Have a Fearful Fourth of July: 10 Scary Independence Day Films

This might be a little controversial, but I believe David Fincher's "Zodiac" is a Fourth of July horror movie. Firstly, the scenes where the Zodiac Killer stalks his victims are some of the scariest scenes in horror history. The first two victims, Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau were killed on July 4th in Vallejo, California. But that most frightening scene is set to the suddenly eerie "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan when the Zodiac attacks a couple at a lake, Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard. I have to admit that I have never quite gotten over the dread of that scene. It's not horrifically violent or bloody, but the terror of that scene has never left my mind.

No list would be complete without "Jaws," which is probably the very first film you think about when you think about scary Fourth of July movies. Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Peter Benchley's novel is one of the most popular films in history and probably helped the horror genre become as popular as it is now. It was hard to make, with a notoriously cranky mechanical shark, but it made so much money. It's also a film with great performances and masterful shots that were probably difficult to achieve at sea.

"Uncle Sam" is the film that is most on target with the theme of the holiday. A Gulf War veteran who was a psychopath who joined the war because he wanted to kill people, is returned to his hometown just in time for July Fourth after he died in combat. Never fear, he soon rises from the grave to kill people he feels are disloyal to the United States in an Uncle Sam costume. It's a dark comedy slasher movie that proves you can make a horror film about any holiday if you try hard enough.

Okay, so you decide to go to an island to spend time with friends on the Fourth of July. So far, so good. Then you choose to do drugs on the island that are unfortunately mixed with a virus that turns you into a rage-filled zombie that wants to eat people. Okay, that part is less than optimal for the people on the island. There's some government conspiracy, but mostly this is a flesh-chomping zombie jamboree.

Barry Levinson's "The Bay" has been getting much more notice lately, and that's good. A local reporter is covering a Fourth of July celebration in Maryland when the town is hit by a mysterious infection that kills the townspeople horribly and in large numbers. It is a found footage film about the polluted water of the bay, which contains isopods that have mutated to be capable of eating humans alive from the inside. Yikes.

"Re-Elected" is a film where friends go to a cabin and don't want to be there. They should have listened to their instinct because, for some reason, zombified Presidents have shown up with a hunger for human flesh. The film is a horror comedy directed by Max Radbill, and I think the best way to describe it is to quote the opinion of a viewer who said, " It's awful but great."

"Culture Shock" is a part of the Hulu series of horror films tied to holidays. Director Gigi Saul Guerrero created a tale where undocumented immigrants from Mexico seek to find a better life in the United States. Instead, they find themselves in a star-spangled nightmare. The film stars Martha Higareda, Barbara Crampton, and Richard Cabral.

"Frogs" is an early ecological horror film with an early role for Sam Elliot. While the film's title suggests that the frogs might be the only problem, nature is running amok, and people are attacked and killed by snakes, alligators, turtles, leeches, lizards, geckos, tarantulas, and moss. Yes, moss. There is a big finale with lots of frogs so that you won't feel cheated.

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" is a 90s summer slasher over two Fourth of July holidays. It stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Ryan Philippe. It was directed by Jim Gillespie and written by Kevin Williamson, who knows quite a lot about creating a successful and scary high school slasher film, so you are in great hands.

We can't forget werewolves on this list, so we have included "Silver Bullet." This adaptation of "Cycle of the Werewolf" was adapted by the author of the novella, Stephen King. Dan Attias and an uncredited Don Coscarelli directed it, and it stars Gary Busey, Everett McGill, and Corey Haim. During the Fourth of July holiday, Marty Coslaw, played by Corey Haim, is gifted with a custom wheelchair called Silver Bullet and fireworks after the town's celebration is canceled after several murders. The fireworks draw the attention of the culprit, the local werewolf.