10 of the Best Shark Movies (That Aren’t ‘Jaws’)

When it comes to shark movies, nothing (certainly not the three toothless sequels) will ever top Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. The 1975 classic practically invented the summer blockbuster, broke the all-time box office record, and scared an entire generation off from ever swimming in ocean waters again. But there are still several films that emerged in its wake that possess plenty of bite. Sticking entirely to the people eaters of Hollywood’s imagination—hence the absence of acclaimed documentaries such as Playing with Sharks and Sharkwater: Extinction—here’s a look at 10 shark films that prove there’s little scarier than cinematic takes on Mother Nature. 

1. Deep Blue Sea (1999) 
2. Open Water (2003)
3. The Reef (2010)
4. Bait (2012)
5. Sharknado (2013)
6. The Shallows (2016) 
7. 47 Meters Down (2017)
8. The Meg (2018)
9. Under Paris (2024)
10. Something in the Water (2024)

Deep Blue Sea (1999) 

Renny Harlin—who’d previously helmed Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger—once again showcased his action chops with this enjoyably ridiculous B-movie about a shiver of genetically-modified mako sharks who will stop at nothing to break free. Thomas Jane’s muscled wrangler, Saffron Burrows’s posh scientist, and LL Cool J’s wisecracking chef are just a few of the humans who must evade becoming their dinner while navigating the perilous nooks and crannies of an underwater research lab. Packed with jaw-dropping set-pieces—remember the gasps that reverberated around the theater when Samuel L. Jackson’s corporate executive has his speech rudely interrupted?—Deep Blue Sea is an admirable go-for-broke affair which, if nothing else, proves you should mess with nature at your peril. 

Open Water (2003)

Just as The Blair Witch Project did with camping in the woods, the similarly low-budget, word-of-mouth success Open Water deterred theatergoers from ever donning a scuba diving mask. Shot for just $500,000, but grossing an incredible $55 million at the box office, the 2003 chiller was inspired by the true story of Eileen and Tom Lanergan, a thrill-seeking couple who, thanks to an inaccurate headcount, were left stranded while diving at the Great Barrier Reef and tragically never seen again. Open Water switches the action to the Atlantic Ocean where the unlucky divers have to contend with jellyfish, physical and mental torture, and the small matter of several deadly sharks. (Rather than relying on mechanical sharks, the production shot with real sharks in the Bahamas, bringing them to the scene by chumming the water with tuna; the actors wore chain mail under their wet suits.) It’s a remarkable feat of filmmaking, but not one you’d ever want to experience twice.

The Reef (2010)

Director Andrew Traucki made his name with Black Water, a creature feature about a man-eating saltwater crocodile in northern Australia’s mangrove swamps—which made him the perfect candidate to helm a shark-infested tale based on a real-life horror story from 1983. The Reef sees a group of friends help transport a yacht to its new wealthy owner, only for the vessel to capsize en route after hitting a coral reef. “You’re more likely to die of a bee sting than get killed by a shark,” reasons one particularly optimistic soul while debating whether to swim to a nearby island or stay put. Inevitably, these prove to be famous last words as most of the gang choose the former, only to discover they have some unwanted company. Relying on footage of the real thing rather than CGI, this no-nonsense horror is an impressively authentic unsung gem. 

Bait (2012)

Arriving at the tail end of the 3D boom, Bait bridged the rather large gap between Frank Darabont’s harrowing adaptation of The Mist and Syfy’s spate of freak weatherfests (see below). Here, a motley crew of Aussies—including Xavier Samuels’s shelf stacker and Julian McMahon’s armed robber—are forced to take shelter in a supermarket when a tsunami unexpectedly floods their Queensland hometown. Unfortunately, they soon learn that a 12-foot great white has been washed in for some impromptu shopping, too … and human flesh is at the top of its grocery list. Though the film arrived 12 years after Kimble Rendall’s previous effort, The Cut, the director proves he hasn’t lost his touch, utilizing the film’s confined setting for a series of tense set-pieces in which the resourceful survivors fend off the beast with everything from armor made from a shopping cart to a butcher’s hook. 

Sharknado (2013)

Who knew that a shark-based Syfy TV movie written by the guy behind Mutant Vampire Zombies from the Hood would become such a pop culture touchstone? Remarkably, the so-bad-it’s-good Sharknado—which sent an army of the titular sea creatures spiralling up from the ocean and into the heart of LA—posted underwhelming ratings on its 2013 premiere. Yet thanks to high-profile word of mouth, it eventually became the network’s most-watched original ever: Where else could you see Steve (Ian Ziering) from Beverly Hills, 90210 sawing his way out of a shark’s stomach with a chainsaw? It also spawned an entire franchise of natural disaster mash-ups, all of which proudly adhered to the same amateurish levels of acting, plotlines, and CGI—but the first remains the best-worst movie for the fact it isn’t so annoyingly self-aware and that it provided something that truly hadn’t been seen before. 

The Shallows (2016) 

Six years after her future husband Ryan Reynolds spent an entire film locked in a box, Blake Lively decided it was about time that she got in on the confined space action. Instead of being buried underground, though, actress got stranded on a rock in shark-infested waters. Lively plays Nancy, a med student whose surfing vacation goes awry when she’s knocked off her board by a remarkably persistent great white. Forced to draw upon everything from a dead man’s GoPro to a wounded bird named Steven Seagull (a name Lively came up with) in order to survive, Lively delivers an impressively committed performance in a survival tale that has far more depth than its title suggests. 

47 Meters Down (2017)

Initially set for a straight-to-DVD release, 47 Meters Down got a theatrical release after positive test screenings. Vacationing sisters Kate (The Vampire Diaries’ Claire Holt) and Lisa (singer and actress Mandy Moore) sign up for a cage diving session organized by Matthew Modine’s sketchy boat owner. The cage plummets (47 meters, of course) to the bottom of the ocean floor; the sisters run out of oxygen and suffer hallucinations all while battling  deadly great whites. It’s an incredibly tense watch, but one (as with its far inferior 2019 sequel Uncaged) that claustrophobes should avoid like the plague. 

The Meg (2018)

Jason Statham battles a super-sized prehistoric shark: With such a winning high concept, The Meg was always going to reel in the crowds. But even The Stath himself may have been surprised when this very loose adaptation of a late ’90s sci-fi novel posted the biggest opening weekend of his career. The Brit plays Jonas Taylor, a rescue diver haunted by the mysterious creature that had forced him to leave two members of his rescue team for dead. Five years on, however, he gets the chance to take revenge when the megalodon resurfaces to cause more mayhem. The Meg’s PG-13 rating means it isn’t quite the bloody spectacle you may expect, but it just about treads that fine line between homage and parody, and remains a good old-fashioned spectacle. 

Under Paris (2024)

Possibly the only shark-infested tale to boast an Oscar-nominated leading lady, Under Paris stars The Artist’s Bérénice Bejo as a marine researcher seemingly stalked by one incredibly bloodthirsty shortfin mako. Indeed, three years after claiming her husband’s life during an expedition in the Atlantic Ocean, the creature named Lilith somehow makes its way to her hometown’s iconic river, the Seine, and pretty much sinks its teeth into half the capital’s population, too. New French Extremity director Xavier Gens draws upon his penchant for gore in outrageous sequences involving Paris’s famous catacombs and an upcoming triathlon. He also finds the time to commentate on the future of the planet—climate change is one thing that led to Lilith’s evolution. But, of course, it’s all the chaos and carnage that turned this into one of Netflix’s biggest international hits. 

Something in the Water (2024)

Art director Hayley Easton Street pivoted into filmmaking with this nightmarish all-woman tale that should deter even the most high-maintenance couples from staging a destination wedding. Something in the Water stars Outlander‘s Lauren Lyle as a bride-to-be whose guests—including her four of her closest gal pals—must travel to the Dominican Republic for her sun-soaked nuptials. But a small boat outing 24 hours before the big day soon leaves her wishing she’d opted for her local registry office instead: Left stranded in the middle of the ocean once their rental sinks, the party has to deal with all kinds of blaming and shaming as well as the more pressing threat of an ever-circling shark. Street makes the most out of her limited budget, and unlike most horror films in which the characters are picked off one by one, the characters in this film are believable and worthy of rooting for, too.

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