These six Americana horror movies—from ‘Jaws’ to ‘Ravenous’—explore the beauty, violence, and contradictions of America on its 250th birthday.
I’m going to get the obvious out of the way: it’s a weird time to be an American right now. On the one hand, it’s impossible to ignore how joyful the last few weeks have been, from the New York Knicks winning their first NBA championship in 53 years to World Cup visitors from other countries embracing American culture and traditions. On the other hand, many Americans are staring down an uncertain economy, rising grocery and gas prices due to a massively unpopular war, and increased attacks on women’s and LGBTQ rights. It’s enough to make celebrating the country’s 250th birthday feel, for lack of a better word, a little complicated.
The best American horror films understand that the same country, rich in diverse cultures and languages and home to some of the most beautiful landscapes and people, is also capable of unimaginable violence and terror. In honor of America’s 250th birthday, I’ve put together a list of 6 iconic films that feel very USA. Spoiler: most of them take place on the 4th of July.
6. Jaws
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
When I wrote my roundup of summer horror movies in May, I made it a point not to include Steven Spielberg‘s 1975 thriller Jaws. This decision was made partially because I wanted to highlight some underrated/overlooked films, but mostly because I knew I wanted to give Jaws its time to shine in a roundup specifically for the 4th of July.
We throw the word “iconic” around pretty loosely these days, but Jaws really is an iconic film. By this point, I’m sure everyone knows the plot: police chief Martin Brody (), marine biologist Matt Hooper (), and shark hunter Quint () must do everything they can to stop a vicious, man-eating great white shark from attacking even more beachgoers at a New England resort town during the 4th of July weekend. We all know that Spielberg was only 26 years old and hot off his debut feature when he directed it. We can all hum ’ score.
Roy Scheider
Richard Dreyfuss
Robert Shaw
John Williams
If you decided to revisit Jaws this 4th of July weekend, you’ll probably find that the film’s scariest element isn’t the shark itself (although Quint’s death is by far one of the most disturbing kills in any film, horror or otherwise, ever) but rather, the mayor’s (Murray Hamilton) decision to put profit over hundreds of people’s lives by keeping the beach open despite the danger. There really isn’t anything more American than that.
Jaws is steaming on STARZ and Hulu.
5. The Purge
Imagine my surprise when I pressed play on 2013’s divisive home invasion thriller The Purge and found out that this takes place in 2022. Like Jaws, everybody knows the film’s premise—in order to keep the nation’s crime rate down, the United States government implements a 12-hour “Purge.” For one night a year, Americans are legally allowed to commit any crime they want, which, for the most part, is murder.
The first installment of the franchise follows James Sandin (Ethan Hawke), a successful salesman at a security company whose family is terrorized on the night of the Purge by a gang of masked killer preps led by the Polite Leader (Rhys Wakefield).
When we talk about The Purge franchise, we tend to focus on the premise more than the plots of the films themselves. Sure, not all of the films work, but I think the first installment is way more effective now than it was in the 2010s, especially the first 20 or so minutes. Watching Hawke drive through the suburbs as he listens to a radio station where callers casually talk about their Purge plans and patriotism (the host urges his listeners to “proudly” display their blue baptisia flowers to “show their support” for the evening after describing how the “streets will be running red”) is a lot eerier now that we’ve seen supporters of our current administration celebrate or downplay violence in the name of “making America great again.”
The Purge is free on YouTube.
4. The Bay
Courtesy of Roadside Attractions
If you love found footage horror, and you especially love body horror, then Barry Levinson‘s nasty 2012 film The Bay needs to be pushed to the top of your watchlist this 4th of July weekend, just be sure you’re not snacking on any picnic or BBQ leftovers, especially crabs.
The Bay takes the form of a mockumentary in which a young reporter named Donna Thompson (Kether Donohue) tells the story of what really happened in Claridge, Maryland, on July 4th, 2009. I don’t want to reveal too much here since I think The Bay works best if you go in completely blind, but what I will say is that if you’ve ever seen an episode of Animal Planet’s short-lived series Monsters Inside Me, then you’ll probably be able to handle all the vomit, blisters, and creepy little creatures in this film.
And once again, just like Jaws, Claridge’s mayor (Frank Deal) consistently denies that something terrible is lurking in the water.
The Bay is streaming free on Tubi.
3. Blow Out
Courtesy of Filmways Pictures
This is the part of the roundup where I have to defend why I chose to include a film that isn’t technically horror in this lineup. Brian De Palma, who directed the 1976 adaptation of Stephen King‘s Carrie and the extremely underrated Phantom of the Paradise, is no stranger to the horror genre, and though Blow Out is a crime thriller, this is one of the most chilling movies on this list.
While wandering a local park recording sounds for a slasher movie, sound technician Jack Terry (John Travolta) accidentally witnesses and records a car crash, only to discover that he actually captured the governor’s assassination. As he investigates the tapes and begins dating the sole survivor of the crash, an escort named Sally (Nancy Allen), Jack realizes he might have gotten himself into a situation he might never be able to get out of alive.
To this day I’m surprised by how many people haven’t seen it or mention it when we talk about De Palma or Travolta. The shot of Allen screaming in front of the American flag with her arm outstretched towards Travolta is by far one of the most fantastic images ever committed to film.
Blow Out is streaming free on Tubi.
2. Ravenous
Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
I’ve developed a reputation here at Dread Central for covering a lot of vampire movies, or vampire-adjacent movies, or cannibalism movies, and I think that’s okay. Someone here has to be willing to watch very hot people devour other very hot people, and I’m happy that person is me. That being said, I don’t think we talk nearly enough about Antonia Bird‘s wacky black comedy Ravenous.
Set in the 1840s, Ravenous follows US Army captain John Boyd (Guy Pearce), who is exiled to a remote military outpost in the Sierra Nevada mountains due to his perceived cowardice for playing dead while his men were slaughtered in battle during the Mexican-American War. While there, a traumatized stranger named Colqhoun (Robert Carlyle) begs the men at the outpost for help, alleging that his wagon got lost in the mountains and the men have resorted to cannibalism. Boyd and his men decide to help Colqhoun, but Native American scout George (Joseph Runningfox) warns them to be careful—those who consume human flesh are cursed to become a Wendigo.
Clearly, this is my favorite film on this list. It’s a razor-sharp allegory for the horrors of the Manifest Destiny and colonial expansion, and though it’s very funny (the soundtrack alone always gives me a good laugh), it’s extremely bleak and gory. Watch this if you read A People’s History of the United States or played the Oregon Trail.
Ravenous is available to rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.
1. I Know What You Did Last Summer
I don’t know what to tell you if you didn’t think I was going to include I Know What You Did Last Summer on this list. While writing this, I realized the iconic 1997 teen slasher features a combination of a few different elements seen in this roundup: a small coastal town, a masked killer, a car accident, a 4th of July celebration, and a very hot cast.
For those who didn’t know, I Know What You Did Last Summer is a very loose adaptation of the classic 1973 young adult novel by Lois Duncan. While Duncan was “appalled” by the film (her daughter was murdered when she was only 18 years old), I Know What You Did Last Summer was an instant hit. The film tells the story of a group of friends who are terrorized by a masked, hook-wielding killer one year after covering up a hit-and-run on the 4th of July.
This is such a quintessentially American film, and even though the 2025 remake did its best to capture the essence of the original, I don’t think anyone will be able to recreate the specific brand of Americana being represented here (as I was watching, I kept thinking of Abercrombie & Fitch). It’s a classic for a reason, and I think of all the movies on this list, this is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Watch this after you come home from your 4th of July beach day.
I Know What You Did Last Summer is streaming free on PlutoTV.
