In the ocean, they have no rival and on cable, they have their own week. Our fascination with sharks has given filmmakers endless opportunities to prey on audiences’ fears, turning this oft-misunderstood prehistoric species into a bloodthirsty killing machine (even if you’re not in the water).
Sharks in the desert, sharks in space, sharks in a tornado, or sharks who come back from the dead to haunt you in your backyard—shark movies are now firmly embedded as their own subgenre, as well as in our psyche. And with 2016’s The Shallows dropping this summer, the feeding frenzy on your dollars is still going strong. Let’s take a look, in no particular order, at some of the best (for better or worse) movies starring Hollywood’s favorite maneater.
How many Jaws rip-off movies can there be? You’d be surprised! Do any of these shark movies have a bite? You be the judge! Here’s a frenzied film list of some of the greatest, scariest, weirdest, goriest, dumbest, most ridiculous shark films ever made.
