Christian Laspada
Summer is fast approaching, meaning it’s almost time for killer shark movies to reign supreme again. Since the release of the first major killer shark movie, Jaws, in 1975, shark movies have been the king of summer blockbusters and have had horror audiences transfixed by the monsters of the sea. It makes sense as sharks make the perfect real-world movie monster by being a delicate balance of scary and cool. With shark popularity growing even more from the Discovery Channel’s annual “Shark Week”, it’s no wonder there have been over 150 killer shark movies released since 1975. However, not all shark movies are major blockbuster movies, most of them are cheesy B-movies with bad acting and even worse special effects. But those are some of the best of the subgenre, and nobody does cheesy shark movies like the Syfy Channel.
A Short History of Shark Movies
Shark films were scarce in the early days of filmmaking, mainly because most directors tried to use real sharks. The first time a shark was on the big screen was in Zane Grey’s 1936 White Death where he filmed himself fishing for Australian sharks. However, the shark movie subgenre was revolutionized with Steven Spielberg’s 1975 masterpiece Jaws. The movie was a sleeper hit, breaking box office records at the time and making shark movies a regular phenomenon. The success of Jaws resulted in so many sequels and bad imitations hoping to share the spotlight. Movies like Mako: The Jaws of Death (1976) and Tintorera (1977) tried to replicate the magic of Jaws but came off as cheap knock-offs. Shark movies didn’t see major success again until 1999’s Deep Blue Sea, which brought a cool factor back to sharks (helped in part by Samuel L Jackson starring in the film). This skyrocketed the subgenre, leading to boundary-pushing shark movies like Open Water (2003) and Hammerhead (2005). The oversaturation of shark movies in the 2000s meant innovative shark concepts were needed to break through the noise, resulting in odd movies like Sharktopus (2010) and 3-Headed Shark Attack (2015). These movies strayed far from their Jaws predecessor but still made for cheesy fishy fun.
Although killer shark movies are fun to watch, it’s important to note that sharks aren’t always painted in a positive light. A 2021 study analyzed the portrayal of sharks in 109 shark-related movies and found that 96% of them depicted sharks as a threat to humans. This negative portrayal has definitely shifted the world’s view of sharks, making the public believe sharks are terrifying predators. The sad truth is, more than 50 million sharks are killed each year by humans, usually for food or from overfishing. So, while shark movies provide an entertaining and heart-racing experience, it’s still important to remember these movies are based in fiction and are exaggerated to thrill.
Love them or hate them, shark movies have swum their way into our hearts and have made us scared of the deep. Let’s take a dive into some of the cheesiest, trope-ist Syfy Channel shark movies.
Sharknado (2013)
No list of shark movies is complete without the Syfy Channel’s 2013 cult classic Sharknado. Everyone knows about the made-for-tv Sharknado, the film about a tornado that lifts sharks from the sea and sends them flying into Los Angeles. It brings the “deadliest killer” from sea to land (and the air) and follows a gloriously brainless plotline. Filmed in only 18 days, the movie is proof that cheesy campy movies work best when they’re enjoyable. The premiere of the film had 1.37 million viewers and gained popularity from trending on Twitter. Everyone from celebrities to the National Weather Service was talking about Sharknado. In fact, Glee’s Corey Monteith’s last tweet before his unfortunate death was about Sharknado. The movie received an average rating, but the understanding was Sharknado is so bad it’s good, leading to five sequels and three spin-offs.
Absolutely nothing is logical in this movie, and that’s why it’s perfect. This movie is boldly bad, sticking to a serious tone with such a ridiculous plot to make pure comedy. The film makes little to no sense, with some scenes feeling like actors are reading different versions of the script. Plot aside, nothing about this movie screams filmmaking masterpiece. The movie is plagued by C-list celebrities who have absolutely no magnetism in their portrayal of their characters. The special effects are the terrible middle ground of being not bad enough to be campy, but not good enough to be realistic. Bad special effects are infuriatingly paired with bad editing, bad lighting, and bad sound design. It may sound like I don’t like this movie, but all my critiques of Sharknado are why I love it so much. The movie is a complete disaster, and that adds to the charm and fun of the viewing experience. If you suspend disbelief and give in to the magic, Sharknado is a masterpiece in its own special way. There’s nothing bolder than a movie that is so unapologetically bad but so honest.
Sharktopus (2010)
Before there was Sharknado, there was Sharktopus. The 2010 Syfy original horror movie tells the story of a half-shark, half-octopus creature, dubbed S-11, that reigns terror in Mexico. The film follows a group of geneticists as they set out to capture and kill the CGI monster. The creature looks more half-squid than half-octopus, but that aside the movie is a schlocky masterwork. The movie received mixed reviews but still spawned sequels and spinoffs such as Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf and Piranhaconda. The film is a prime example of the entertainingly shabby B-movie shark films released by Syfy.
Sharktopus isn’t the hit Oscar-winning movie you might think it is (were you really thinking that?). The film is a junky cheesy comedy, but it knows that and this self-awareness adds to the fun of the viewing experience. The acting in the film is fairly stiff, with characters that fall flat. The CGI effects in the movie are somehow worse than expected but the movie embraces that, adding to the campiness. The creature gets little to no screen time, which is for the best. The kills in the movie are also nothing to gawk at as they’re all the same. That being said, the movie still adds fun and whimsy to the shark movie genre, something often missing in these all-out horror films. There’s something revolutionary in the concept of the Sharktopus that pushed the boundaries of what shark movies could be, resulting in even more bizarre marine monster movies.
5 Headed Shark Attack (2017)
What’s better than a 3-Headed Shark Attack? A 5-Headed Shark Attack, of course. The 2017 made-for-tv 5 Headed Shark Attack follows a monstrously mutated 5-headed shark that terrorizes the beaches of Puerto Rico. This movie is the third installment in the Multi-Headed Shark Attack film series following 2-Headed Shark Attack and 3-Headed Shark Attack. The movie features both a 4-heaed and 5-headed shark. The movie received poor reception, being called fairly pointless. However, the movie is still a no-brains tacky sharksploitation film that’s ridiculous and fun.
This movie is stupid shark horror filmmaking at its best. The acting isn’t terrible, with an appropriate emotional performance from several characters. The film follows all the shark movie tropes and is a classic B-horror movie with a bad plot and worse special effects. But honestly, did you expect a 5-headed shark to look great for a made-for-TV movie? The film meets expectations with some hilarious moments and hilarious looking sharks.
Dinoshark (2010)
Premiering on Syfy in 2010, Dinoshark chronicles a baby dinoshark that evolves into a ferocious predator that threatens locals and tourists in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The prehistoric monster was frozen in Antarctica for millions of years. The lives of the tourists are in the hands of a ship captain, a group of marine biologists, and a dinosaur expert. With 2 million viewers on the day of its release, the movie is a remake of the 1979 film Up from the Depths. The film is a standard B-horror movie with cheap effects and rigid acting. Despite it all, the movie goes down in history as an awesomely awful made-for-tv Syfy shark movie.
The movie is your standard cheesy B-horror monster movie. It’s a Syfy channel low-budget classic, with cheesy effects and terrible acting. Dinohsark is no different than most of these tropey shark movies, but it adds to the coolness factor by combining sharks and dinosaurs. Overall, it’s a fun and entertaining watch. The best part of the movie is the visual and musical references to Jaws. Dinoshark is a good kitschy fun shark movie that truly exemplifies the Syfy shark movie genre.
We all love shark movies and while some are blockbuster masterpieces, others are cheesy campy low-budget films with cult followings. The Syfy Channel has mastered the art of making B-rated killer shark movies, releasing so many movies that were instant classics. These movies may be cheesy, but no matter the quality of a shark movie, they always have us wondering if there’s something in the water.