50 years ago, Jaws transformed cinema forever as the first true summer blockbuster. More than 67 million Americans flocked to see it in theaters, only to leave terrified of ever setting foot on a beach again. John Williams’s ominous score, built on low-pitched instruments like basses, cellos, and tubas, combined with Spielberg’s use of POV shots and clever restraint in revealing the shark, helped cement Jaws as one of the scariest movies of all time.
From that point on, every shark movie would inevitably be measured against Jaws. And though some have come close to being just as horrifying, many fall short. With so few able to live up to the mastery of Steven Spielberg’s craftsmanship, the genre began to swing in the entirely opposite direction: bottom-of-the-barrel absurdity. These movies put sharks in the most ridiculous scenarios imaginable, and the titles speak for themselves: Space Sharks, Ouija Shark, Sharkenstein, and 6-Headed Shark Attack are just a few examples. Only the ones that are “so-bad-it’s-good” make it onto this list.
Jaws set in motion the Hollywood myth that sharks are vengeful and evil killers, when in reality, they’re just curious creatures and human attacks are rare. Still, those toothy giants are the last thing you would want to encounter in open water. If you’re eager to dive into the wild world of shark movies in between episodes of Shark Week on TLC this summer, take a look at the list below. These are the best shark movies that aren’t Steven Spielberg’s iconic blockbuster, ranging from serious horror to those that fully embrace the hokey chaos of Sharksploitation.