dance with its dynamic soundtrack and John Travolta's memorable performance.

The year 1977 saw a diverse range of genres from psychological horror in Eraserhead, surreal supernatural thrills in Suspiria, to comedic dramas like Annie Hall, reflecting a cinematic landscape rich in experimentation and storytelling innovation.

Annie Hall redefined the romantic comedy by blending witty dialogue, neurotic characters, and a non-linear narrative, influencing countless films and earning critical acclaim for Woody Allen's distinctive style.

Films like Star Wars and Close Encounters showcased spectacular special effects and wide audience appeal, ushering in the era of blockbuster cinema characterized by big budgets, merchandising, and global box office success.

Yes, A Bridge Too Far is a notable 1977 war drama that reenacts the ambitious Allied operation during World War II, known for its ensemble cast and detailed depiction of military strategy and combat.

Eraserhead is a cult classic that masterfully blends horror with surreal science fiction elements, exemplifying David Lynch's distinctive atmospheric style and mind-bending narrative approach.
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