When Steven Spielberg decided to make a film adaptation of Peter Benchleys novel about man-eating sharks to be released just in time for the summer vacation, hoteliers the world over must have been sending the so-called Beard hate letters for the damage he did to their business. Jaws was insanely successful at the box-office indeed until Star Wars was released two years later it was the highest grossing film ever and many of the crowds who had flocked to see Jaws found themselves scared to enter open water afterwards. This ability to transcend cinema and (negatively) affect peoples summer holidays is a testament to just how horrifying Jaws truly is. Amity Island is a fictitious town and 25-foot 3-tonne sharks stopped existing long before history began. This doesnt stop Jaws being truly terrifying though, primarily thanks to Spielbergs deft direction and the stellar turns from Roy Schreider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw as the trio of men who are dedicating their efforts to eradicating the submarine menace. Incidentally, the submarine quality of the shark is part of the reason Jaws remains so scary to this day its what we dont see that scares us and, unlike the special effects of a given cinematic era, our imagination isnt prone to the effects of ageing. Jaws may have been the genesis of the summer blockbuster but it also was terrible news for the planets shark population, giving them a reputation as the killers they very rarely are.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
