Jaws

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 ...

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. 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. 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. 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. This twisty and terrifying saga follows Marisol (Martha Higareda), an undocumented pregnant woman attempting to cross the border for the second time. 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. 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. “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. 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. 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. 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. The list has been capped at 13 titles in a star-spangled homage to the original colonies codified by the Declaration of Independence on this doomed day.