5 of the Best Made-for-TV Horror Movies from the ‘70s and ‘80s

Do you miss made-for-TV horror movies? I do. In the late 1960s through the early 1990s you could turn your TV on after dinner on a Tuesday or Wednesday night to watch the devil turn a private college into a recruitment center for female Satanists, a witch slowly seduce a faithful husband largely through rigorous games of chess, or soap opera star Susan Lucci steaming a man alive in his car simply by pointing her finger at him.

That’s because the big-three television networks at the time – ABC, CBS, and NBC – all broadcast their own Movies of the Week. And many of these movies focused on demons, witches, possession, serial killers, and haunted houses. They were special treats for horror-loving viewers!

These made-for-TV horror movies were a BIG deal. Kids of the ‘70s and ‘80s didn’t have endless cable or streaming options. We had to work to get our horror fix. Sometimes that meant a trip to the video store and a parent who wasn’t paying enough attention to realize that we’d slipped Don’t Go in the House or Zombi 3 into the pile of cassettes that a bored cashier was ringing up.

Other times – and probably more frequently – it meant scanning the newspaper to see if the next TV movie of the week was a horror film. They came with titles that wouldn’t seem out of place on the marquees of the country’s sleazier movie theaters and their newspaper ads featured hands clutching butcher knives, women screaming in terror, and phone receivers dangling menacingly from twisted cords.

Here’s a look at five memorable made-for-TV horror movies from the golden age of the Movie of the Week. If you’re hungry for a bit of horror nostalgia, give them a watch. Who knows what familiar faces you might see?

Satan’s School for Girls (1973)

I’m convinced that there’s no better title in horror history than Satan’s School for Girls. Tell me that isn’t THE coolest movie title you’ve heard.

Does the movie live up to the title? Of course not. This aired as part of ABC’s Movie of the Week in 1973. Satan might be involved, but he’s not going to be nearly as naughty as he’d be if the movie was made for the big screen.

Satan’s School for Girls, then, focuses a lot on college students sneaking through dark hallways, running through the woods, and poring through old documents as they try to unravel what’s behind the far-too-many suicides and disappearances taking place at their school. The devil? He’s more laidback in this one.

That doesn’t mean that Satan’s School for Girls isn’t worth watching. First, two future stars of Charlie’s Angels (that MOST ‘70s of ‘70s TV series!), have major roles in this one: Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd. Secondly, there’s a “cool” art teacher who reeks of 1970’s sleazy charm, especially when he’s chugging wine with his young students after class.

Then there’s a creepy science teacher who spends most of his time watching rats struggle through the large maze he’s set up in the middle of his classroom. It’s more than a bit off-putting when this teacher, Professor Delacroix, tells his young students that they’re like his rats, trying ineffectively to rebel and escape from authority.

And the name of the school that our heroines attend? The Salem Academy for Women. Yes, the movie is set in THAT Salem, home to the infamous Salem Witch Trials.

But what is Satan’s School for Girls about? It starts off strong, when Elizabeth – played winningly by veteran TV actress Pamela Franklin – discovers the body of her sister, Martha, hanging in the living room of Elizabeth’s home. The police believe this is a suicide. Elizabeth does not.

Turns out, Martha was a student at The Salem Academy for Women. Elizabeth decides to play detective and enrolls at the same school under a false name. Once there? Elizabeth teams up with her fellow students, including Kate Jackson’s Roberta and Cheryl Ladd’s Jody (if only Jaclyn Smith was enrolled, too!), to investigate why so many students at the school seem to go missing.

This was the 1970s, so college tuition was a lot more affordable. It’s one thing for students to go missing when the yearly tuition for a private college was in the $2,000 range. Today? When students pay $30,000, $40,000 or more each year for tuition? I’d insist that my daughter stay at her college for the full year, thank you, no matter how much “Satan stuff” was going on.

The problem with Satan’s School for Girls is that there’s so much filler. This wasn’t uncommon with made-for-TV horror movies. The makers of these films couldn’t show much in the way of gore or violence. This was network TV, after all. They focused instead on “atmosphere.”

In Satan’s School for Girls, this means creepy teachers flashing meaningful looks at the camera, students looking over their shoulders at mysterious sounds as they skulk through dark school hallways, and other students walking through dark woods while wearing ankle-length nightgowns.

I did like Satan’s School for Girls, though. It’s no classic and it’s not a must-watch by any means. But there’s an effectively creepy scene involving a swamp and several students holding sticks. I was a bit surprised that the censors let ABC get away with the cruelty of this scene.

Overall? I’d give Satan’s School for Girls a solid C+ grade. Sure, it’s not Honor Roll material. But like they say, “Cs get degrees,” and that’s good enough. It’s still one of the best made-for-TV horror movies of the 1970s-1980s!

Where to stream Satan’s School for Girls (1973):

The version I watched of Satan’s School for Girls was damaged, dotted with skips and scratch marks. That, though, added to the nostalgia hit I experienced when watching. But once you’ve finished going back to school, it’s time to experience some terrors at home with…

Stranger in Our House AKA Summer of Fear (1978)

Stranger in Our House is an oddity because it features two huge names in the horror industry: Linda Blair from The Exorcist fame and director Wes Craven, famous for directing such classics as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, and The Hills Have Eyes.

This was a strange pitstop for Wes Craven. He’d already directed the shockingly mean-spirited Last House on the Left and the Hills Have Eyes before Stranger in Our House was released. Being a made-for-TV horror movie, Stranger in Our House isn’t nearly as disturbing as those two movies.

It’s hard to believe that someone saw Last House on the Left and thought Wes Craven would be a good choice to helm a movie that would be shown to the masses on network TV. Also interesting? Craven would direct three more made-for-TV horror movies in his career; Invitation to Hell (1984), Chiller (1985), and Night Visions (1990) – the last of which came out over half a decade after the director became famous for introducing the world to Freddy Krueger!

Can you see traces of the Wes Craven responsible for Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes in Stranger in Our House? I couldn’t. Stranger in Our House is far too tame. That doesn’t mean, though, that it isn’t a fun watch.

There’s a lot to like about this one, even if the movie’s best scenes focus less on supernatural terror and more on the somewhat mundane ways the “stranger” of the title ruins Linda Blair’s life.

Linda Blair plays Rachel, a happy teen who seems to have it all: a hunky boyfriend (by late 1970’s standards, at least), a loving family, a BFF who’s loyal and true, and a horse. Yes, Rachel is a competitive equestrian.

That’s all about to change with the arrival of Julia, a cousin whose parents have died in a car crash. Rachel’s parents agree to take Julia into their home following the deadly accident. Unfortunately for these kind-hearted souls, Julia has bad intentions for Rachel and her family. This is unfortunate for Sundance, Rachel’s horse, too. And I’ll spoil one plot point to protect those who worry about these things: Yes, the horse dies.

My favorite scenes in Stranger in Our House, though, are the ones where the terror is more mundane.

There’s one sequence that stands out: Rachel has made herself a dress for an upcoming dance. Unfortunately, Julia uses witchcraft to give Rachel a severe case of the hives. Julia decides that she will go to the dance instead, with Rachel’s boyfriend. It just so happens that Rachel’s dress fits much better on Julia. Everyone is impressed … except for Rachel, of course.

There’s also the way in which Julia tries to seduce Rachel’s father. Yes, she uses her sex appeal. And magic. But she also uses that most seductive of games, chess.

Turns out, no one in the immediate family is a good enough player to challenge Rachel’s dad. But Juilia? She’s skilled with the rook, knight, and bishop, and soon she and Rachel’s dad are playing a LOT of chess. I’m not making this up, but the movie does point to these chess duels as one of the main reasons – outside of witchcraft, of course – that Rachel’s dad falls for Julia.

There are some twists in Stranger in Our House that you’ll probably guess long before the movie ends. The witchcraft on display is limited. And Wes Craven, of course, doesn’t get to go full The Hills Have Eyes mode here. But I’d still rank Stranger in Our House as one of the more enjoyable TV horrors of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Why not watch it over a good game of chess?

Where to stream Stranger in Our House AKA Summer of Fear (1978):

By the time you read this, it may have switched to another platform, but I watched Stranger in Our House on that treasure trove of horror, Tubi. Seriously, if you don’t scan Tubi’s seemingly endless horror selection regularly, you’re missing out.

Invitation to Hell (1984)

Speaking of Wes Craven, as I mentioned earlier, he didn’t limit his made-for-TV horror movies to Stranger in Our House. He also directed the far nuttier Invitation to Hell, which came out in 1984. Yes, that’s the same year that saw the debut of Freddy Krueger and the A Nightmare on Elm Street series. I’d bet that not too many people list Invitation to Hell as their favorite 1984 Craven-directed movie.

And, of course, there’s no reason to like this kitschy TV horror movie as much as A Nightmare on Elm Street. But Invitation to Hell does boast its own charm. It’s so goofy, that it’s impossible not to like.

Consider the opening scene: Jessica Jones, played by soap opera royalty Susan Lucci, is crossing the street. At the same time, a limo driver is distracted by two young women in bikinis. He turns to see Jones in front of his vehicle, but it’s too late to stop. He runs right over her.

This would seem to be bad for Jones, right? No. Instead, she bounces up as if she’s on springs and points her hand at the vehicle. The car’s back window shatters and boiling steam billows off the driver. The driver screams until his flesh melts from his bones.

Susan Lucci’s Jones smiles at this and bounces away, her grin never faltering. And all the bystanders walking by? They don’t seem to notice a thing.

It’s a glorious way to open the film and a sign of how ridiculous this made-for-TV horror movie will become.

The movie’s plot is simple: Matt Winslow and his family move to a wealthy suburb in Southern California. Matt, played by reliable TV actor Robert Urich, whom you might know as private detective Dan Tana from the late ’70s TV show Vegas or private detective Spenser from the 1980s TV show Spenser: For Hire.

Robert Urich surprises everyone watching Invitation to Hell: He’s not playing a private detective.

No, Matt’s an engineer and has taken a new job at the ominously named Micro-DigiTech. He is working on a project that involves creating a new heat-resistant space suit. Wonder if this space suit will come in handy later?

Matt and his family are welcomed to their new community by Lucci’s Jones, who is the director of the neighborhood’s exclusive country club. The name of that club? Steaming Springs. Jones is eager – extremely eager – for Matt and his family to join the country club.

Matt, being a cool guy, isn’t interested in the conformity and phoniness that comes with country club life. But his wife and two kids are. When they join the club without him, Matt notices some subtle, and not-so-subtle, personality changes. What could be happening? If you know the title of the movie, you might figure it out before Matt does.

Invitation to Hell is a treat! That’s thanks largely to Susan Lucci, who vamps it up here as the sinister but sassy Jones. It’s hard to hate Jones when Lucci is obviously having such a great time playing the character. Maybe she wanted a break from her most famous role as Erica Kane on the long-running soap opera All My Children. That’d be understandable. Lucci played Kane for an amazing 41 years — from 1970, when All My Children debuted, until 2011, when it finally went off the air. I’m sure Lucci was eager to take on a different role, even if it was in a goofy made-for-TV horror movie.

Robert Urich is good, too, as a relatable but super-smart guy. It’s fun to watch him match wits with Lucci’s character. And the ending? When Urich’s character discovers just how hot the country club’s hot springs are? It’s classic.

Who knew seeing Robert Urich in a tinfoil-looking space suit battling Susan Lucci would be so much fun? It tickled me that Urich’s space suit comes equipped with an arm-mounted laser gun. It’s almost as if the writer of this one wanted to give his favorite action figure a starring role.

Invitation to Hell also features an alternative dimension, complete with a character playing a piano at hyper-speed. And while I don’t want to spoil the ending, I must mention that Invitation to Hell is not only unafraid to rely on the often-mocked “true love saves the day” trope to wrap things up, it embraces the opportunity.

Should you decline this invitation to Hell? Definitely not.

Where to stream Invitation to Hell (1984):

Are You in the House Alone? (1978)

When I saw the poster and read the description of Are You in the House Alone? I thought the film would be a bit like the classic horror movie When a Stranger Calls. Of course, my logic was flawed from the beginning as the original When a Stranger Calls came out in 1979, a year AFTER this made-for-TV horror movie.  And once I watched Are You in the House Alone? I discovered that the two movies couldn’t be more different.

Are You in the House Alone? does feature a few sinister phone calls to our heroine. But that’s where the similarities to When a Stranger Calls end.

This movie feels more like an after-school special but written for older young adults. Its subject matter is serious and brutal. [Editor’s Note: SA trigger warning!]

The story focuses on high-schooler Gail who is raped. We see the aftermath of this early in the movie as Gail is being treated at the hospital. Gail tells her mom that she’s been raped, but she won’t name the offender. Why? She says that no one will believe her. The story then flashes back to the events leading up to the rape.

The bulk of the movie follows Gail as she encounters a string of seedy and pervy men. We don’t know at the beginning of the movie who committed the rape. But Are You in the House Alone? throws several suspects our way as the movie progresses.

There’s an especially creepy scene involving the high school photography teacher portrayed by actor Alan Fudge. During one lesson, the teacher, Mr. Elden, tells Gail to pose for a “sexy” photo. That already seems odd for a high-school photography class.

But Mr. Elden isn’t satisfied with Gail’s initial attempts at “sexy.” He prods her to move beyond what he calls “Hollywood’s idea of sexy” to attempt a more natural erotic look. It’s an incredibly awkward and unnerving scene. Someone needs to tell the school board about Mr. Elden!

What I liked most about this movie is how REAL the characters feel, aside from, maybe, Mr. Elden. Kathleen Beller is a standout as Gail. She feels like a real person moving through real life. She’s also likeable and sympathetic. You feel bad for her when the attack mentioned at the beginning of the movie finally happens.

Blythe Danner and Tony Bill as Gail’s parents are good, too. They’re dealing with money problems, job loss, and other marital struggles even before Gail is raped. They’re also loving parents who support their daughter before and after the crime. Again, they feel like real people.

The horror is limited, but there are some creepy scenes, such as when Gail receives threatening notes taped to her school locker or when a stranger threatens her over the phone. The phone calls are plenty creepy, especially when the caller continually asks Gail if she is, indeed, in the house alone.

Give credit to the movie’s ending, too. It’s not a happy one or an overly bleak one, just a realistic one — one that shows how difficult it is for victims to get justice even when they do everything right. Are You in the House Alone? takes a surprisingly mature, somber tone to its subject matter, something that you wouldn’t guess from looking at its promo materials.

There are some oddities associated with this movie, though… There’s Mr. Edlen’s pervy photography class, of course. But there’s also a scene in which Gail and her friends are hanging out in the high school courtyard. Suddenly, a group of high school students breaks into an impromptu doo-wop song. Why? It’s never explained. Was this a big deal in the late 1970s? Were people at this high school obsessed with the Sha Na Na TV show? It’s a mystery. The movie also has an early role for Dennis Quaid and features Ellen Travolta, the sister of John, in a small role.

Should you give Are You in the House Alone? a try? Yes, if you go in with realistic expectations. This is not a standard home invasion horror film. It’s a solid horror-drama with fine performances.

Where to stream Are You in the House Alone? (1978):

Trilogy of Terror (1975)

Trilogy of Terror is unique for two big reasons: First, hardly anyone remembers the first two stories in this anthology. Second? It boasts what might be the most frightening final shot of any made-for-TV horror movie. I know it scared the crap out of ME!

Trilogy of Terror debuted in 1975 as part of ABC’s Movie of the Week series. Star Karen Black played the lead role in each of the movie’s three stories, and the director was Dan Curtis, famous as the creator of long-running vampire soap opera Dark Shadows.

If you know anything about Trilogy of Terror – and you probably do – it’s for the final segment, titled “Amelia.” That’s the one with the miniature wooden fetish doll that looks like a twisted version of an aboriginal warrior, complete with razor-sharp teeth, an equally sharp spear, and the most frightening eyes of any evil horror doll.

Black, playing the title character Amelia, receives the doll as a gift from her anthropologist boyfriend. Unfortunately for Amelia, she knocks the gold chain off the doll’s neck. That unleashes the spirit of the Zuni warrior locked inside the wooden monster. Sure enough, the doll goes on the attack, biting and slashing at a terrified Amelia.

That’s about it for plot here. There’s a bit of a side story about how Amelia is constantly beaten down by her overbearing mother, and about how her mother is jealous of Amelia’s new relationship with the world’s worst gift-giver. But that story mostly goes out the window – mostly – once the wooden doll begins its attack.

And what a fun attack it is! Amelia and the doll battle each other viciously, with Amelia trying everything from drowning the doll to burning it alive in her oven. Director Dan Curtis keeps the action coming at an unrelenting pace once the final battle begins.

Then there’s that final shot. I won’t spoil it here, but it’s a true classic, and I consider it one of the most haunting final images ever.

What’s interesting about the Zuni fetish doll is that it isn’t based on the population from any country. The real-life Zuni people are a Native-American tribe located in New Mexico and Arizona. The creators of Trilogy of Terror designed the doll to be as creepy and off-putting as possible and didn’t intend for the thing to have any connection to the real Zuni people.

What about the other two segments of Trilogy of Terror? They’re fine. But they’re also predictable and forgettable. Karen Black is great in both, as she is in the “Amelia” segment, but the stories themselves are nowhere near as entertaining.

The first story, “Julie,” features sleazeball college student Chad trying to seduce his English teacher Julie, played by Black. As part of this seduction, Chad peeps on Julie undressing in her bedroom window. And on a subsequent date, Chad spikes Julie’s drink, knocking her out. Yes, Chad is a true charmer! And, yes, this segment is extremely problematic.

There’s a twist to Trilogy of Terror’s “Julie” segment. It doesn’t quite erase the sleazy stink from the story but, without spoiling things too much, I will say that Chad doesn’t get a happy ending.

The second segment, “Millicent and Therese,” features Karen Black in a dual role. Yes, this means that Black plays four characters in this anthology. I hope she got paid accordingly.

In this one, one twin is good, the other evil. There’s a splash of voodoo and a bit of incest. But trying to describe the plot to anyone who hasn’t seen it is maddening — there are WAY too many twists and turns!

Again, the “Millicent and Therese” segment ends with what’s supposed to be a surprise. I bet you’ll be able to guess what it is long before the story ends. Of the three segments, I found this one to be the worst.

Is Trilogy of Terror a keeper? That final segment certainly is! It’s THE required viewing for anyone wishing to experience the best of what made-for-TV horror movies of the era had to offer. (Admittedly, you might want to fast forward through stories one and two…).

And if you can’t get enough of that Zuni fetish doll, you can check out the sequel, Trilogy of Terror II, which came out in 1996. I haven’t watched it yet, and the reviews aren’t glowing, but when I submitted my guest post pitch for a roundup of the best made-for-TV horror movies, HorrorFam.com’s Head Editor, Lauren Spear, told me her father – special FX artist, Robert Tharp – was in charge of painting the doll of “many teeth” in Trilogy of Terror II. Fun fact: Robert Tharp was also one of the FX painters in charge of painting the multi-toothed Crites for Critters and Critters II!

Where to stream Trilogy of Terror (1975):

Do you miss the era of made-for-TV horror movies?

Though the titles were always better than the movies themselves, made-for-TV horror movies did provide at least SOME scares to viewers! If you couldn’t catch The Exorcist or The Wicker Man on the big screen in 1973, you could at least watch Satan’s School for Girls.

Nothing lasts forever, though, and the TV networks’ Movie of the Week mill began churning out fewer titles starting in the late 1990s. Why? It’s more expensive to make movies than it is to air sitcoms, reality shows, and game shows. You can also blame the rise of home video back in the mid-1980s and ‘90s and, later, streaming.

Unfortunately, the TV Move of the Week has mostly disappeared from the networks’ programming slate. You can still find TV movies, but they’re largely relegated to cable channels such as Hallmark and Lifetime, two networks that spit out countless Christmas-themed made-for-TV movies every holiday season. But made-for-TV horror movies? You won’t find many today.

Modern horror fans might not miss the TV fright movie. After all, they can find hundreds of horror movies streaming for free on sites such as Tubi. Those willing to pay can find countless titles on Shudder, Hulu, and other streamers. And these streaming titles aren’t limited in the amount of gore, violence, and bloodshed that they can show – something you couldn’t say about the made-for-TV horror movies.

But there’s something cozy about those TV Movies of the Week starring television actors such as Valerie Harper, Dennis Weaver, Leonard Nimoy, and Larry Hagman. And while most of made-for-TV horror movies were forgettable and bland, thanks to network regulations, some stood out for either being bizarre, goofy, or genuinely scary.

On the bright side, thanks to streaming, many of the best made-for-TV horror movies are beginning to resurface and can be shared with new generations of horror fans – or give older generations a fun blast from the past! A couple other favorites of mine – Steven Spielberg’s Something Evil (1972) and the Christmas-themed slasher Home for the Holidays (1972) – haven’t been rescued from obscurity at the time of this writing, but I’m hoping my list will spark a renewed interest in made-for-TV horror that will have fans sending requests to their favorite streaming platforms to unearth more films of the era.

What do YOU consider the best made-for-TV horror movies? Let me know in the comments!

***This post was written by Dan Rafter. You can learn more about him in his author bio below!***

Movie posters and newspaper/TV Guide listings were purchased via CineMaterial. Movie stills were purchased via MovieStillsDB. The top/featured image is a collage of three movie stills from the films reviewed that I added a TV static effect to and then put into the screen of a free stock photo of a vintage television I got on Pixabay. As usual, any vertical/portrait images were placed over blurred backgrounds to make them horizontal/landscape images but no other changes were made.