The Best Fourth of July Horror Movies, from ‘Cape Fear’ and ‘Jaws’ to ‘Assassination Nation’ and ‘2001 Maniacs’
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.
More from IndieWire
Tom Cruise Hopes to Keep Making 'Mission: Impossible' Films Until He's 80
GQ Editor Who Pulled Critical David Zaslav Article Is Producing a Movie at Warner Bros. - Report
'Speed' Was Once Pitched as 'Beverly Hills Cop' Sequel: 'It Was a Final Hail Mary'
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.
Best of IndieWire
Quentin Tarantino's Favorite Movies: 55 Films the Director Wants You to See
Where to Watch This Week's New Movies, from 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' to 'Nimona'
The 25 Best Nude Scenes in Film, from 'Shortbus' to 'Blue Velvet' to 'No Hard Feelings'
Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.