Ageing television presenter Howard Beale (Peter Finch) is on the edge of a mental breakdown when he is fired. He decides to open his heart to his audience, breaking down live on TV. Incredibly, this boosts his ratings, and Beale is re-hired and given his own show on which he can scream and shout. The film won three Oscars, with Paddy Chayevsky winning an award for the Best Original Screenplay.

Produced by Steven Spielberg, this hugely successful horror flick apparently came under his directorial control, as well, despite the official credit being given to Tobe Hooper. Things start going bump in the night in a suburban home, much to the consternation of its resident family. When the youngest daughter gets sucked into the television screen, her parents call in an eccentric psychic for assistance.