There is something that is so much fun about watching an R-rated movie. R-rated movies can get away with showing a lot of different scenes you wouldn’t be able to see just anywhere. What is an R-rated movie? R-rated films are listed as restricted movies. To watch or buy these movies, the viewer must be 17 years or older. If not, they need to be accompanied by an adult. This is slightly different from an NC-17 – Adults Only rating. In that type of rating, no one under 17 is allowed to enter the theater.
So, were there a lot of R-rated films in the 1970s, and if yes, what were they? R-rated films weren’t common in this decade, but they did exist! Who can forget classics like “Halloween,” which was released in 1978. This thrilling horror film stars Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis. It was so popular that the film received multiple sequels. Nearly 50 years later this film is still rated an 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. This isn’t the only fantastic R-rated film from the 1970s though.
Also released in the 1970s was “The Exorcist.” Horror movies were all the rage in the ’70s. “The Exorcist” was released on December 26, 1973. It paved the way for many movies with the same themes. Interested in learning about more of the best R-rated movies in the 1970s? Keep reading. When you’re done, check out our list of the highest-grossing R-rated movies of the 1970s.
To determine the top-rated movies of the 1960s, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data from IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon.
40. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.6 out of 10
- Director: Robert Altman
- Starring: Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Rene Auberjonois
39. Enter the Dragon
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.6 out of 10
- Director: Robert Clouse
- Starring: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly
38. The Boys in the Band
Source: Courtesy of National General Pictures
Source: Courtesy of National General Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.6 out of 10
- Director: William Friedkin
- Starring: Kenneth Nelson, Peter White, Leonard Frey
37. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.6 out of 10
- Director: Joseph Sargent
- Starring: Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam
36. Nashville
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.6 out of 10
- Director: Robert Altman
- Starring: Keith Carradine, Karen Black, Ronee Blakley
35. Novecento (1900)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.6 out of 10
- Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
- Starring: Robert De Niro, Gérard Depardieu, Dominique Sanda
34. Wake in Fright
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
N/A
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.6 out of 10
- Director: Ted Kotcheff
- Starring: Donald Pleasence, Gary Bond, Chips Rafferty
33. The Tenant
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.6 out of 10
- Director: Roman Polanski
- Starring: Roman Polanski, Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas
32. The Marriage of Maria Braun
Source: Courtesy of RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video
N/A
Source: Courtesy of RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.7 out of 10
- Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
- Starring: Hanna Schygulla, Klaus Löwitsch, Ivan Desny
31. Blazing Saddles
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.7 out of 10
- Director: Mel Brooks
- Starring: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens
30. Serpico
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.7 out of 10
- Director: Sidney Lumet
- Starring: Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe
29. Dirty Harry
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.7 out of 10
- Director: Don Siegel
- Starring: Clint Eastwood, Andrew Robinson, Harry Guardino
28. Pasqualino Settebellezze (Seven Beauties)
Source: Courtesy of Cinema 5 Distributing
Source: Courtesy of Cinema 5 Distributing
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.7 out of 10
- Director: Lina Wertmüller
- Starring: Giancarlo Giannini, Fernando Rey, Shirley Stoler
27. Halloween
Source: Courtesy of Aquarius Releasing
Source: Courtesy of Aquarius Releasing
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.7 out of 10
- Director: John Carpenter
- Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran
26. Deliverance
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.7 out of 10
- Director: John Boorman
- Starring: Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty
25. The French Connection
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.7 out of 10
- Director: William Friedkin
- Starring: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey
24. The Phantom of Liberty
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.8 out of 10
- Director: Luis Buñuel
- Starring: Jean-Claude Brialy, Adolfo Celi, Michel Piccoli
23. Cet obscur objet du desir (That Obscure Object of Desire)
Source: Courtesy of First Artists
Source: Courtesy of First Artists
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.8 out of 10
- Director: Luis Buñuel
- Starring: Fernando Rey, Carole Bouquet, Ángela Molina
22. The Holy Mountain
Source: Courtesy of ABKCO Films
Source: Courtesy of ABKCO Films
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.8 out of 10
- Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky
- Starring: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Horacio Salinas, Zamira Saunders
21. All That Jazz
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.8 out of 10
- Director: Bob Fosse
- Starring: Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Ann Reinking
20. Manhattan
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.8 out of 10
- Director: Woody Allen
- Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway
19. Amarcord
Source: Courtesy of New World Pictures
Source: Courtesy of New World Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.8 out of 10
- Director: Federico Fellini
- Starring: Magali Noël, Bruno Zanin, Pupella Maggio
18. Il conformista (The Conformist)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 7.9 out of 10
- Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
- Starring: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Stefania Sandrelli, Gastone Moschin
17. The Last Picture Show
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8 out of 10
- Director: Peter Bogdanovich
- Starring: Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd
16. A Woman Under the Influence
Source: Courtesy of Faces International
Source: Courtesy of Faces International
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8 out of 10
- Director: John Cassavetes
- Starring: Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Fred Draper
15. Life of Brian
Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8 out of 10
- Director: Terry Jones
- Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin
14. Dog Day Afternoon
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8 out of 10
- Director: Sidney Lumet
- Starring: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Penelope Allen
13. Viskningar och rop (Cries & Whispers)
Source: Courtesy of New World Pictures
Source: Courtesy of New World Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8 out of 10
- Director: Ingmar Bergman
- Starring: Harriet Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Kari Sylwan
12. The Exorcist
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8.1 out of 10
- Director: William Friedkin
- Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair
11. Network
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8.1 out of 10
- Director: Sidney Lumet
- Starring: Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch
10. The Deer Hunter
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8.1 out of 10
- Director: Michael Cimino
- Starring: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale
9. Chinatown
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8.1 out of 10
- Director: Roman Polanski
- Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston
8. Taxi Driver
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8.2 out of 10
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd
7. Hearts and Minds
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8.2 out of 10
- Director: Peter Davis
- Starring: Tin Chan, Chau Diem, Ngo Dinh Diem
6. A Clockwork Orange
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8.3 out of 10
- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates
5. Apocalypse Now
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8.4 out of 10
- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
- Starring: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall
4. Alien
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8.5 out of 10
- Director: Ridley Scott
- Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- Avg. IMDb rating: 8.7 out of 10
- Director: Milos Forman
- Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman
2. The Godfather: Part II
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 9 out of 10
- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
- Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall
1. The Godfather
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Avg. IMDb rating: 9.2 out of 10
- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
- Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan