Search Movie Plot Summaries & Endings Explained

Fantasy · Hopeful tone · Happy ending

Charley and the Angel (1973)

Charley, a devoted but work‑obsessed husband and father, learns from a heavenly messenger that his time is running out. Confronted with his impending death, he strives to mend neglected relationships, prioritize his family, and become the husband and dad he always should have been during his final days.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Dark tone · Sad ending

La Tosca (1973)

In 1800 Rome, Napoleon’s rise challenges the Church, and Jacobin executions are rampant. The renowned revolutionary Angelotti escapes prison, pursued by the police chief. He receives aid from a painter who is the lover of the celebrated singer La Tosca. Suspecting the affair, the chief provokes Tosca’s jealousy to trap the fugitive.

Read the plot summary

Comedy · Whimsical tone · Ambiguous ending

The House in Nightmare Park (1973)

Frankie Howerd plays struggling tragedian Foster Twelvetrees, hired to read a drama at a wealthy family's country manor, only to find dead bodies, snakes, a madwoman in the attic and a dark family secret. Co‑starring Hugh Burden and Oscar‑winner Ray Milland, Terry Nation’s script turns the sinister plot into a comic take on early‑70s British horror.

Read the plot summary

Crime · Light tone · Happy ending

Even Angels Eat Beans (1973)

In Depression‑era America, two wildly different friends are mistaken for tough mob enforcers, thrust into a chaotic world of notorious gangsters such as Al Capone and John Dillinger. Their bumbling attempts to play the part spark a series of hilarious capers and close calls, making them the funniest crooks since crime began.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Two People (1973)

With only 36 hours to secure a lifelong love, Vietnam‑war deserter Evan Bonner is returning to the United States to surrender when he encounters temperamental model Deirdre McCluskey. Their unlikely bond carries them to Paris, where the city’s romantic allure helps the two vulnerable strangers finally recognize a deep, enduring connection together.

Read the plot summary

Adventure · Light tone · Happy ending

Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

Inventor Goro Ibuki builds a humanoid robot, Jet Jaguar, which is soon seized by the underwater Seatopian civilization. Using the robot as a conduit, the Seatopians unleash the colossal monster Megalon to exact revenge for the nuclear tests that have ravaged their society.

Read the plot summary

Horror · Dark tone · Bleak ending

The Vault of Horror (1973)

A sequel to Tales from the Crypt, the film strands five strangers in a basement vault where they converse about the nightmares that haunt them. Their tales include horror elements: a vampire menace, gruesome bodily dismemberment, East‑Indian mysticism, an insurance scam, and a deranged artist who murders by painting his victims’ deaths.

Read the plot summary

Horror · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Night of Fear (1973)

After an afternoon of tennis and a brief affair, she is knocked off the road by a truck and finds herself stranded on a deserted dirt road. Her car slides into a ditch, and she becomes the target of a deranged, drooling psychopath who lives among a swarm of rats, turning her night into a relentless nightmare.

Read the plot summary

Action · Tense tone · Bleak ending

The Crazies (1973)

A mysterious and deadly virus descends upon a quiet Pennsylvania town, quickly turning its residents into violent, crazed individuals. As the infection spreads, the military arrives to quarantine the area, leading to a desperate fight for survival between those infected and those who remain uninfected. The situation rapidly deteriorates, plunging the community into a terrifying struggle against an unseen enemy and threatening apocalyptic consequences for everyone.

Read the plot summary

Horror · Dark tone · Sad ending

The Devil’s Wedding Night (1973)

Scholar Karl Schiller believes he has found the Nibelungen ring in Castle Dracula, and his gambler twin Franz, with an Egyptian amulet, reaches the castle first and is invited to dine by a countess. On the rare Virgin Moon night, five village virgins are drawn to the castle. Karl must rescue them, protect Franz and claim the ring before darkness takes them.

Read the plot summary

Music · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Lost Horizon (1973)

Escaping the chaos of war‑torn China, a group of European travelers crash‑lands in the remote Himalayas. Rescued by mysterious inhabitants, they are guided to the hidden Valley of the Blue Moon, known as Shangri‑La, a wondrous realm of music, adventure and enduring love.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

The Long Goodbye (1973)

As an immigrant family prepares for a wedding in their British home, a local right-wing march unexpectedly escalates into chaos. The disruption exposes underlying tensions and fractures within the community, challenging the family's sense of belonging and revealing a more complex reality beneath the surface of everyday life.

Read the plot summary

Horror · Dark tone · Bleak ending

The Baby (1973)

Still grieving the loss of her husband, a social worker investigates the bizarre Wadsworth household. She finds a mother, two adult daughters, and a diaper‑clad, bottle‑sucking 'baby' who is, in fact, twenty‑one years old. The unsettling nursery scene reveals a haunting mix of innocence and menace, and the strange family dynamics slowly emerge.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Bittersweet tone · Sad ending

My Dear Brother (1973)

Two poor men try to find a television as a last wish for the terminally ill brother of one of them.

Read the plot summary

Comedy · Whimsical tone · Mixed ending

Schlock (1973)

The film marks the first musical monster picture in years. In a quiet Southern California suburb, a murderous creature lurks in a cavern, leaving a trail of bodies and conspicuous banana peels at each scene. A band of teens eventually uncover the culprit: a 20‑million‑year‑old ape‑like Schlockthropus whose bizarre sense of humor drives the absurd terror.

Read the plot summary

Comedy · Light tone · Ambiguous ending

The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973)

Webster and Laura steal everything they desire, including each other and a $6 million diamond. A bored computer programmer decides to turn to crime, quickly attracting the attention of a relentless insurance investigator. Along the way he partners with a cunning woman who becomes his accomplice.

Read the plot summary

Crime · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Miss Leslie’s Dolls (1973)

When a sudden storm forces a young college professor and three of her students to take refuge in a remote farmhouse, they discover their host is a reclusive woman obsessed with lifelike mannequins. As the night deepens, the eerie collection blurs the line between reality and art, heightening the tension.

Read the plot summary

Horror · Light tone · Mixed ending

Please Don’t Eat My Mother! (1973)

Pretty young ladies make the perfect plant food! A middle-aged man buys a plant with a sexy voice that develops a craving for insects, frogs, dogs, humans…

Read the plot summary

Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

Group Marriage (1973)

Chris’s relationship with boyfriend Sandor deteriorates, leading her into an affair with parole officer Dennis. Dennis brings the pair to dinner with his former girlfriend Jan. During a beach picnic Jan meets lifeguard Phil, who later sleeps with Chris and joins the household. Phil introduces lawyer Elaine, and the six eventually form a group marriage that draws media scrutiny and sparks prejudice and conflict.

Read the plot summary

Animation · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Charlotte's Web (1973)

A heartwarming story unfolds as Wilbur, a small pig, finds an unexpected friend in Charlotte, a wise and kind spider. When Wilbur's life is threatened, Charlotte devises a clever scheme to save him, weaving words into her web to convince the farmer and the world of his extraordinary qualities. Through their unique bond, they learn valuable lessons about friendship, loyalty, and the preciousness of life.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Dark tone · Ambiguous ending

The Stranger (1973)

The planet he uncovered was a twin to Earth…but so ominously different! An astronaut enters a vortex and crash-lands on a parallel planet where he’s not welcome.

Read the plot summary

Music · Dark tone · Ambiguous ending

Daag (1973)

Sunil and Sonia marry and, on their way to the honeymoon, spend a night at Sunil’s boss’s bungalow, where the boss’s son Dhiraj lives. Dhiraj assaults Sonia but is interrupted by Sunil; a fight kills Dhiraj. Sunil is sentenced to life, but dies in a prison van crash. Sonia becomes a schoolteacher. Years later she learns Sunil survived, now called Sudhir, married to Chandni with a child.

Read the plot summary

Romance · Melancholic tone · Sad ending

Turkish Delight (1973)

A real love story. Gifted but hot-headed sculptor Eric has a stormy, erotic, and star-crossed romance with a beautiful young woman named Olga.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Don Juan or If Don Juan Were a Woman (1973)

Jeanne, a wealthy Parisian who sees herself as the new Don Juan, confides in a priest that she has killed a man. In her flat she recounts seductive liaisons with a politician, a tycoon, and a folk singer, saying seduction is easy but destruction needs planning. She calls herself a spider, while her friend Léporella tries to be her conscience.

Read the plot summary

Action · Dark tone · Mixed ending

Walking Tall (1973)

In this action-thriller set in rural Tennessee, former wrestler Buford Pusser becomes sheriff and finds himself battling widespread corruption and illegal bootlegging. He confronts powerful and ruthless figures involved in the moonshine trade, standing as a symbol of integrity and fighting for justice against a network of crooked power brokers. Pusser’s unwavering determination and physical strength become essential as he risks everything to protect his community.

Read the plot summary

Horror · Dark tone · Ambiguous ending

The Norliss Tapes (1973)

A newspaper publisher discovers a set of personal tapes recorded by missing investigative reporter David Norliss. Through the tapes he follows Norliss’s probe into a recent widow whose deceased husband has been spotted in his private studio. Their joint investigation uncovers a dark conspiracy of Voodoo practices and the rise of the walking dead.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Lolly-Madonna XXX (1973)

“A simple prank, a game nobody won…” Set in the early 1970s, a young woman traveling through rural Tennessee inadvertently becomes entangled in a bitter rivalry between the neighboring Feathers and Gutshalls families, their long‑standing feud pulling her into dangerous, escalating conflicts.

Read the plot summary

Crime · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Scream Bloody Murder (1973)

After killing his father with a farm tractor, a young man loses his hand, which is replaced by a hook while he is confined in a mental institution. Years later he is released, returns home to discover his mother has remarried, and embarks on a violent murderous rampage, forcing anyone who crosses his path to fight for survival.

Read the plot summary

Thriller · Tense tone

Nothing But the Night (1973)

After five mysterious deaths, the trustees of Van Traylen Orphanage are targeted again. A near‑fatal school‑bus crash involving three more trustees and a group of orphans draws Colonel Bingham and his pathologist friend Mark into the investigation. Their search points to a young girl on the bus who recalls events she could not have witnessed.

Read the plot summary

Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

The World’s Greatest Athlete (1973)

College coach Sam Archer (John Amos) is on the brink of losing his job because the sports program is failing. On a trip to Africa with his quirky assistant (Tim Conway), he discovers the extraordinarily athletic Nanu (Jan‑Michael Vincent). Archer hopes Nanu’s talent will revive the team’s fortunes in this upbeat farce featuring a strong comedic cast.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

Save the Tiger (1973)

Harry Stoner manipulates the books, sets fire to a factory and supplies women to his clients, all in a desperate bid to secure another season. Over the span of two days his cut‑throat business tactics begin to clash with his personal life, exposing the cost of his ambition.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

The Horror at 37,000 Feet (1973)

A commercial-jet captain (Chuck Connors) has ghosts on board from stones of an English abbey being shipped overseas.

Read the plot summary

Mystery · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Dhund (1973)

The film follows Rani Ranjit Singh (Zeenat Aman), whose ailing husband Thakur Ranjit Singh (Danny Denzongpa) is found dead. As the investigation zeroes in on the grieving widow and her lover Suresh Saxena (Sanjay Khan), hidden motives surface and the true assassin proves to be an unexpected third party, turning the murder case into a tense mystery.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Tense tone · Mixed ending

The Great American Beauty Contest (1973)

The pursuit by America’s loveliest girls for a coveted beauty crown is threatened by a scandal which implicates a judge, a former winner, and one of the five finalists.

Read the plot summary

Horror · Dark tone · Bleak ending

The Creeping Flesh (1973)

A scientist becomes obsessed with the idea that evil is a disease carried in the blood. He discovers a New Guinea skeleton whose flesh seems to embody that sickness and blames his once‑sanity‑shattered Folies Bergère wife for unleashing it. Terrified that the curse will infect their daughter, he attempts to immunise her with the skeleton’s blood, only to unleash far worse consequences.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Bleak tone · Sad ending

The Harder They Come (1973)

In Kingston, Jamaica, Ivan Jones arrives with dreams of becoming a reggae star. He quickly finds success, captivating audiences with his music and undeniable charisma. However, a tragic incident and a desperate attempt to help a friend lead him down a dangerous path. As his fame grows, so does his notoriety, turning him into a figure of both admiration and fear within the city’s vibrant, yet harsh, environment. He must now confront the consequences of his actions and navigate a world of deceit and violence.

Read the plot summary

Thriller · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Black Caesar (1973)

Tommy Gibbs, a hardened youngster from Harlem’s ghettos, dreams of becoming a crime kingpin. After a crooked cop shatters his leg during a botched payoff, his thirst for revenge drives him to ascend the underworld ranks. Fueled by anger at the racist society that marginalizes both criminals and law‑abiding citizens, he pursues power as his answer.

Read the plot summary

Action · Ambiguous ending

The Train Robbers (1973)

This action-packed western comedy-romance follows an unusual partnership between China and Russia as they join forces to dismantle four dangerous crime syndicates. A thrilling adventure ensues as they pursue these outlaws, leading to a dramatic takedown of 71 suspects in both Beijing and Moscow.

Read the plot summary

Adventure · Whimsical tone · Happy ending

On the Trail of the Bremen Town Musicians (1973)

The King, desperate to have his missing daughter returned, commissions a detective to locate her. The detective tracks down the princess and brings her safely back to the castle, but the troubadour and his companions—a troupe of traveling animals known as the Bremen Town Musicians—race to free her.

Read the plot summary

Family · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

Arangetram (1973)

Lalitha, the eldest daughter of a Brahmin family, supports her eight siblings amid poverty. She takes a job that forces her into prostitution, using the earnings to provide for her brothers and sisters. When her relatives learn of her work they abandon her. Thangavelu, a man she once rejected, marries her, but she ultimately loses her sanity.

Read the plot summary