Jaws re-energized the horror genre while simultaneously giving birth to the big summer blockbuster tentpole movie. Indeed, without the enormous success of Jaws, there might never have been a Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or an MCU to speak of. It also helped jumpstart the incredibly successful career of director Steven Spielberg.
Unfortunately, the sequels to Jaws weren't quite up to par with what Spielberg managed to accomplish with the original. Nevertheless, they're all good fun in their own way, with some spectacular scary death scenes to frighten audiences.
Updated on July 26th, 2022 by Melody MacReady: Another summer has come and as always, there are those heading to the waters and those avoiding it to watch Shark Week. Sharks have been a source of people's fear of the ocean for decades and a bit part of that has to do with Jaws and its three sequels.
Even though Jaws creates a poor representation of sharks, that still doesn't stop the movies from sneaking into many people's brains due to its kills. Over 45 years later, the franchise still boasts some of the most memorable kills in shark movie history. With four movies to choose from, why stop at just ten kills when there are so many committed by each shark?
The Banana Boat Attack - Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
When it comes to Jaws: The Revenge, the kills are too few and far between and it raises more questions for the Jaws franchise than answers. However, the few human kills do slightly stand out such as when the shark, nicknamed Vengeance, goes after Mike Brody's daughter. She and several others are enjoying time on a banana boat before it attacks.
The shark decides to launch an attack on the little boat and narrowly misses the young Thea, instead catching a female passenger at the very back. Hundreds of people look on in horror as the shark clamps down on her leg and kill her before dragging her body under the water. This kill proves to be the final straw for Helen Brody, sending her on her own revenge path to kill the shark.
Sean Brody - Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
There is no getting around the idea that a shark hunting the Brody out of revenge is ridiculous. However, the opening kill is easily the most disturbing in Jaws: The Revenge. The younger Sean Brody heads out to clear debris from a buoy just a few days before Christmas, and this leaves him wide open for attack by an entirely new shark that bites his arm off.
Sean was the youngest brother which makes it rather twisted that he's the first kill in a Jaws movie. It starts the movie with a bang and feels the closest to the first movie in terms of tone. It's also the only kill where the movie keeps the shark hidden, making it slightly scarier.
Randy & Ed - Jaws 3D (1983)
Sometimes less is more and that's the case with two robbers attempting to steal coral from Sea World to make some money. One death is only shown through the flashlight suddenly turning off from the view of the one still in their raft.
Since they were connected by a rope, he is pulled into the water and silently killed under the lagoon surface. The lack of music and sound of rumbling in the water create an eerie atmosphere with the flashlight going off making for an effective reveal that the shark has attacked.
Marge - Jaws 2 (1978)
Poor Sean Brody suffered a lot in Jaws 2, making his phobia of the water in both sequels very reasonable. He was under the care of Marge and when the shark attacked, she actually did well in protecting Sean but sadly, this is also what leads to her demise.
Marge is grabbed and killed right before Sean's eyes, traumatizing him. The kill itself is scary but it's the terror that Sean goes through that makes the scene effective; making it easy to feel sorry for the young boy.
Jean Coulter - Jaws 2 (1978)
The second shark to terrorize Amity Island was in some ways even more bold and vicious than the first. It openly attacked several people before turning its attention to the summer revelers After the water skier went under, the shark turned its attention to the driver of the boat and openly attacked her.
In a panic, she tried to hit the shark over the head with a gas tank, but lost her footing and doused the boat. Before she could think, she fired a flare gun at the shark which ended up triggering the entire boat to explode. This would mark Brucette with her signature burn mark that would distinguish her from Bruce of the first film.
Shelby Overman - Jaws 3
The first act of Jaws 3D finds another great white infiltrating a water park through a set of gates and triggering a tidal wave of chaos. A mechanic named Shelby Overman dives into the water to investigate the gates. He reinforces the lock moments before realizing that the shark has made its way inside.
It attacks him and devours everything but a severed arm that floats eerily in the dusky water - a testament to the shark's presence as one of the most frightening killers lurking in the deep dark ocean. It shows the potential of Jaws 3D's horror if it had stuck to it rather than focusing so much on the 3D aspect.
Helicopter Attack - Jaws 2 (1978)
Despite suffering from another troubled production, Jaws 2 had several memorable scenes. The idea of a shark bringing down a helicopter is ridiculous but Jaws 2 made it not only believable but also one of the more thrilling sequences. It grabs the helicopter and causes it to lose altitude before striking the water and flipping upside down, only to be dragged underneath.
It's enough to dash the hopes of the kids who were certain they had been rescued, but the shark wasn't about to give up its prey just yet. There is actually a deleted scene that shows Brucette going after the pilot after bringing the chopper into the water.
Scuba Divers - Jaws 2 (1978)
The opening of Jaws 2 starts in a way that feels straight out of the original film. Serene views of the ocean are backed up with another great score by John Williams but that changes when a scuba diver discovers the Orca. After taking pictures of the sunken fishing boat, he is killed in a POV shot of the new shark.
It may not have the same impact as Chrissie Watkin's death but this death does set the tone for Jaws 2. It hints at a connection between the sharks without going overboard like Jaws: The Revenge whilst showing that it is a more brutal and less patient killer.
Alex Kitner - Jaws (1975)
Killing a child shows that something is meant to be feared and does not distinguish its victims. The shark attacks young Alex Kitner and the audience only sees it from afar, as if from Martin Brody's point of view.
The lack of clarity as to what exactly happens adds to the fear, forcing viewers to use their imagination as the water fills with blood. It goes to show that when animatronics malfunctions, it could be for the better. Steven Spielberg had to work around the unreliable shark animatronic, resulting in one of the most iconic scenes in the original Jaws.
Eddie - Jaws 2 (1978)
Eddie & Tina wanted nothing more than to drive their boat out into the water and enjoy a little private time together. This made them the perfect target for the new shark which made beeline for their boat, knocking Eddie into the water while dragging the boat away.
He tried valiantly to swim back, only to be seized by the shark and rammed straight into the side of the boat. Tina watched as the shark yanked him under, leaving a pool of blood in his wake. What makes this scene so effective is Ann Dusenberry as Tina, who makes the terror feel real with her reactions and the lack of music after Eddie is attacked.
FitzRoyce - Jaws 3D
The main shark of Jaws 3D is practically a Megalodon at over 40 feet long. It manages to be so big that it swallows FitzRoyce whole when he attempts to escape her after trapping her. This proves to be a worse fate than other kills because rather than being torn apart quickly, FitzRoyce is still alive inside the shark.
It's one of the most brutal deaths of the entire franchise as audiences listen to the sound of pained, muffled screams and crunching bones. The shark uses its powerful mouth to crush her victim, killing him in a much slower and painful way.
Chrissie Watkins - Jaws (1975)
Chrissie's death is the scene that kicked off the entire Jaws franchise and made millions of people afraid to go into the water again. There are many reasons why it is considered a perfect opening for Jaws. The clever use of first-person camera angles, dim lighting, and (naturally) terrified screaming helped sell Chrissie's agonizing death and pave the foundation for the rest of the film.
The sheer brutality of the death doesn't require copious amounts of blood to sell the scene. It goes on just long enough to be uncomfortable before ending Chrissie's life and changing people's interpretations of great white sharks for the absolute worst.
July 4th Incident - Jaws (1975)
Mayor Vaughn's concerns about the local economy and his own re-election campaign soon backfire when the shark becomes attracted to all the activity. While a couple of kids play a mean-spirited prank by pretending to be a shark, the real beast launches an attack on another area of the beach and kills a resident.
This kill marks the first time that the shark is visibly shown on screen as he attacks the rowboater, killing him and leaving nothing but a leg hitting the ocean floor. The incident causes Mike Brody to go into shock and devastates the celebrations.
Ben Gardner - Jaws (1975)
Rarely do off-screen deaths fill a scene with dread but Steven Spielberg expertly pulled it off by showing Ben Gardner's boat a complete wreck. Richard Dreyfuss' famous Matt Hooper goes down in total darkness to investigate what happens. The whole scene makes the audience think that the shark will attack at any second, keeping them on edge.
So first-time viewers are not expecting the mangled corpse of Ben Gardner to float out of the boat and jumpscare both them and Matt Hooper. It's never shown what the shark did but similar to Alex Kitner's death, the viewer can use their imagination, and combined with the stinger music track that plays, it's an effective scare.
Quint's Death (Jaws)
The three underestimate the shark's tenacity as it causes immense damage to their boat and causes it to slowly sink. With options quickly running out, the shark launches an attack and catches Quint off guard who ends up in its killer jaws, dying a horribly painful death. In the process, the audience lost one of its most quotable characters from the entire film.
It's still an iconic death where it's simply Quint against the shark with no musical accompaniment. Robert Shaw enhances the scene with his shriek of agonizing pain as he continues to fight the shark off. The blood spraying from his mouth adds to the brutality as Bruce thrashes him around before finishing him off.