by Victoria Apr 20,2025
One of my earliest fears was of bodies of water that may or may not be hiding a people-eating shark beneath their calm surface. Shark movies fueled that paranoia, constantly reminding my younger self that the world's natural order could strike at any time. The concept of fin flicks seems straightforward—vacationers, boaters, or divers hunted by one or multiple sharks—but many films struggle to capture this thrill effectively. When executed well, these movies deliver an adrenaline-fueled experience that can make you wary of entering any body of water for the foreseeable future.
So, get your Shark Spray ready. Here are our picks for the 10 best shark movies of all time. For more creature thrills, check out our guide to the greatest monster movies.
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10. Shark Night (2011)
The ratio of "alpha" to "minnow" in shark movies leans heavily toward the negative, making films like Shark Night notable for their general competency. In this movie, vacationers in the Louisiana gulf are attacked by backwoods maniacs who take their Shark Week obsession to the extreme by attaching cameras to ferocious sharks. It's absurd—a Great White jumps out of the water and decapitates a man on a WaveRunner. The original theatrical billing as "Shark Night 3D" captures the early 2010s horror vibe it's aiming for (translation: popcorn entertainment), which the film successfully achieves. Credit the late David R. Ellis for this "better with booze" bite of jawesomeness, even if it's not the shiniest lure in the tackle box.
Jaws 2 does not surpass the original, but it stands out in a field with limited competition. Roy Scheider returns to protect Amity Island from another Great White shark that targets water skiers and beachgoers. The film is more action-oriented, which led to the replacement of the original director, John D. Hancock, as he wasn't suited for such sequences. It continues the familiar storytelling, despite its flaws, with exploding boats and underwater carnage executed with enough skill. If it ain't broke, why not turn it into a franchise?
Yes, there are two Deep Blue Sea sequels. Deep Blue Sea 3 significantly improves upon the franchise's previous entry, returning to the original's sharky essence. Scientists trying to protect Great White sharks on the artificial island of Little Happy encounter mercenaries and bull sharks that threaten their safety—classic B Movie territory. The film delivers martyrdom explosions, action-packed brawls with aerial Bull Shark tag-team action, comical memes turned into character deaths, and one of the most unexpected victories in recent shark movie history. Kudos to the cast and crew for delivering an aquatic horror film that exceeds expectations for direct-to-video sequels and absurd shark cinema that embraces its entertainment value.
Jason Statham facing off against a 75-foot-long shark from the Mariana Trench? While The Meg could have benefited from a more intense PG-13 rating and tighter storytelling, it delivers as a blockbuster aquatic horror spectacle. The film showcases the danger of massive Megalodon chompers trying to shatter dive cages or underwater research facilities, with Statham using his expert diving skills to thwart the not-so-extinct predator. A stacked cast including Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, and Cliff Curtis attempts to prevent the Megalodon from devouring beachgoers like hors-d'œuvres—some more successfully than others—as the film blends Kaiju Lite tropes with oddly endearing soap opera dramatics. What's promised on the package is delivered, making The Meg a grand enough splash.
2023 brought the arrival of The Meg 2, but the sequel didn't quite live up to the original. In fact, it's "bigger and badder in all the wrong ways" according to our review. As such, it doesn't earn a place on our list of the best shark films.
While Jaws used a mechanical shark and many other films opted for computer-generated beasts, Open Water strives for authenticity by using real sharks. Filmmaker Chris Kentis and his wife, producer Laura Lau, are avid scuba divers, and their passion for the sport ensured the film captured as much natural behavior as possible. They also served as cinematographers, leveraging their scuba expertise to maintain high standards. Open Water offers a different experience from the more entertainment-focused films on this list, as an American couple finds themselves stranded miles from shore in shark-infested waters. It may not be the most action-packed, but it's suspenseful and harrowing.
Before Crawl trapped family members in a flooded crawl space with alligators during a category 5 hurricane, Bait trapped patrons and workers inside a supermarket with agitated Great White sharks during a freak tsunami. Australia deserves credit for one of the better recent shark films, as survivors rig diving gear from shopping carts and parking lots, turning them into hunting grounds. The film effectively blends effects to maintain tense and bloody aquatic thrills as the action escalates. The added twist of a tsunami interrupting a robbery forces criminals and clerks to work together against the swimming killers. Bait stands shoulder to shoulder with Crawl, occupying a unique subgenre of "When Animals Attack in Trapped Locations During Freak Weather Incidents."
The ticking clock in 47 Meters Down adds panic to an already frantic underwater escape scene. Mandy Moore and Claire Holt play sisters trapped on the ocean floor after a disastrous shark diving expedition, unable to move without attracting finned predators. The film masterfully uses the vast, dark aquatic landscape to heighten tension, with sharks lunging into frame from the blackness. It's nerve-wracking and white-knuckled, leveraging familiar scare tactics to emphasize the heightened frights of true shark cinema.
When your movie inspires an LL Cool J song, you know it's good. "Deepest, bluest, my hat is like a shark's fin" encapsulates the 90s outrageousness of Deep Blue Sea, which features genetically enhanced Mako sharks and the consequences of greedy pharmaceutical experiments. A talented cast fights to escape their own creation, but even Samuel L. Jackson can't avoid becoming a soggy snack. While the late 90s animation may look dated, the practical effects of sharks floating down hallways or in flooded kitchens are memorable. Deep Blue Sea embraces creature-feature "nonsense" in the best way, showcasing karma's razor-sharp teeth.
Blake Lively faces off against an imposing finned foe in The Shallows. Jaume Collet-Serra demonstrates his skill as a contemporary blockbuster filmmaker, using only a few locations (rock formation, water, buoy) to build intense tension. Lively's performance against a CG shark that remains terrifying elevates the film, aging like fine yacht wine. Collet-Serra dives into an unfathomably hopeless scenario, intensifying the experience without any excess.
Steven Spielberg forever changed the summer blockbuster landscape with the still-reigning champ of shark cinema. Despite challenges with the animatronic Great White, the film's success, earning $476.5 million at the box office, was well worth it. Jaws is a masterclass in suspense, holding back until the perfect moment to reveal its ace—Bruce, the people-eating shark. This New England tale of summertime madness shows what happens when mayors prioritize 4th of July tourist dollars over beachgoer safety, a scenario terrifying enough to keep audiences away from the water. Decades later, there's no debate—Jaws remains the best shark movie of all time.
AnswerSee ResultsLooking for more horror movies with teeth? Take a look at our guide to the best vampire movies of all time next or dive into our favorite dinosaur movies.For those eager for more shark movies, several are currently in development or have been announced. Here are some of the most anticipated upcoming shark movies:
Shark Week 2025 will take place from July 6 to July 13, 2025, with the Discovery Channel set to air a wide array of shark-related content.
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