The return of the low-budget fright film

SY FY seems to have re-invented or re-discovered the economical or low-budget fright film that was a popular staple of ABC and NBC's movie-of-the-week fright film between 1970 and 1974.

The catch is, a lot of those films are bad and unentertaining. If anyone here is a horror movie fan and wants some iteresting history, go Google, 'fright films of the 70s', or, 'horror television movies of the 70s'. Back then, Hollywood found a rewarding entertainment niche. ABC started the genre and later NBC tried their hand. Hollywood produced scary movies for those tv stations on low budgets, good to very good production values, short filming times, usually under a month, and starring solid B list actors and actresses including aging former A list actors seeking to continue their livelihoods, much as Sy Fy today hires aging former A list actors and aging former top of the B list actors. My point is, Hollywood can still produce a highly entertaining horror fright film on a low budget with decent production values if there is a good story line. Quality of technique can be accomplished on a minimal budget as opposed to expensive effects and graphics which don't guarantee success. The gothic fright and horror films of the early 70s did not rely on expensive sets, expensive special effects, or expensive actors, nor expensive distant shooting locations. Hollywood could film almost anything in the state of California and adjacent states then disguise it as anywhere in the U.S. or some places in the world.

Don't despair, fans. I think Sy Fy will one day get it right. If I could do so, I would package my hardback book, "Fright Films of the 70s", by David Deal, and mail it to them. That would give their screenwriters better direction and inspiration for a quality fright, horror, sci-fy/horror, or science fiction film. Not all of us need splatter gore, gruesome violence and mayhem, or nasty sex, to enjoy a good quality fright film. If you want an example of what I mean, think, the classic late 60s to '71 Dark Shadows television series. I could write off a list of entertaining horror and sci-fi films from that time frame but it would be meaningless to most readers here.