'Jaws' 50th Anniversary: 5 shark movies that’ll scare you senseless
When Steven Spielberg released ‘Jaws’ in 1975, it unlocked a new fear for beachgoers everywhere. In celebration of Jaws' 50th anniversary, the filmmaker took us behind the scenes of the movie that took a big bite out of the box office and cemented its name as one of the best shark films ever made in Hollywood.
“There was nothing fun about making Jaws! It was a very, very hard thing to go out on the real ocean, be knocked around by the waves by the currents,” said director Steven Spielberg in National Geographic's documentary ‘Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story’ on creating Bruce the shark. “And then on top of all that 80 percent of the time the shark didn’t work.”
In retrospect, the prop shark's malfunction created movie magic. With his budget and shooting deadlines, Spielberg, 78, had to get creative on set, and from that we have one of the most frightening examples of an unseen monster on-screen.
To celebrate the milestone, fans gathered in Martha’s Vineyard, where the iconic film was shot. Locals reflected on the movie’s impact in the cinema and cheered on endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh. On Monday, June 16, the British South African ocean advocate completed a 12-day 62-mile (100-kilometer) journey around Martha's Vineyard, becoming the first person to swim all the way around the island.
Jaws (1975)
Undeniably, the best shark film of all time is ‘Jaws’ from Steven Spielberg, who left us terrified of what lies beneath the surface. While it was a genuine mechanical malfunction that forced the Oscar-winning director to pivot, the scariest moments in the great white shark film are the ones where you anticipate what could be coming out of the water.
In honor of the film turning 50, we are taking a trip to the scariest shores on screen since the movie debut of Jaws in 1975, which had us in panic mode. Here’s our top five films that are terrifyingly good (minus one, only your toddler may jump about). Dive in and add these to your watchlist.
5 Other Panic-Inducing Shark Films to Watch
The Shallows (2016)
Starting with a surf gone wrong for Blake Lively, who plays Nancy in ‘The Shallows’. She’s vacationing in Mexico to mourn her mother’s death, when things take a turn and she’s shark dinner. While stranded, she finds a seagull, her only confidante, and finds a way to fight off the killer shark with her pre-med smarts.
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Sharks and sci-fi will surely pique your interest, but these great whites aren’t deadly, they’re geniuses. The smart sharks are born from the studies of scientists working on an Alzheimer’s cure. It’s worth a watch to see who gets the gnarly bite you don’t see coming.
The Meg (2018)
You’re sure to enjoy Jason Statham in battle with a 75-foot-long prehistoric shark. ‘The Meg’ gives you the shark mayhem you’ll love with a few nerdy elements from researchers who discover new regions off the Shanghai shore and accidentally unleash Meg. Another case of we should probably stick to the shores and leave the deep blue sea alone.
Finding Nemo (2003)
We had to include the widely loved animated film, Finding Nemo. While you might not get gore from this great white shark and the leader of the “Fish-Friendly Club,” your kids might panic from seeing all his sharp teeth on full display as Dory and Marlin, a clown fish, set out to find his lost son Nemo, who gets swept away into the ocean. Plus, the character named Bruce was inspired by the mechanical shark used in the movie “Jaws.”
Jaws 2 (1978)
We’re sure it was a tough act to follow without Steven Spielberg at the helm, but the follow-up film “Jaws 2” does include the return of Roy Scheider as the voted-out police chief trying to protect citizens from a second shark attack. The powers that be don’t believe there’s another predator terrorizing the water suntil it’s too late.
