10 Summer Horror Movies You Have To See

Transitioning from summer camp to the beach, what better beach movie is there than Jaws? 

So much of the first act takes place on the beach over Fourth of July weekend, and it reflects that feeling of it being summer vacation and everyone flocking to the water, greasy from sun tan lotion. In some ways, the summer setting is an essential part of making the film so scary. After all, what's more fun and innocent than relaxing on the beach and going for a swim? 

Jaws really is a horror film, with the exact structure of a classic monster movie. It's just that the monster happens to be real. The moment when Hooper encounters a dead body while checking out the sunken boat is one of the greatest jump scares in history, and it's still shocking today.

Then, right before the "you're gonna need a bigger boat" line, there's also the brilliant scene of the shark jumping out when Brody isn't prepared for it at all. What's great is that while when the body popped out at Hooper before, a loud noise accompanied it, here, the shark sticks its head out of the water with no music at all. Spielberg knows how to make us jump without even needing any audio.

With great characters, a relentless monster and horrifying scares, Jaws really is the perfect summer horror film.