Who doesn’t love a good shark movie? After Jaws made everyone scared to go into the water in 1975, movies featuring our fearsome finned friends popped up everywhere. And after SyFy entered the picture with its seemingly endless supply of shark-themed craziness, we certainly have enough movies to satisfy our bloody cravings.
To coincide with both Shark Week and the newly released “The Shallows” starring Blake Lively, I thought it would be quite appropriate to list my top 5 favorite shark movies that aren’t Jaws…because what shark movie list wouldn’t have the most famous shark at number 1?
And, for the record, I’m not saying these are good movies; I’m saying they’re my favorites.
Here it goes:
5. Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark
Oh? Did you not expect me to have SyFy shark movies on this list? Yes, they might be over-the-top, terribly-acted pieces of junk with horrible special effects, but damnit, they’re fun.
Yeah. Pretty sure these effects beat good ol’ SyFy.
SyFy has crafted a very big guilty pleasure for a lot of people. From giant crocodiles to weird mashups of creepy-crawlies, there’s no creature that’s safe. And sharks are one of their favorite subjects.
Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark is terrible – just terrible. But in a good way. There are some “unforeseen” complications when a shark-shaped submarine is sent to kill a huge shark that’s terrorizing people. Yep. They fight. People die. It’s awesome.
4. Open Water
Two divers get left behind by their tour boat and have to fend for themselves against the terrors of the ocean…including some – you guessed it – hungry sharks. This movie is intense. It’s not one I can rewatch over and over, but it’s a good one.
3. Ghost Shark
Another SyFy masterpiece. There’s a ghost shark haunting a small coastal town, and it’s just spectacular. The deaths in this movie crack me up (don’t judge me). A guy gets eaten on a slip-n-slide and one guy gets split completely in half after he drinks – yes, drinks – some ghost shark-infected water.
2. Deep Blue Sea
Oh, man, I loved this movie when it came out, and I still think it definitely has some rewatch value. Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson, and LL Cool J feature in this movie about super sharks genetically engineered at a science station in the middle of the ocean. The point is to find a cure for Alzheimer’s, but things don’t exactly work out as planned. And (SPOILER ALERT) Samuel L. Jackson’s death scene is one of my favorite surprises of any horror movie.
1. The Sharknado Series
I. Freaking. Love. These. Movies.
They are so stupid. They are so crazy. They are so awesome. If you like shark movies, how can you not watch the triple-threat that is the Sharknado series. The last movie, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No, was fantastically terrible. They resorted to space travel to vanquish the Sharknado. Space! And the fourth movie in the series, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens (LOVE IT!) premiers on July 31!
So. Effing. Excited.
Anyone disagree with this list? Or maybe you agree and just want to add an observation? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.