Still from the classic “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” scene of Jaws
Filmsite.org defines a horror film as “an unsettling film designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience.”
I find that our perception of horror has shifted to a narrower view these days. Generally speaking, we expect a horror film to involve a supernatural element, zombies or a knife-wielding killer. This is the result of three bloated decades of tasteless horror films, sequels and remakes.
In light of these trends, I dedicate the first part of this series to one of the greatest, but forgotten, horror films of all time: Jaws.
Set in the beach resort community of Amity Island, a great white shark puts a damper on summer festivities when a young girl’s remains wash ashore. Fearing for the safety of the island’s citizens, Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) fights the town’s mayor (Murray Hamilton) to close the beaches. The mayor’s stubbornness prevails, resulting in several more deaths, one on the Fourth of July.
Teamed with marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw), the three venture out to sea to take on the predator and put an end to the summer terror, but little do they know this shark will give them more than they bargained for.
From left to right: Shaw, Scheider and Dreyfuss aboard the Orca
Behind Psycho (1960), the American Film Institute lists Jaws as the second-most thrilling film in 100 years of American cinema.
Prior to 1975 the horror genre gave us classics such as Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Wolf Man (1941), The Thing from Another World (1951), Psycho, The Birds (1963), Night of the Living Dead (1968) and The Exorcist (1973). These films, in their time, set the standard for what scares us.
Janet Leigh in the infamous “shower scene” in Psycho
Psycho brought anxiety to anyone who stepped in the shower. What was once a realxing place to refresh one’s self became a claustrophobic nightmare begging the question, “Is someone there?”
Jaws took this a step further with the world’s oceans. However, today Jaws seems to be placed aside horror films rather than among them, hence my designating it a “forgotten” horror film.
I’m sure some, along with myself, don’t hesistate to slip Jaws into the horror category, but there are certainly others who refuse on account of “it’s only a thriller” or simply an action-adventure film.
Spielberg on the set of The Sugarland Express
Action-adventure does make sense because it is Steven Spielberg after all, the man who gave us Indiana Jones. However, we must remember Spielberg wasn’t a household name prior to 1975. Up to this point he was known for his work in television, Amblin’ (1968), Duel (1971) and The Sugarland Express (1974). We know him today for his family-oriented films and historical dramas; not the case in the mid-70’s.
Parts of John Williams’ Oscar-winning score is another reason some might steer away from horror when it comes to Jaws. The score is polarized in tone, giving the listener moments of fright and joy, but then again that’s the point. Such contrast is perfect for a horror film.
Most of the film does take place in daylight, causing that fear of the dark to be less prominent. But some things can be just as scary well-lit as in the dark.
The previously stated elements distract viewers from Jaws’ true identity when they shouldn’t; especially to those born after the film’s release. No one would argue that Jaws is a thriller, but what makes it a horror?
Original theatrical release poster
The Poster
What isn’t horrifying about this image?
Just imagine yourself swimming peacefully as this leviathan slowly approaches from below. Still calm?
I myself always perceived Bruce as a sea monster rather than a shark, given his size.
The Theme
What does anyone think when they hear the notorious Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun…? Something lurking. A slow-approaching predator. Terror.
This musical theme is so well-known, even those who haven’t seen Jaws know its significance.
First Victim
If one only hears the horrifying screams of Chrissie Watkins, I’m pretty sure E.T. and Indiana Jones don’t come to mind.
Ben Gardner
This version of this scene, one of the most startling in the film, wasn’t actually added until after Jaws premiered. Feeling something was missing, Spielberg went against the advice of his producers and redid the timing of this sequence to get one more scream out of the audience. He was successful.
The USS Indianapolis
“When he comes at you, he doesn’t seem to be living…until he bites you, and those black eyes roll over white and then…then you hear that terrible high-pitch screaming. The ocean turns red, and despite all the pounding and the hollering, they all come in. They…rip you to pieces.”
Sounds like something out of John Carpenter’s world doesn’t it?
Not only one of the film’s most chilling scenes, but one of cinema’s too. Brody and Hooper never expected their fishing trip to come with an unlikely chance of survival. All it took to convince them was an unsettling war story.
In the Cage
He’s all alone and the only thing to protect him from a 25-foot, 3-ton predator is a set of metal bars. As it turned out, that wasn’t even enough.
Quint’s Fate
The great hunter humbled by his game. According to my mother, who saw this film in the summer of ’75, realistic violence like this was relatively unseen in pre-1975 cinema. I can only imagine the shock of moviegoers at their first viewing of Quint being eaten alive.
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My generation may not understand this, but the fact of the matter is Jaws scared people in 1975, and probably more than any horror film before it considering the cultural impact. When a film terrifies a country into avoiding the beach during the summer, it’s fair to say a powerful impression has been made. Film critic Jeffrey Lyons said in a 2010 CNN interview that he hasn’t been in the ocean since he saw the film.
The mouth of a great white shark
For those who don’t know, Jaws is responsible for our fear of sharks. In a 2005 National Geographic interview, shark biologist George Burgess said, “(Jaws) perpetuated the myths about sharks as man-eaters and bloodthirsty killers…even though the odds of an individual entering the sea and being attacked by a shark are almost infinitesimal.”
Shark sightings and hunting also increased, further instilling the prejudice toward these animals; a prejudice that remains today. The fear is simply in our blood, and it’s all because of this film.
The ocean is vast and mysterious, and the fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all. Perhaps this is why the thought of treading water with an abyss below your feet is so haunting. Your legs just continue to idle…until something grabs you.
Maybe to most, Jaws doesn’t fit the contemporary horror genre, but we should at least agree it was the greatest horror film of its time. Not doing so would be an insult to the film’s legacy.
A great white shark swimming beneath a ray of light off the coast of Australia
Frame by Frame 