10 More Movies To Get Your Teeth Into
Steven Spielberg was a relatively unknown filmmaker back in 1975 but after the summer release of his blockbuster shark movie Jaws, he really hit the big time.
Jaws is a brilliant movie but the production was a troubled one due to the malfunctioning mechanical shark model that gave the film crew a very hard time. Thankfully, these issues didn’t affect the final product which is one of the most terrifying shark movies ever made.
If you’re looking for similar picks, we’ve got you covered! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top picks for alternate viewing. As usual, let us know your thoughts about our picks in the comments below!
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Just when you thought it was safe to genetically modify sharks…
Searching for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, a group of scientists at a remote research facility decide to genetically enlarge shark brains so that disease-battling enzymes can be harvested from these great beasts. What could possibly go wrong? Well, quite a lot actually, as the group soon discover when the hyper-intelligent sharks of their experiments decide to make a break for it back into the open sea.
Deep Blue Sea isn’t as tense as Jaws but it does have one terrific jump scare that is comparable to a scene from near the end of Spielberg’s movie. When Samuel L. Jackson’s character stands up to give a rousing speech, his chatter is cut short when a shark suddenly emerges from the depths and makes him its dinner.
The Grey (2011)
Just when you thought it was safe to put on your snow shoes…
Liam Neeson brings his special set of skills to this survival movie as a skilled huntsman who tries to protect a crew of oilmen who have become stranded in the wilds of Alaska after a plane crash. Of course, there isn’t a shark in this movie. We don’t think they exist in the Alaskan wilderness. But just as the shark made people its prey in Jaws, a pack of merciless wolves stalk the unlucky protagonists of this chilling movie.
The Grey is a tense and suspenseful film and is definitely worth a watch if you want a land-based version of Spielberg’s classic.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Just when you thought it was safe to visit a theme park…
Sharks have been replaced by dinosaurs in this Spielberg movie and like the Great White in Jaws, they make a meal of the tourists who dare to set foot in their territory.
Not many movies on this list are for family audiences but this one is guaranteed entertainment for young and old alike, provided they watch the movie from the comfort of their sofas and don’t enter a real-life theme park where genetically created dinosaurs exist.
Several sequels followed but few of them astounded audiences in the same way this movie did when they first set eyes on the astonishingly lifelike dinosaurs that Spielberg’s special effects team had created.
Rogue (2007)
Just when you thought it was safe to take an Australian cruise…
Rogue director Greg McLean’s previous movie was Wolf Creek, a terrifying tale about three backpackers who come face to face with a leering serial killer after being stranded in the Australian Outback. Rogue is another movie where terrors await in the Outback, but this time around it’s a man-eating crocodile rather than a maniacal murderer!
The unlucky protagonists of this movie are a group of tourists who are confronted with something that definitely wasn’t on the travel brochure when they booked their vacation. Thankfully, they have Radha Mitchell’s tough tour guide on their side when the crocodile strikes, although, like Roy Scheider’s hero cop in Jaws, she isn’t able to save everybody from becoming the dangerous beast’s dinner.
The Shallows (2016)
Just when you thought it was safe to go surfing…
A number of copycat shark movies were made after Jaws, with very few of them being particularly good. Sharknado anyone? The Shallows is the best of a mostly bad bunch as it is as tense and frightening as Spielberg’s 1975 movie.
This one tells the story of a young student named Nancy (Blake Lively) who decides to travel to a remote beach dubbed “Paradise” for some alone time after the death of her mother. To take her mind off the tragic event, she takes to the water on her surfboard. But she soon has more than giant waves to contend with when a Great White shark begins to stalk her.
The Shallows has much in common with Jaws, with its killer shark and survival elements, and is well worth a watch if you haven’t seen this gripping survival thriller already.
Alligator (1980)
Just when you thought it was safe to go into the sewers…
In Lewis Teague’s Chicago-set movie, an alligator, that years before was flushed down the loo when it was just a baby, grows to giant size after munching on genetically modified animals that had been discarded in the sewers. After making a meal out of a bunch of sewer workers, it escapes its underground confines and goes on a rampage around the Windy City.
Alligator isn’t as tense or as scary as Jaws but as the beast at the heart of this movie eats people left, right and centre, it clearly has a lot in common with Spielberg’s shark.
The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
Just when you thought it was safe to go on safari…
In Jaws, an experienced shark hunter worked with Roy Scheider’s cop to take down the Great White that was terrorizing the good folks of Amity Island. There is no shark in this Africa-based movie, but it does feature a skilled hunter who tracks down the creatures that have been attacking local construction workers.
The man-eaters in this movie are a pair of bloodthirsty lions who seem to take pleasure in making humans their prey. They meet their match in the grizzled hunter played by Michael Douglas who teams up with Val Kilmer’s bridge engineer to stop them in their tracks.
Stephen Hopkins’ movie isn’t the best survival thriller you will ever see but it has a few scary moments that might put you off taking an African safari!
Piranha (1978)
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…
There are some movies that will make you rethink a visit to a holiday resort. Jaws is definitely one of them and so too is Pirahna, an early movie from Gremlins director Joe Dante, about a group of people vacationing at a lake who become the next meal of a bunch of flesh-eating piranhas that have accidentally been released into the local rivers.
Piranha is clearly a copycat version of Jaws but it’s funnier than Spielberg’s movie thanks to John Sayles’ witty script and Dante’s trademark sense of humour. James Cameron directed the sequel 3 years later, a terrible horror flick that definitely isn’t the best water-based movie of his (mostly) illustrious career.
Open Water (2003)
Just when you thought it was safe to wear your scuba gear…
The other movies on this list have come from a writer’s imagination but this nifty little shark flick is actually based on a true story. It tells the tale of a holidaying couple who decide to spend the day on a scuba diving trip. But after a miscount happens on their tour boat, they find themselves stranded in the ocean when the boat leaves for shore without them.
Can you guess who’s coming for dinner? The sharks in this movie aren’t rubberised monsters or CGI-special effects. They are the real deal which is why the cast had to wear chain mesh under their diving suits for protection, just in case they got bitten.
After Jaws, this is one of the scariest shark movies ever made, due to the terrifying premise of two people left alone with a shark in the middle of the ocean.
The Meg (2018)
Just when you thought it was safe to watch a Jason Statham movie…
The ‘Meg’ of this gloriously silly monster movie is a Megalodon, a 70-foot sea creature that was supposed to have been made extinct thousands of years ago. Of course, it isn’t extinct – the movie would be pretty pointless if it didn’t have the legendary giant shark in it – much to the horror of a submersible crew who get trapped beneath the ocean.
It’s Jason Statham to the rescue as an expert sea diver who has a history with the beast that has been terrorizing the seas. Like Jaws, The Meg is a man vs beast tale but this one has a much bigger shark and a protagonist that (bizarrely) is more than a match for the menacing sea monster.
There we have it, our list of best movies that are similar to Jaws. What do you think about our picks? Did one of your favourites make the list? Let us know in the comments below!
Good point. There were a ton of movies I could have chosen – Lake Placid was one of them! I hope you are happy with the final picks though, despite the lack of Orca. Thanks for the reminder though.
How could you forget Orca?!?!