The 70s were another decade of advancements in effects. However, it was also a time when effects houses got a hit from the industry’s recession in the early 1970s, with many closing shop. It wasn’t until 1977 when the first Star Wars was released and finally took a turn for the better. Star Wars introduced some advancements in special effects technology, and the sheer amount of effects in the film were staggering, from aliens to spaceships and planets. The film also spawned a new special effects house, Industrial Light and Magic, which are one of the most popular visual effects studios today.
Not only was Star Wars a film that is still impressive to the VFX industry today, but 70s films like The Hindenburg, The Poseidon Adventure and the horror classic The Exorcist brought together many different techniques, like matte paintings, which is a technique still heavily utilized in the VFX industry. The horrifying effects in The Exorcist like the 360 degree head rotation and many other grotesque effects made the 70s a very impressive decade in terms of visual effects.