The release of the new movie The Reef: Stalked brings to mind other shark attack movies that have aired over the years, especially B-movie content. The specter of a shark lurking in the ocean just waiting to attack unwary swimmers is a premise that has frequently happened in movies.
While some of these, such as Jaws, have become synonymous with the blockbuster, others have become renowned as being so bad that they are good. In fact, the s of Reddit have done a fine job of showcasing just which of these movies are worthy of appreciation for their very badness.
Ghost Shark (2013)
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One of the most fascinating aspects of the genre of the bad shark movie is how willing it is to combine two different genres. In the case of Ghost Shark, for example, it takes both the shark attack movie and combines it with the ghost story. As its title suggests, it focuses on the ghost of a great white shark which comes back to haunt the town of those who killed it.
HotAndTastyPie says that it was “pretty fun.” It is, indeed, one of those shark movies that doesn’t always take itself too seriously, and this allows the viewer to just abandon themselves to the ridiculousness of the premise.
Avalanche Sharks (2014)
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Even in the annals of bad shark attack movies, Avalanche Sharks deserves a special place for its ridiculous premise. As its title suggests, the movie focuses on sharks who are, somehow, found in the snow and ice of the mountains. It's filled with gore and deaths, as is appropriate for a movie like this, which helps to explain why hollygirl4111 calls it “something special.”
As is the case with so many of the best movies released on Syfy, it encourages one to simply lean into the ridiculousness without thinking too much about what transpires on-screen.
Cruel Jaws (1995)
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Though many of the best bad shark movies were made in the United States, Cruel Jaws is an exception, having been made in Italy. It has a great deal in common with many other shark movies, and it is one that shows every sign of being of the sort of exploitation cinema that Italy has long been known for producing. Jiggabot, despite not liking the genre of the bad shark movie, nevertheless loves this movie.
They write: “Cruel Jaws is an absolute classic though. It sucks, but it sucks sincerely. Not trying to be stupid on purpose for the sake of it.”
Ouija Shark (2020)
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There are many notable movies which focus on various elements of the supernatural, and so it makes sense that the Ouija board would eventually find its way into a shark movie.
As with so many other movies of this particular type, Ouija Shark doesn’t ask its audience to take itself too seriously, and it very much embraces the absurdity of the idea of a group of teenage girls summoning up the spirit of a shark (which, of course, goes on a rampage). Zachburger puts it best when they call it “10/10 best movie.”
Shark Attack 3 (2002)
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Even though shark movies are often quite absurd, every so often even a bad one has the gem of a fascinating premise buried inside of it. In Shark Attack 3, for example, the story focuses on a giant Megalodon. Just as importantly, the movie also contains special effects that are truly unconvincing, as well as some strange and often downright bizarre dialogue. However, it is also these elements which combine to make it a guilty pleasure.
DanHope0, for example, calls it quite simply “An absolute joy to watch.” There is, then, something innately pleasure precisely in the badness of the movie itself.
Shark Exorcist (2015)
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The idea of the exorcism is one which has appeared repeatedly in horror movies, and it also has made inroads into the shark genre. In this case, the movie focuses on a nun who summons the devil to inhabit a shark. The very idea of the movie, of course, is so ridiculous that it is impossible to take seriously, but this is precisely what has provided viewers of it with so much pleasure.
There is, in fact, something almost irable about the willingness to make a movie about this subject at all. Small wonder, then, that SpudsCuckley recommends it as one that should be seen.
Toxic Shark (2017)
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One of the conventions of the bad shark movie is the idea of a shark somehow becoming yet more dangerous than it was on its own. It’s almost as if the human mind wants to make an already incredibly deadly creature even more fearsome. Of course, it’s still hard to take a movie like Toxic Shark that seriously, since it focuses on a poisonous shark.
Nevertheless, it is still the type of bad shark movie that - precisely because it leans so much on its own absurdity - appeals to people like OmniWaffleGod, who writes: “And yeah it was awful, but I still enjoyed its dumbness.”
Sharktopus (2010)
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Eric Roberts has been in a number of notable movies, and he seems to be a star who doesn’t take himself too seriously. Among many other appearances, he shows up in Sharktopus which, as its title suggests, is a movie about shark/octopus hybrids which go on the rampage.
There is so much to love about this bad shark movie, but perhaps nothing sets it apart more than the very ridiculousness of the idea of a super-intelligent combination of shark and octopus. Dangerboy73 states “There is no better bad shark movie.”
Jersey Shore Shark Attack (2012)
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Given the ubiquity of the Jersey Shore series during the height of its popularity–there’s a reason it has become one of the most well-known reality TV series–it makes sense that it would also spawn its own bad shark movie. Unsurprisingly, this one focuses on a group of people, thinly-veiled analogues of the stars of The Jersey Shore, who attempt to forestall a shark massacre.
There is a knowing self-awareness to the movie that makes it especially pleasurable and, as Castlewood57 says, “Taught my nephew and nieces to cheer for the sharks!”
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
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The B-movie is one of the most consistently evoked genres in Hollywood, and there are few more notorious examples than Deep Blue Sea. Its premise is what one expects–in that it involves genetically engineered sharks who go on a killing rampage. Despite, or perhaps because of, its cast (which includes the likes of Stellan Skarsgard and Samuel Jackson), its cheesiness is all the more extraordinary and pleasurable.
JosefStallion puts it this way: “Deep Blue Sea is a masterpiece.” Given the competition that it faces in this particular genre, that is very high praise indeed.
