“Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...”
This warning to promote Jaws 2 is a classic among horror movie taglines, and one of my favorites. It’s such a cheeky nod to the audience, recognizing that there was no turning back after the first movie when it became a summer blockbuster and it sparked a shark phobia in the public.
That makes Sharksploitation (2023) the perfect documentary for fans who can’t get enough of shark horror movies. It goes into the impact that Jaws had in creating a subgenre that erupted into movie ripoffs, some original ideas, and the low-budget schlock on the SyFy Channel.
Sharksploitation really grabbed my attention for how it sinks beneath the surface level of jumping from movie to movie. The documentary begins as a fun watch, but it turns into a must-see for how it re-evaluates the “man-eater” reputation that sharks got onscreen, and the deadly, real-life consequences these big fish faced after they were turned into a movie monster.
Sail Through Shark Representation in Media
‘Jaws’ (1975)Credit: Universal Pictures
Some horror lovers geek out by going to conventions or becoming a collector. For me, I geek out by finding documentaries that go deeper into the moviemaking, and not just for a behind-the-scenes look into the productions. I’m talking about docs that explore what was going on in the culture to have audiences embrace or be disturbed by the horror films they got.
Sharksploitation does just that by going for a deep dive into the movies that transformed sharks into the beasts of the sea, with interviews from B-movie filmmaker/producer Roger Corman, marine biologist Vicky Vásquez, director Joe Dante, author/editor Vanessa Morgan, along with many others. To keep the flow going, you don’t watch everything on a chronological timeline. It goes forward, then jumps back to give context.
Thalassophobia, the fear of deep water, is quickly brought up as one reason why not knowing what’s lurking under the water can already be frightening. Author Peter Benchley was inspired to write Jaws from a news story, but the history of shark attacks that made headlines went back to the late 1800s. And there is one animated segment on Nanaue, the half-man, half-shark demigod from Hawaiian mythology. As the doc gets into all of this, it knows there is a darker side to the popcorn thrills and chills we get from shark horror movies.
Sharksploitation Isn’t Afraid of Sharks
The annual Shark Week event is celebrating 38 years on TV, and I still remember seeing footage of a Great White launching itself out of the ocean to catch prey during an Air Jaws special. This was not a malfunctioning mechanical prop or some CGI effect. It was a real, formidable glimpse of the apex predator in the deep sea that left me in awe and in terror. The movies have fully committed to focusing on the latter.
‘Deep Blue Sea’ (1999)Credit: Warner Bros.
It was almost inevitable for a movie to make a monster out of the aquatic creature, and it’s undeniable the effectiveness of shark-themed horror. But when Sharksploitation gets into the real-life killings of these big fish, it wasn’t all due to the public reaction to Jaws.
Horror film historian Rebekah McKendry, PH.D., talks about Mako: The Jaws of Death (1976). The storyline is about a man who wants to protect sharks, yet real sharks were killed during filming. And it wouldn’t be the only film to do so. By including this, the doc is so much more than a retrospective on a horror subgenre; it becomes about understanding the purpose of sharks in nature and not demonizing them. With that said, there is still room for Sharksploitation to hold plenty of affection for the movies it covers.
Jaws to Sharknado and Beyond
There is a line drawn from Jaws to older horror films about monsters under the water, such as The Creature of the Black Lagoon, for one. There is a connection I didn’t even consider when James Bond movies featured killer sharks in a villain's lair. There are the movies that imitated Jaws, but with a different creature: the bear-centric Grizzly (1976) has the amazing tagline, “A Jaws with Claws!” Some of these movies tap into a realism behind people being scared of shark attacks, like Open Water and The Reef. Some of these movies do no harm.
‘Sharksploitation’ (2023)Credit: Shudder
Sharknado and The Meg get into such absurdity that it doesn’t try to make you afraid of the ocean creatures. And there is a great selection of clips for the timeline with markers, “Pre-Jaws Era” or “Jaws Ripoff-Era,” that highlight how diverse (and maybe repetitive) the subgenre is. Just wait until you see how much the Italian horror film Cruel Jaws (1995) steals from the Jaws series.
During these segments, I was learning about so many movies that I never even heard of that I wouldn’t be surprised if the vast number of entries could fill the Mariana Trench. Having this full scope of shark representation in media can make for a good double feature with your favorite shark movie, as it gives a different side to the big fish.
I’m not saying Sharksploitation will end someone’s phobia. But it’s a good start.
