20 Disturbing Sci-Fi Films That Explain The 1970s

By Sophia Maddox | May 23, 2023

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source: IMDB

After the independent film revolution of the late ‘60s, it was easier than ever to film a movie and find distribution. Coupled with advances in special effects technology, the brave new world of moviemaking was ready for science fiction. There’s a glut of amazing science fiction from the 1970s, but some of the best and most timely films of the decade are those that went unnoticed when they were initially released to theaters.

If you’ve seen these disturbing sci-fi films of the 1970s then you’re one of the few movie buffs who know about esoteric science fiction outside of Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Keep in mind, it’s not that those aren’t great films, they’re just the first thing people think of with science fiction in the ‘70s. These movies are insane weird, and while they might not be for everyone, they’re some of the coolest and most groundbreaking movies of the decade. 

Blue Sunshine

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source: FilmCentrix

The people at Woodstock were warned not to take the brown acid, but no one said anything about “blue sunshine.” A hidden gem from 1977, Blue Sunshine is part political thriller, part say no to drugs campaign and all psychotic. The film follows a group of people who lose their minds (and their hair) a decade after taking acid called “blue sunshine.”

In the film, things get weird when people lose their hair - literally going completely bald - before turning into raging psychopaths within minutes. At the time the film received middling reviews, but in the decades since its release, it's taken on a cult following.