10 Scariest Shark Movies You've Never Seen
5. 12 Days Of Terror
A made-for-TV 'based on true events' movie, 12 Days of Terror has two major things going against it. Firstly, being a TV movie naturally limits its audience. Secondly, some of those who've seen 12 Days of Terror may incorrectly label it as simply a Jaws knock-off.
You see, 12 Days of Terror is a period piece based on the 1916 New Jersey shark attacks that saw four people killed and that inspired Peter Benchley's Jaws novel. Of course, that novel would be adapted for the silver screen by Steven Spielberg, and so certain beats of 12 Days of Terror do share some similarities with Spielberg's Jaws.
Directed by Jack Scholder, 12 Days of Terror actually upholds the true factual terrors of those real-life attacks far better than Jaws. Clearly, there's not the budget or star power of Jaws, but that doesn't stop John Rhys Davies from devouring scenery in his Quint-lite role.
All in all, this 2004 film is a minimalistic, atmospheric tale that's a refreshing change in a subgenre that's so often nowadays all about excess and outlandish concepts all trying to outdo each other in how bizarre - and usually bad - they can be.