9 Once Terrifying Horror Villains Rendered Lame By Sequels

A malfunctioning prop accidently created one of the best villains in screen history; the original plan for Jaws was to show the shark a lot more. Spielberg instead relied on music and other tricks to fill in for the broken shark, making its eventual appearance all the more dramatic; even now, people refuse to go swimming because of the film.

The sequel unwisely decided to show more of the shark, giving it lingering close-ups and lots of action. While it was ferocious, it always looked kind of rubbery, robbing it of the menace Spielberg gave to “Bruce”. Jaw 3-D turned the creature into a laughable mechanical effect with slightly less articulation than a bath toy, and Jaws: The Revenge added new abilities like psychic powers, roaring like a lion and standing on its tail.

Needless to say, none of the sequels beat the classy suspense of the first, with the final two movies in particular turning poor Bruce into a joke. Heck, the shark in Back To The Future Part II was scarier.