It’s that time of year again; the temperature is rising, and thoughts of waves, sandy beaches, exotic locations, or the local watering hole are filling your daydreams. While the water looks calm and inviting, it would serve you well to remember that just below the surface, nightmares are lurking. And we have a list of great films to remind you of that.
Jaws (1975)
When a giant great white begins to attack people in the waters of a small island community, the police chief, a marine biologist, and a grizzled fisherman set out to hunt it down.
Jaws is a true classic that will never be outdone (that’s my opinion). Recently a deleted clip, deemed to graphic for the film, has surfaced. You can watch it HERE.
The Shallows (2016)
The Shallows stars Blake Lively as Nancy, a woman surfing alone on a secluded beach when she is attacked by a Great White and stranded just a short distance from shore. Though she is only 200 yards from her survival, getting there proves the ultimate contest of will.
47 Meters Down (2017)
While on vacation, two friends decide to go diving with sharks. All that is between them and the ultimate killers is a dive cage. When things go wrong, the two are in for the fight of their lives.
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
A group of scientists at a remote ocean research facility are searching for a cure for Alzheimer’s. They are experimenting with using the brain cells of sharks to heal damaged cells. The serum they’ve given the sharks to stimulate cell growth has made the animals extremely intelligent. Now, the scientists must fight to survive. Watch all three installments now. Check out our interview with Deep Blue Sea 3-star Tania Raymonde.
Bait 3D (2012)
A tsunami has trapped a group of shoppers inside a coastal supermarket – along with massive 12-foot sharks.
The Deep (1977)
From the writer of Jaws comes The Deep. In the film, a pair of young vacationers are involved in a dangerous conflict with treasure hunters when they discover a way into a deadly wreck in the waters of Bermuda.
The Reef (2010)
A great white shark hunts the crew of a capsized sailboat along the Great Barrier Reef.
Open Water (2002)
When two divers find themselves stranded in the ocean, getting rescued becomes the least of their worries when a frenzy of hungry sharks closes in on them.
Both Open Water and Open Water II are available on Netflix.
Shark Night 3D (2011)
A weekend at a lake house in the Louisiana Gulf turns into a nightmare for seven vacationers as they are subjected to shark attacks. The film is a little cheesy but still pretty good.
12 Days of Terror (2004)
For 12 days in July 1916, a shark patrolled the waterways of northern New Jersey. This docudrama is based on Richard Fernicola’s true account of those days.
Piranha 3D (2010)
An underwater tremor sets free a school of prehistoric Piranha. It’s up to the local police and a group of strangers banding together to save the lake’s partygoers from becoming fish food.
Cast: Elizabeth Shue, Jerry O’Connell, Richard Dreyfuss, Ving Rhames, Christopher Lloyd
Piranha 3DD (2012)
When piranha invades a water park, all hell breaks loose.
Cast: Danielle Panabaker, Matt Bush, Katrina Bowden, Jean-Luc Bilodeau, David Koechner, David Hasselhoff, Christopher Lloyd, Ving Rhames
Lake Placid (1999)
Giant Crocodiles, Betty White, and some great moments of comedy, what’s not to love?
Cast: Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt
Anaconda (1997)
A team of documentary filmmakers traveling down the Amazon River are taken hostage by an unhinged hunter hunting the trophy of a lifetime, a giant snake. The team are now hostages and struggling to survive their captor and the giant Anaconda.
Personally, I like ‘Anaconda’. I thought it was a good story, and the effects were top-notch at the time (1997).
Cast: Jon Voight, Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Eric Stoltz, Owen Wilson, Danny Trejo
Deep Rising (1998)
When a group of hijackers seize a luxury ocean liner, they find more than they’re bargaining for, a group of man eating sea creatures have already taken of the ship.
Cast: Treat Williams, Anthony Heald, Famke Janssen, Djimon Hounsou
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
A group of scientists arrive in the Amazon to find a strange prehistoric creature, hoping to capture him to study.
Cast: Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning
Sharknado 1-4
Sharks + tornadoes + an insane amount of cameos = Sharknado
Cast: Tara Reid, Ian Ziering, John Heard
