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With the number of incredible movies made over the years, it can be easy to forget some of the classics. That isn’t the case with the films on this list, however. Each of these movies, though released nearly 50 years ago, has left a lasting impression on society. In the words of Nat King Cole, these movies are truly “unforgettable.”
1976 saw Americans grappling with the after-effects of war and government controversy. This reflected in the films of that year, some dealing directly with events like the Watergate scandal. The movies of this year also shifted to being more character-driven stories of growth. Here are eight of the most memorable films that were released in 1976—turning 50 in 2026.
All the President‘s Men
Based on the non-fiction book of the same name, All the President’s Men follows Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) and Bob Woodward (Robert Redford), tasked with writing an article on the break-in at the Watergate complex in June of 1972.
What began as an insignificant news story snowballed into a crime mystery that left Bernstein and Woodward in danger for their lives, and eventually took down the legacy of President Richard Nixon. The film received multiple Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, and in 2010 was selected to be part of the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry.
Rocky
When Sylvester Stallone brought a script he wrote himself to film executives, no one could have predicted the impact it would have on the world.
The story of Rocky Balboa lucking into the chance to win the heavyweight world boxing championship became one of the most prolific underdog sports movies in film history. Rocky was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won three of them, including Best Picture.
The American Film Institute named the film #78 in the top 100 films of all time. And in 2006, the Library of Congress added Rocky to the National Film Registry.
Carrie
Carrie is a classic horror film that has impacted the genre for decades. The scene of Carrie (Sissy Spacek) being covered in pig’s blood at the prom? Iconic. Adapting Stephen King’s novel about a teenage girl who uses telekinesis to take revenge on her bullies, Carrie—both the book and the movie—was the introduction to King as a master of horror.
This film is one of the few horror movies to be nominated for the Academy Awards in the major categories, including Best Actress (Spacek) and Best Supporting Actress (Piper Laurie).
Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver is another film that made a major impact on the world, for good and bad. While it inspired the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981, it was also very popular and acclaimed for its gritty realism.
In the movie, Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) is a Vietnam War veteran who gets angrier and angrier with the crime he sees while working as a taxi driver. He becomes a vigilante, going after criminals and corrupt politicians. The scene where Bickle stands in front of the mirror and says, “You talkin’ to me?” is widely considered to be one of the best scenes in film.
Taxi Driver received nominations at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and other notable award shows. It was added to the National Film Registry in 1994.
Freaky Friday
If you thought the only Freaky Friday film was the one with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, you might be too young to know about the original, which was released in 1976.
Disney gave us a young Jodie Foster playing Annabel, the teenager who switches bodies with her mother (Barbara Harris). Freaky Friday was nominated for three Golden Globes, and its popularity led to an entire franchise with multiple movies.
The Bad News Bears
Another 1976 film that had a 2000s remake is The Bad News Bears—and the original is, as expected, the better version. In the movie, Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau) is an alcoholic ex-baseball player who begrudgingly agrees to coach the least talented Little League team in Southern California.
The Bad News Bears is full of crude humor and profanity, from kids and adults alike, but it also has a great message about the competitiveness of adults involved in kids’ sports.
The Omen
The horror genre received the first installment of one of its most famous franchises with the release of The Omen in 1976. The story of Richard Thorne (Gregory Peck), unwittingly swapping his dead newborn for the Antichrist, has ingrained itself into our culture, even though the film itself received a mixed response.
Critics and audiences either loved or hated The Omen, but it has led to several other Omen movies and was the inspiration for Terry Pratchett’s and Neil Gaiman's comedic take on the end of the world, Good Omens.
Network
Network proves how far people are willing to go for ratings, predicting society’s troubling addiction to social media trends and rage-bait engagement.
When Howard Beale (Peter Finch) learns that he is being fired from his news anchor job, he announces that he will kill himself on-air during his final appearance. What happens after is a chain of chaotic events where TV executives use Beale to get better ratings.
This morbid satire won four Academy Awards, was added to the National Film Registry in 2000, and was voted as one of the top 10 best screenplays in history by the Writers Guild of America.