One of my first fears was the bodies of water that may or may not be hiding man-eating sharks beneath the calm surface scenery. Shark movies fostered that paranoia by repeatedly reminding my younger self that the natural order of the world could strike at any moment. Fin flicks seem like a very simple concept — a group of vacationers, sailors, or vagrants are hunted by one or more sharks — but many examples have officially failed. That’s why I love writing lists like this one, guiding moviegoers to the best of the best: There have been plenty of shark movies made since Jaws, but 1975’s famous smash is his Anything more than a hit?
Check out the best shark movies of all time below, or watch our guide to classic horror movies for more thrills.
10. Shark Night (2011)
When it comes to shark movies, the ratio of “alpha” to “minnow” is skewed toward the negative. That means movies like Shark Night creak on the list of common abilities. A vacationer in the Louisiana Bay is attacked by a frontier maniac who maximizes his week obsession with sharks by attaching cameras to ferocious sharks. It’s ridiculous — for example, a great white jumps out of the water and decapitates a man riding a WaveRunner. The original theatrical version as “Shark Night 3D” spells out his early 2010s horror vibe (translation: Popcorn Entertainment) that the movie brings to life. Credit to the late David R. Ellis for this “you better drink” joke, if not the brightest lure in the tackle box.
read us Shark Knight review.
9. Jaws 2 (1978)
Jaws 2 doesn’t have the distinction of being a better sequel than the original, but the competition is thin in those parts. Roy Scheider returns to protect Amity Island from another great white shark devouring waterskiers and beachgoers. It’s a little more action-heavy — original director John D. Hancock wasn’t the right director for such a sequence, thus sacrificing his position — and gets back to work with the familiar storytelling continuation. There are problems, but there are also exploding boats and underwater carnage with ample execution chops. If it’s not broken, why not turn it into a franchise?
8. Deep Blue Sea 3 (2020)
yes, I have 2 Sequel to Deep Blue Sea. Deep Blue Sea 3 rebounds significantly after the franchise’s blemish of Deep Blue Sea 2, returning to the sharky goodness of the original. Scientists trying to protect the great white sharks on Little Happy’s man-made island encounter mercenaries and white sharks threatening their safety. What unfolds is an outburst of martyrdom, an action brawl with mid-air Bull Shark tag-team action, a comical meme turned character death, and one of the most unexpected Finn Flick triumphs in recent memory. Hats off to the cast and crew of Blue Sea 3. Because his version of this underwater horror who plays God far exceeds expectations of not just a direct-to-video sequel, but a silly shark movie that understands its entertainment value.
7. Meg (2018)
Jason Statham vs. a 75-foot-long shark from the Mariana Trench? We hope The Meg doesn’t get bored with PG-13 and drop some storytelling fat, but as a blockbuster aquatic horror spectacle, The Meg fulfills its 23-million-year-old premise. Forced Diving As the giant Megalodon Chopper attempts to shatter his cage and underwater research facility, Statham uses his expert diving skills to try to stop the not-so-extinct predator. A heavy cast including Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose and Cliff Curtis try to stop Megalodon from devouring bathers like Hors d’oeuvres. Everything sold in a package is there and for that, Meg makes a grand enough splash.
read us Meg’s review.
6. Open Water (2003)
Where Jaws used mechanical sharks and countless other films opted for computer-generated beasts, Open Water seeks authenticity by using real sharks. Filmmaker his Chris Kentis and his wife Slash his producer Laura Lau are avid scuba divers and wanted to portray as natural behavior as possible in the film. So they also act as cinematographers, relying on their scuba obsession to make sure what is filmed lives up to their standards. It doesn’t look like the more offbeat entertainment-focused examples on this list, as an American couple finds themselves miles offshore in shark-infested waters when their boat accidentally gets stranded. It feels different too. It’s not the most action-packed option, but it’s suspenseful and harrowing for days.
5. Bait (2012)
Before Crawl trapped a family in an alligator-infested crawl space during a Category 5 hurricane, Bait trapped supermarket patrons and employees with an upset great white shark during a freak tsunami. Australia believes he is one of the better fin flicks these days, as survivors shop his carts to equip diving gear and people trapped in cars become hunting grounds. When the action goes all out, there’s the right blend of effects to keep the water thrills tense and bloody. It sits in the weird subgenre of ‘when animals attack where you are confined’.
4. Water Depth 47 Meters (2017)
The ticking clock element of 47 meters down adds panic to an already desperate underwater escape scene. Mandy Moore and Claire Holt play sisters trapped on the ocean floor after a disastrous Shark his diving expedition. A lot is accomplished by using an underwater void landscape, like two sisters being swallowed by a pitch black ocean and hiding a shark charging into the frame. It’s edgy and white-knuckle, down to multiple scares that might re-use the method, but highlights the growing scares of a proper shark movie.
3. Deep Blue Sea (1999)
With the LL Cool J song, I know your movie is great. “Deepest, bluest, my hat is like a shark’s fin” is a movie about genetically engineered mako sharks and the failure of greedy pharmaceutical companies, Deep Blue his Sea of his 90s outrage. Summarizing. Cast members fighting to escape what the characters have created. There are some dangerous animations because it was released in the late 90s, but there are also plenty of practical sharks floating in hallways and flooded kitchens. It emphasizes in the best possible way the “nonsense” that is characteristic of .
2.Shallow (2016)
Blake Lively goes toe-to-toe with an impressive fin foe in The Shallows. Shoot just the location (rock formations, water, buoys) and release the tension. Considering Lively’s phenomenal work on animated CG sharks, it still looks terrifying, and The Shallows ages like fine yacht wine. Colette Serra dives into a scenario that is hopeless beyond measure and hits the spot for its intensity, but only for the better.
read us The Shallows review.
1. Jaws (1975)
Steven Spielberg forever changed the summer blockbuster landscape and is still the reigning champion of shakily cinema. The struggles Spielberg faced using his animatronics His Great His White, who didn’t always want to cooperate, turned out to be well worth it, later grossing around $476.5 million at the box office. Got. Jaws is a lesson in holding the cards until the perfect moment, but except in this case, Spielberg’s ace of holes is a man-eater named Bruce. , shows what happens when a mayor cares more about the 4th of July tourist influx than the safety of beachgoers. Undisputed — Jaws is still the best shark movie of all time, decades later.
Looking for more toothy horror movies? Then check out our guide to the best vampire movies of all time.
