How far does the dial have to move to take a holiday from festive to fucked up? At least since the events of “Jaws” hit Amity Island, Fourth of July celebrations have served as frightful fodder for satirists, who have used the summer holiday as an opportunity to lambast the all-too-obvious dark side to our country’s blood-spattered stars and stripes.
The best Fourth of July horror movies make use of both their seasonal setting and thorny subject matter. There’s something innately disturbing about taking a day that should be celebratory and re-packaging it in that twisted carnival aesthetic — dripping with oversaturated reds, whites, and blues. And exploring the birth of a country currently tearing itself in two (just look at the Supreme Court last week) bestows an embarrassment of thematic riches onto the writers and directors willing to stew in its spirit.
Fourth of July horror movies have become a genre category in their own right because they offer opportunities to criticize the U.S. as it currently is, while simultaneously reflecting on the untold darkness of our history. Not to mention, fireworks and crowds spell menacing horror movie magic. Toss in a zombified Uncle Sam, and you’ve got a slasher worth lighting sparklers.
Roland Emmerich sicced aliens on the world in the aptly titled “Independence Day,” a sci-fi disaster movie starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Pullman among others. Robert De Niro played a freed prisoner hunting down his former attorney, played by Nick Nolte, in Martin Scorsese’s “Cape Fear.” That’s a remake of the 1962 psychological thriller of the same name, set against the backdrop of a well-to-do North Carolina community also partying on the Fourth. And while “The Purge” creator James DeMonaco may have technically set his fictive blood bath in the spring, it’s no secret that the murder marathon of the title, an annual event canonically “sanctioned by the U.S. government,” incorporates elements similar in tone to the real federal holiday.
Whether you’re rounding out a day of summer fun or sitting out of this year’s festivities, here are the best Fourth of July horror movies. The list has been capped at 15 titles. You can also mine our guide to films about democratic elections from last November.
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15. “Assassination Nation” (2018)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Before Sam Levinson was traumatizing the HBO-subscribed massses with “The Idol,” the writer-director caused a stir at Sundance 2018 with “Assassination Nation”: a Purge-adjacent satire about a small American town ripped apart by a data leak — with particularly disastrous consequenes for high schooler Lily (Odessa Young). The uneven disaster flick isn’t technically set on the Fourth of July, but Levinson grounds his script in Americans’ most backwards values and makes feverish use of red, white, and blue to create the film’s undeniably striking aeshetic. With Young and her three thinly-written co-leads (among them, a sparkling early-career Hari Nef) in cherry-red trench coats, this film looks and feels like a “Euphoria” precursor best enjoyed when school is out of session. Heck, it’s even got fireworks.
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14. “Frogs” (1972)
Image Credit: Everett Collection Though it takes place on the Fourth of July, “Frogs” isn’t searing satire; just goofy fun. Like “The Bay” and “Jaws,” George McCowan’s 1972 creature feature tries to say something about humanity’s mistreatment of Earth, and the especially American logic behind that entitlement. But ultimately, all it achieves is a laugh-out-loud wildlife adventure gone wrong that’s as entertaining as it is bewildering. Come for the promise of antagonistic amphibians, snakes, lizards, spiders, alligators, and more. Stay for a young Sam Elliott and Ray Milland overacting to their hearts’ content.
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13. “Into the Dark: The Current Occupant” (2020)
Image Credit: Patrick Wymore/Hulu/Everett Collection Hulu’s holiday-themed horror anthology “Into the Dark” boasts two Independence Day specials and both rank on this list. Julius Ramsay’s “The Current Occupant” follows Henry (Barry Watson), a man who suspects he may be the President of the United States. Staffers at the psychiatric asylum where Henry is being held disagree. So, as he plots his escape, a nerve-wracking “Twilight Zone”-like study of his sanity begins. “Is this guy really the president?” makes for a decent dramatic question. But the most memorable beat is the movie’s gut-wrenching homage to the (literally) eye-opening torture scene from “A Clockwork Orange.”
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12. “2001 Maniacs” (2005)
Image Credit: Lionsgate Films Inspired by Herschell Gordon Lewis’ “Two Thousand Maniacs” (1964), Tim Sullivan’s 2005 hicksploitation flick follows six spring breakers on their way to Daytona Beach when a Georgia detour routes them through hell on Earth. Mayor George W. Buckman (Robert Englund) rallies the antagonists, a gaggle of southerners with a warped sense of hospitality. They’re responsible for the town’s “Guts and Glory Jubilee,” an annual event that ends about as well for our hapless heroes as you’d guess. Equal parts gore and kitsch, “2001 Maniacs” features some of the most brutal kills on this list and stands a decent chance at ruining your taste for barbecue. Never fear; the last-act twist will be worth it.
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11. “The Bay” (2012)
Image Credit: Lionsgate/Everett Collection “Jaws” remains the titan of watery summer scares, but Barry Levinson’s “The Bay” will make your skin crawl in ways no shark ever could. In this freaky found footage outing, a small Maryland fishing town must confront an invasive threat in the Chesapeake Bay. Kether Donohue stars as a local reporter covering the holiday festivities when the more pressing (and petrifying) story starts to unfold. Not unlike police chief Martin Brody in “Jaws,” the intrepid journalist faces officials trying to shut her up. That’s why she needs you to see the evidence.
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10. “Uncle Sam” (1996)
Image Credit: Mubi At a glance, William Lustig’s “Uncle Sam” is a goofy slasher about a serial killer in striped slacks and a star-spangled top hat. But look deeper and you’ll discover a delightfully inexplicable enigma of holiday horror that’s sure to leave you asking, “What is happening?” and “Why?” in the most amused way. Yes, there’s a murderer dressed up as America’s most iconic job recruiter. But there’s also some totally unexplained zombie magic, increasingly intense monologues about the merits of war, and a kid who may or may not get psychic powers from a firework exploding in his face. Enjoy!
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9. “Final Destination 3” (2006)
Image Credit: New Line Cinema/Everett Collection Strictly speaking, “Final Destination 3” has nothing to do with the Fourth of July. But the second sequel in James Wong’s death-hunts-you horror franchise does hinge on something called the McKinley Tri-Centennial, and you’ll find that’s close enough. Celebrating 300 years since the founding of a fictitious Pennsylvania town, the summer event results in one of the series’ better last acts. Not only does it feature a spectacularly scary fireworks sequence, but it’s got an incident with a dude on a horse you’ll feel in your spine. Plus, Wendy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Kevin (Ryan Merriman) are the franchise’s best protagonists (even if they totally could’ve seen that nail gun thing coming).
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8. “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (1997)
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection Set across two Fourth of July holidays, Jim Gillespie’s iconic nautical thriller of the ’90s is one of the better road safety allegories out there. Not only is it campy fun, but its central message — that you shouldn’t mow down a pedestrian and leave them for dead — unironically holds up. Enjoy Jennifer Love Hewitt in the scream queen part she was born to play, complete with over-the-top blocking and some of the more pathetic running sequences in cinema. Then, bask in Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr., now married, meeting for the first time through parts that let them cutely snipe while fighting for their lives. Finally, revel in some dude in a raincoat with a freakin’ hook for a hand enacting his revenge. He doesn’t just want to kill his victims. He wants to get in their heads.
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7. “Into the Dark: Culture Shock” (2019)
Image Credit: Greg Gayne/Hulu/Everett Collection Another outing from Hulu’s “Into the Dark” horror anthology, Gigi Saul Guerrero’s “Culture Shock” takes aim at the Mexico-United States border crisis via a bilingual nail-biter you won’t soon forget. This twisty and terrifying saga follows Marisol (Martha Higareda), an undocumented pregnant woman attempting to cross the border for the second time. What begins as an excruciating and grounded dramatization of a real-world horror gives way to an eerily ethereal reflection on the so-called American Dream. Higareda delivers a powerhouse performance as Marisol. Shawn Ashmore, Barbara Crampton, and Creed Bratton impress equally in roles better left unspoiled.
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6. “Cape Fear” (1991)
Image Credit: MCA/Everett Collection Categorizing Martin Scorsese’s “Cape Fear” as an outright horror title would feel like more of a stretch if Robert De Niro wasn’t so indisputably scary in it. Based on John D. MacDonald’s 1957 novel “The Executioners,” this Academy Award-nominated psychological thriller traces the revenge plot of a recently released inmate (De Niro) looking to settle a score with his former attorney (Nick Nolte). Jessica Lange and Juliette Lewis play the lawyer’s wife and daughter respectively, caught in the conflict’s crosshairs on, you guessed it, the Fourth of July.
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5. “The Purge” (2013)
Image Credit: Universal/Everett Collection Of the five Purge films, the original remains the most unnerving and effective use of James DeMonaco’s ingenious horror concept to date. Ethan Hawke plays James, a suburban security salesman who makes his nut on protecting the middle class during the one night a year when all crime, including murder, is legal. But when the purge manages to threaten James and his family, even inside their heavily guarded home, they must undertake a harrowing fight to reach daylight. Yes, “The Purge: Election Year” boasts the most visually patriotic bells and whistles, including the menacing neon Lady Liberty from its very festive posters. But the inaugural 2013 purge still gives DeMonaco’s cynical concept the best bite.
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4. “Independence Day” (1996)
Image Credit: Everett Collection When a strange interstellar object on a collision course with Earth mysteriously starts to slow down, the alien invasion of “Independence Day” begins. Starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, and more, this staple of ’90s sci-fi imagines the American response to an extraterrestrial threat arriving just in time for Fourth of July fireworks. Director Roland Emmerich, who co-wrote “Independence Day” with Dean Devlin, has since become a disaster movie specialist with “The Patriot,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” “White House Down,” and “Moonfall” among others.
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3. “Get Out” (2017)
Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection “Get Out” might not seem like the most obvious choice for a Fourth of July horror list, but there’s a reason Jordan Peele set his tale of a white woman (Allison Williams) bringing home her Black boyfriend (Daniel Kaluuya) to meet her parents (Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford) and brother (Caleb Landry Jones) when he did. The 2017 Best Picture nominee — which hinges on an annual summer get-together mainly attended by affluent white people, even more insidious than it seems — could’ve just as easily played out against Thanksgiving or Christmas. But Peele’s satire is significantly sharpened by the Armitages’ Americana-heavy cookout: a manicured green lawn, complete with U.S. flags, and antiquated straw hats perfectly punctuating a needle-scratch moment in horror history rooted in a country still-too-meager reckoning.
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2. “Blow Out” (1981)
Image Credit: Filmways/Everett Collection Brian De Palma outdid himself in “Blow Out,” a darkly brilliant thriller interwoven with enough genre send-ups to almost call it a horror comedy essential. Starring John Travolta as Jack, “Blow Out” follows an audio engineer who uncovers an assassination plot while editing the sound for a new slasher. De Palma’s primary influence for the film is Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Blow-Up” (1966), the plot of which directly inspired the government conspiracy Jack unravels. But visually, it’s Alfred Hitchcock through and through, with De Palma and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond delivering stunning deep focus shots cheekily evocative of “Psycho.” This includes a gorgeous moment with Travolta and co-star Nancy Allen against a backdrop of fireworks, as dazzling as it is dystopian. Brace yourself for the ending on this one.
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1. “Jaws” (1975)
Image Credit: Everett Collection There’s simply no better choice than “Jaws” for the Fourth of July. The third feature film from Steven Spielberg remains an all-time example of how to build tension — with a blood-curdling score, unbelievably effective antagonist, and a trio of main characters you’ll actually like. “Jaws” is quintessential suspense excellence and employs good use of its Independence Day setting, using it to slyly lambast the ineptitude of government in times of crisis. Plus, Roy Schneider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss offer timelessly exquisite performances, oozing with onscreen chemistry. Even if you’ve seen “Jaws” before, there’s definitely joy to be found in revisiting Amity Island. But, be warned: “This is not a boat accident. And it wasn’t any propeller, and it wasn’t any coral reef, and it wasn’t any Jack the Ripper. It was a shark.“
