9 Insane Movie Theories That Actually Make Sense

The more you think about them, the more convincing they really are...

Bruce Wayne Michael Caine Father Dark Knight
Warner Bros.

When it comes to the medium of cinema, the words "fan theory" have a built in eye roll factor of about eight million.

And that's because most of the time, a movie theory tends to be the work of a crackpot; an insane person who has spent their precious time and energy trying to find meaning in something that there really is no meaning to be found in.

But occasionally a movie theory will crop up out of nowhere, slap you right in the face with its audacity, and make you feel sheepish for not having guessed that it was true all along. These are the fan theories that are genuinely, scarily convincing; insane theories that will have you wondering whether they were actually intended all along, like...

9. The Mayor In Jaws Has Been Covering Up Shark Attacks For Years

Steven Spielberg's blockbuster classic, Jaws, tells the story of three men - a police chief, a scientist and a fisherman - and their attempts to kill an abnormally large great white shark that has been terrorising the island community of Amity.

After he discovers the corpse of a young girl, police chief Martin Brody tries to get the Mayor of Amity, Larry Vaughn, to close the beaches. Desperate to ensure a prosperous summer season, he outright refuses and tries to brush the incident under the carpet.

The film is framed to make it look like the death of the young girl at the start of the film is the first in a series of attacks, of course, though there's a popular - and rather convincing - theory that states that Mayor Vaughn has actually been covering up the shark attacks for years and nobody - not until Brody, at least - has bothered to do anything about it.

The most convincing aspect that gives this theory weight stems from the fact that the first shark attack coincides with the arrival of the new police chief, which seems like a big coincidence when you think about it. But it all seems less coincidental if you consider that shark attacks have been happening in Amity for years and years, and Vaughn - and Brody's predecessor, perhaps - have covered them up in order to ensure tourism.

The more time you give to this theory, the more it rings true.

Contributor

Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.