20 Most Terrifying Shark Attacks in Movies
We do NOT want to test these waters. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most unsettling and disturbing shark attack scenes in film.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most unsettling and
00:09disturbing shark attack scenes in film.
00:18Number 20.
00:19The Party Boat Attack, Deep Blue Sea.
00:21This movie borrows more than a few elements from Jaws, including POV shots of a shark
00:25approaching dangling limbs from under the water.
00:28But hey, you might as well borrow from the best.
00:34In this scene, sharks target a party boat in the middle of the ocean, being especially
00:38attracted to the red wine that spills into the water.
00:41It depicts a different kind of shark, one willing to burst through the wooden floor
00:44of the boat and attack its targets from below.
00:52Luckily no one perishes in the attack, as Carter Blake saves the day with a well-timed
00:56harpoon strike.
01:01Number 19.
01:02Swimming to the Rock, The Reef.
01:04This Australian movie taps into a primal fear, that of being stranded in the open water while
01:08bloodthirsty sharks circle below.
01:10It follows a small group of friends who capsize their boat and become haunted by a hungry
01:14great white.
01:20In the electrifying climax, the survivors desperately swim to a large rock formation
01:24while being pursued by the shark.
01:26Kate is lucky enough to climb onto the rock, but Luke has trouble finding a grip and is
01:29pulled under by the great white.
01:31Much to Kate's, and the audience's, horror.
01:40We never thought we'd see a chase sequence in a shark movie, but The Reef certainly delivers.
01:48Number 18.
01:49Training Fail, Meg 2, The Trench.
01:51We're not experts or anything, but trying to train deadly sharks doesn't seem like the
01:55greatest idea.
01:56Just ask Jeming, who nearly becomes lunch for the massive Haiki.
02:04She's a giant 80-foot Meg who is being trained by Jeming, but on this occasion, she disobeys
02:08orders and swallows Jeming whole.
02:10The visual of Haiki slowly approaching Jeming is spectacular and gives a fantastic sense
02:14of scale, with the gigantic shark dwarfing the tiny human, and a lot of good tension
02:18in his mind from Haiki eating Jeming.
02:25The mere idea of an 80-foot shark rapidly swimming towards us is enough to elicit a
02:28panic attack.
02:32Number 17.
02:33The Demise of Sean Brody, Jaws The Revenge.
02:35The fourth movie in the Jaws series isn't very good, but it does contain a memorable
02:39opening sequence involving Martin Brody's son.
02:42Sean Brody is working as a police deputy and is dispatched to the open ocean for an assignment.
02:46While attempting to clear a buoy, the young deputy is pounced on by a giant great white
02:50and loses an arm.
02:51He doesn't have long to mourn his missing limb, as both he and pieces of his boat are
02:54soon devoured by the shark.
02:59It's an effective sequence, and it was sad to see Sean becoming yet another victim of
03:02the deadly waters off Amity Island.
03:08Number 16.
03:09Chased by Bruce, Finding Nemo.
03:11One of Pixar's many masterpieces, Finding Nemo has it all.
03:15Heart, humor, heartbreak, and yes, horror.
03:18The latter comes via Bruce, a massive great white shark who targets Marlon and Dory.
03:22Bruce smells Dory's blood, unsealing his violent nature and sending him into a crazed frenzy.
03:30His pupils dilate, his face relaxes, and his jaw widens into a slasher smile.
03:35And with that, the chase is on.
03:39The scene is a whole bunch of nope, and it has probably given millions of kids around
03:43the world nightmares.
03:44One look at that malicious smile is enough to chill the blood.
03:53Number 15.
03:54Taking a bite out of Man-O-One, The Meg.
03:57We don't care how goofy it is, the image of giant sharks dwarfing puny people will
04:00never not be scary.
04:02This is The Meg's bread and butter, and the first movie contains an excellent example
04:06when the shark slowly approaches Mae Young from outside the glass.
04:09It's a wonderful shot, and it could have been the movie's poster.
04:12One look at it, and we're sold.
04:13Of course, this scene takes the horror several steps further, as The Meg takes a bite out
04:17of the research station, and then tears a whale in half in front of the terrified scientists.
04:24Yep, we're thinking this isn't an ordinary shark.
04:34Number 14.
04:35Banana and Meat, Jaws the Revenge.
04:37When sharks start reaching for fruit, be worried.
04:40It's a sunny day at the beach, and the brodies are all smiles while they celebrate Carla's
04:43new sculpture.
04:44While Carla's introduction drags on, her daughter, Thea, decides to hop on a banana
04:48boat with her friend's family.
04:50Just as Carla goes to make a speech, Ellen's connection to the shark turns her attention
04:53to the water, and she spots the shark approaching the boat.
05:05With no way to stop the vengeful monster, the shark jumps out with teeth bared, pulling
05:09a mother under to a watery grave.
05:18The rest of the film might be hilariously bad, but this is one scene we can really sink
05:22our jaws into.
05:23Ba-dum-tss!
05:24Number 13.
05:30Chasing Ariel and Flounder, The Little Mermaid.
05:33Long before finding Nemo, there was… this guy.
05:36As Ariel is investigating a shipwreck, she and Flounder are pounced on by a hungry shark.
05:40You see, Ariel, this is why your dad is so protective.
05:43The shark slowly emerges behind Flounder and takes a bite, missing him by mere inches.
05:51It then chases both the fish and the mermaid around the boat, taking chunks out of the
05:55old wood in the process.
06:00The animation throughout the sequence is spectacular, and the red eyes are a wonderful
06:03little detail, anything to make the shark that much scarier, as if it wasn't scary
06:07enough already.
06:12Number 12.
06:13Marge's Death, Jaws 2.
06:14It's hard to follow a masterpiece like Jaws, but Jaws 2 does an admirable enough job.
06:19It contains a number of solid scares, like the horrible death of poor Marge.
06:29Young Sean Brody, RIP, is threatened by the shark, but he's saved in the nick of time
06:33by the valiant Marge.
06:35Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of her own life, as the shark swallows the teenager
06:38and drags her under the water.
06:40The scene is plenty scary, even without the use of blood or on-screen violence.
06:44All we need is that nightmarish shot of the shark underwater and the sickening crunch
06:48as it chops on her bones.
06:49Poor Sean is probably going to have some survivor's guilt after this one.
06:57Number 11.
06:59Deadly Leg, 47 Meters Down.
07:00We don't know what's scarier, getting chased by a shark or getting chased by a shark while
07:04simultaneously fighting the bends and slowly bleeding out from a nasty shark bite?
07:08Probably that one.
07:14Lisa is bitten on the leg and leaves behind a trail of blood as she and Kate slowly make
07:17their way to the surface.
07:20Unfortunately, they are forced to move slowly to avoid the bends, giving the shark's
07:28plenty of time to muster an attack.
07:36This scenario is milked for all it's worth, building an incredible amount of tension as
07:40the shark circles the petrified and defenseless ladies.
07:43Number 10.
07:44The Fourth of July, Jaws.
07:46The death of young Alex is tragic and incredibly disturbing, signifying that the shark doesn't
07:50distinguish between its victims.
07:58The real carnage occurs on the fateful Fourth of July, when the shark swarms a crowded beach
08:02full of tourists.
08:03Spielberg masterfully builds tension throughout the ten-minute sequence with POV shots, false
08:08alarms, and an eerie quiet before popping the tension with blood and lost limbs.
08:16That shot of the shark swimming under the boater is an all-timer, eliciting a primal
08:20fear of the deep.
08:21It's no wonder this is considered one of the scariest movies ever made.
08:26Number 9.
08:27The Fourth of July, Jaws.
08:29Soul Surfer.
08:30The most frightening attack is the one you don't see coming.
08:33In this otherwise uplifting movie about a surfer who discovers a greater purpose in
08:36life, the road to that discovery is a shocking one.
08:39A day after winning a surfing competition, Bethany and her friends take off for some
08:43surfing.
08:44During a quick break, Bethany dangles her arm in the water when, without warning, a
08:47shark bites her arm clean off, setting the scene in full panic mode.
08:53While the tense race to shore adds to the intensity, it's the surprise that sets this
08:57one apart.
09:02Number 8.
09:03Leiter Meal.
09:04License to Kill.
09:05Sometimes, all the money in the world isn't worth missing a good one-liner.
09:08As Bond tries to stop drug lord Franz Sanchez, a string of corruption makes his search all
09:13the harder.
09:14After almost being caught before he bribes DAA agent Killefer, Sanchez escapes and has
09:18Bond's partner, Felix Leiter, tortured by being fed to sharks.
09:22Following the betrayal, Bond goes after Killefer with no plans of arresting him.
09:28As Killefer dangles over the same pit of sharks that Leiter was left in, Bond throws his case
09:33of bribery back at him, and instead ensures the traitor gets a brutal underwater mauling.
09:43Number 7.
09:44Cut Off.
09:45Deep Blue Sea.
09:46The initial attack where the scientist gets his arm bitten off is certainly disturbing,
09:50but cut off for something a little more iconic.
09:55Samuel L. Jackson is such a powerhouse that his monologues are the last place in a movie
09:59that you'd expect to get interrupted.
10:01When researchers trying to cure Alzheimer's create smarter sharks, the tables start to
10:05turn.
10:06Right as executive Russell Franklin checks in on their research, the sharks rebel and
10:09start destroying the facility.
10:11Just as everyone's panicked fighting starts to get out of hand, Franklin pulls them together
10:14with a rousing speech about the power of man and teamwork.
10:22Cutting right into his close-up, a shark jumps out mid-sentence and kills Franklin, jolting
10:26everyone on screen and everyone watching the scene.
10:29Number 6.
10:30Supermarket Chomp.
10:31Bait 3D.
10:32If you're forced to choose between fighting some crabs or a shark, fight the crabs.
10:36After a group is trapped in a supermarket by a tsunami, the survivors bicker and fight
10:40before a great white carried in by the wave forces them to work together.
10:44Despite their best efforts to find ways of dealing with the shark themselves, it quickly
10:47becomes apparent they need to find help.
10:52So they lift up store manager Jessup to a vent to escape.
10:55Right as he peeks into the vent, hundreds of tiny crabs startle him and he falls back.
10:59At least it wasn't the shark, right?
11:03Moments later though, the shark has its time to scare by jumping out and tearing Jessup
11:07in half.
11:14Number 5.
11:15Nancy Gets Attacked.
11:16The Shallows.
11:17When you spot seagulls fleeing a meal, it's time to run.
11:19Nancy is trying to get away from her troubles by taking a surf trip to Mexico when trouble
11:23decides to find her.
11:28Spotting a whale carcass in the water, Nancy decides to call it a day and rides away back
11:32to shore.
11:33Unfortunately, she's knocked into coral after a shark hits her and then bites her
11:37leg.
11:40After swimming back to the dead whale to get out of the water, she thinks she's safe
11:43and almost manages to call for help, but the shark completely upends the creature and sends
11:47her swimming in an absolutely terrifying moment.
11:56Number 4.
11:57First Blood.
11:58Shark Night.
11:59At a lake, the last thing you'd expect to find is a shark and that's what makes this
12:02particular kill so scary.
12:04While there are some crazy deaths, like a shark's aerial chomp at a jet skier later
12:08on, it's the unexpected first kill that sends shivers down our spines the most.
12:16After some college students decide to hit the lake, and are completely unaware that
12:19sharks have been let into the water, one of the swimmers is left on her own.
12:22Then a jarring cut reveals she's being attacked from below.
12:30Jerking back and forth, she almost gets on the dock but is instead pulled screaming to
12:34her grave.
12:36Number 3.
12:38Quinn's Final Voyage.
12:39Jaws.
12:40A shark that can shake a boat is one thing, but one that can sink a boat is a new level
12:43of terror.
12:49Out on the water, Brody and Quinn can seem to keep up with where their sharp-toothed
12:52adversary has gone and find nothing but calm waters.
12:55But just as they let their cage down, the shark jumps out, taking their boat's rear
12:59end and tipping the whole ship towards its mouth.
13:07With his hand injured by rolling debris, Quinn is helpless as he slides right into
13:11the beast's mouth, losing his leg and then his life to its fury.
13:16Number 2.
13:17Exposed.
13:18Open Water.
13:19Getting stranded while diving in the middle of the ocean is terrifying enough, and having
13:22a shark circle while this happens you will be the icing on top.
13:28This film tells the story of Daniel and Susan being left behind when they stray from their
13:32scuba crew on a relaxing vacation.
13:34Unsure if rescue will ever come, they have to fight the elements, their bodies, and even
13:38each other in their attempt to survive.
13:40Though all this is already frightening, they're soon attacked by a shark while having nothing
13:44but open water for miles around them.
13:50While Susan escapes with only a little nick, the circling shark takes a big bite from Daniel's
13:54leg, and he bleeds so much that it sends him into shock.
14:16Number 1.
14:17Bad Time for a Swim – Jaws.
14:19Say goodbye to relaxing swims after this nightmare fuel.
14:22Chrissy invites a friend for a flirtatious night swim, running with them along the shore
14:26as they both take their clothes off for a dip.
14:31After some jokes and a serenely peaceful splash around, something pulls on Chrissy's foot,
14:36sending her into a full panic before it drags her around the water.
14:39Screaming for help as her friend passes out in a drunken stupor, she's thrown against
14:42the buoy before finally going under.
14:44There's something about the sudden silence that ends the attack makes it just as horrific
14:48and disturbing as the shrieks throughout it.
14:57Did any of these scenes make you afraid of the water?
14:59Let us know in the comments below.