WARNING: This Article May Contain Spoilers
OK, before you all jump on me saying I’ve already done this style of article with Get Out of the Water but that was a variety of things that make the water dangerous and only featured 1 Shark film. Well, here’s 6 more for you to sink your teeth into….
The Reef
Now, here’s something I absolutely love! Like Open Water, this film is based on true events. Well, having now read the true story of what happened to Damien Murphy and his companions – the words really should be ‘loosely based’. First of all, the cast is increased from 3 to 5 and all names are changed. To make it worse, they either change the breed of shark that attacks them! I get Great Whites give more of a cinematic appeal but at least try to stick true to the story in some way. The interesting thing is, it is such a sedate film as the shark doesn’t actually attack until there’s about 30 minutes left of the film. The deaths of Matt and Suzie are clearly supposed to represent those of Damien and his girlfriend Linda, and with the shark attacks happening so late in the film, I was fully expecting both Luke and Kate to survive – but that turned out not to be the case. Which I’m kind of glad about, as why would you increase the cast without increasing the number of deaths.
Side Note: after reading the true story, I was really looking forward to someone yelling “He’s got my leg. The bastard’s got my leg!”
Jaws
I’m sorry, but I really couldn’t write an article about shark based horror films without discussing this absolute classic! From the great composition by John Williams (no surprise there it being a Spielberg directorial) to a sedate nature of the scenes leading up to the shark attacks, the film is put together so well! I can understand how the synonymous Jaws tune sends a chill up some people’s spines but it’s definitely no Tubular Bells! I also love the bravery that Spielberg had to make the second victim of the shark to be a child – I have noticed this is very rare nowadays in horror films. What annoys me however, is that somehow it’s Brody’s fault that the Kidner boy dies when he wanted to close the beach! I know I’m straying away from the shark for a moment here (mainly because you actually don’t see the shark very often) but I actually like the fact that we have a vulnerable hero in Brody – I love the fact that he asks his son for a kiss let alone his response being “Because I need it” when asked why. This film even takes on the most important aspect of horror – isolation. The whole second half of the film is set at sea, with no sign of land (on purpose mind) putting our 3 main characters directly in the shark’s territory.
Land Shark
OK, so it’s not noted anywhere on IMDb but I really am praying that this was either a TV movie or straight-to-video because if this actually hit the cinemas in 2017 – I can’t imagine it made much at the box office. It’s filmed the way I would expect Sam Raimi’s first copy of Evil Dead to look as that was originally a college project. They take on the same theme as Deep Blue Sea but it seems to be for more nefarious reasons than trying to cure dementia, however it hasn’t been achieved as well. The acting is terrible, the body count is high but the deaths are lacklustre to the point that you can clearly tell it is a mask covered in blood when the shark attacks the captain. When Dr Foster tells Dr Lorca the sharks ‘crawled’ out and came back – I honestly expected to see the sharks with legs!
47 Metres Down
I do wonder sometimes if modern directors care more about the aesthetic of the film than the actual plot. I don’t feel like we need a whole half an hour before the girls get in the water – especially focusing on the breakup of Lisa and Stuart, it doesn’t feel important to the plot at all. Anyway – that’s enough complaining! What’s good about this film is that it is isolation on top of isolation! They’re 47 metres down in the ocean, trapped in a cage! However, for a supposedly shark horror – you don’t actually see a lot of sharks, apart from at the beginning and here and there while the girls are underwater. Also, only two people get killed! I was expecting to see the sharks circling the cage but that could be my error as I am not sure they can swim so low in the ocean.
I do love the twist at the end – which is that they didn’t make it when you thought they did!
Swim
I don’t know why but I was honestly expecting something really cheesy from this film. Thankfully it wasn’t but my god is it unbelievably predictable. Truthfully, this is just the shark equivalent of Crawl – bad storm, basement flooded and in comes the apex predator. OK this film does have a bigger cast – including Joey Lawrence who just feels a little pointless if I’m honest. I couldn’t help but think if they just all stayed out of the basement they would’ve all been okay but then you wouldn’t have a film. Actually if they just turned round like they were told to…
From the Depths
Interestingly, the difference between this film and the others on this list is that it is set a year after a shark attack took place instead of throwing the viewer right into the thick of it. Instead, the majority of shark related antics take place either in Liz’s dreams or her waking hallucinations. I’ll say this much, I love the concept of this film – because in a way it is focusing directly on the phobia rather than the sharks specifically but I actually don’t think it’s that well portrayed. The acting is pretty weak and at the end, I’m a little confused as to whether she has actually been dead the whole time.
