Spielberg is no stranger to thrilling cinema. The director of Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, War Of The Worlds, and many many more knows how to get a persons blood pumping and then some. If you take a look at his prolific oeuvre, however, theres an incredibly diverse list of films but only one true horror film among them. If that had been the only film he ever made, Spielbergs name would still be mentioned alongside the horror greats. Jaws did to sharks what The Avengers did to shawarma: drew an immense amount of attention to an otherwise little-noticed thing. Unlike that tasty Middle Eastern dish, however, Spielbergs movie managed to scare an entire generation away from the thing it drew attention to. To this very day, people refuse to go swimming in places that have never even had a shark attack (like their swimming pool) all because of this decades-old movie. A generally docile creature (only 3 of 480 shark species attack humans unprovoked) that has a shockingly low kill-rate (less than 1 kill every 2 years in the US) was turned into a terrifying, blood-thirsty monster. For better or for worse, there is no denying Jaws cultural impact.
Joe Sippy grew up in Chicago and now resides in Los Angeles. He enjoys corn dogs, rap music, and horror movies. On weekends you can find him in the ocean, surfing very poorly.
