10 Insanely Intense Scenes In PG-13 Movies

Back to Spielberg and whilst Jurassic Park falls in the family blockbuster category, Jaws is bona fide horror.

The soundtrack alone immediately conjures the impending threat of the unstoppable shark. The panic of beach goers is real and hopeless. And there’re the two classic jump scares - the floating head in the underwater wreck, and the shark emerging from the sea behind Brody (Roy Scheider).

All of these moments are scary for audience members of any age, but Quint’s demise definitely pushes the limits when it comes to violence in a PG-13 movie.

Eerily there is no soundtrack during this shark attack. As the shark upends the boat, Quint slides agonisingly into its awaiting jaws. Quint screams as the shark devours him and the deck of the boat and the surrounding waters turn red with blood. There’s a close-up shot of blood spurting from Quint’s mouth. Much of the previous threat and violence in Jaws is implied or shown in its aftermath. Here everything is shot with stark clarity. The shark is unobscured and huge. The attack is prolonged and graphic. The character who we thought knew how best to deal with sharks dies bloody and screaming. And suddenly Brody is left alone.

It’s a great scene and there’s no way for a censor to cut much without ruining it. So let’s just hope any under-13s watching will appreciate the filmmaking whilst all that claret is spraying about.