Summary

• Jaws' true horror lies in the heart-wrenching deaths, evoking deep sympathy for the victims and intensifying the terror.
• Each attack in Jaws is meticulously crafted to maximize suspense and fear, making it a top-tier thriller.
• Spielberg's ability to build tension and fear cements Jaws as a masterclass in horror, featuring the iconic Bruce the Shark.

This article contains discussions of gore and death.

Despite being a terrifying horror movie, the number of people who die in Jaws may come as a surprise. In addition to revolutionizing Hollywood's business model, Jaws remains a top-tier thriller featuring one of cinema's most terrifying aquatic villains: Bruce the Great White Shark. The true horror of Jaws lies not in the number of deaths, but in the harrowing manner in which they occur. Each attack is meticulously crafted to maximize suspense and fear, making the film an enduring classic in the thriller genre.

What makes Jaws truly terrifying is Spielberg's ability to evoke deep sympathy for the victims. The emotional impact of their deaths—whether it's a carefree swimmer, an innocent child, or a beloved pet—intensifies the horror. Bruce's indiscriminate predation leaves no one safe, creating an atmosphere of relentless dread. The film's focus on a few key, heart-wrenching deaths underscores the shark's menace and cements Jaws as a masterclass in building suspense and eliciting genuine fear.

Chrissie Watkins

Chrissie Is Bruce's First Victim

In Jaws's perfect opening sequence, a carefree beach party at dawn turns into a nightmare when skinny-dipper Chrissie Watkins (Susan Backlinie) takes a swim in the waters off Amity Island. As the party continues onshore, Chrissie swims out alone, unaware of the lurking danger beneath the waves. The scene is a masterclass in building tension and suspense, with the iconic John Williams score amplifying the sense of impending doom.

The shark's underwater POV shots, interspersed with Chrissie's playful movements, create a terrifying contrast. Suddenly, Chrissie is jerked under the water by an unseen force. She struggles to stay afloat, thrashing and screaming, but the relentless predator drags her back under in a horrifying display of power. The attack ceases momentarily, giving Chrissie false hope, only for her to be violently pulled under once more, her screams echoing across the water. Her death is brutal and terrifying, setting the tone for the rest of the film and establishing the shark as a formidable and merciless antagonist.

Alex Kintner

Alex's Death Is The Most Heartbreaking

While Chrissie's fatality ranks among the two most terrifying, the death of young Alex Kintner (Jeffrey Voorhees) in Jaws is the most heartbreaking. The second fatality in the film comes when the venal Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) refuses to close Amity Beach for the 4th of July despite the presence of a great white shark.

When hordes of vacationers hit the water and play in the surf, a sudden attack from Bruce leaves the shore in a state of pandemonium. As all the parents collect their children and bring them back to safe haven, Mrs. Kintner (Lee Fiero) is left with the sad realization that her son was the one attacked by the shark. The death itself, while less graphic, is punctuated by John Williams' mortifying Oscar-winning score and the infamous dolly zoom effect that Spielberg used to show Brody's realization that another shark attack was happening right in front of him.

Ben Gardner

Ben's Corpse Is Discovered By Sheriff Brody

The next character to die in Jaws is Ben Gardner, whose demise occurs off-screen, adding to the film's atmosphere of unseen terror. In the Peter Benchley novel, Gardner meets a similar fate. In the movie, his corpse is discovered by Sheriff Brody (Roy Scheider) and marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss). After cutting open the tiger shark that was initially believed to be responsible for the deaths of Chrissie Watkins and young Alex Kintner, Brody and Hooper are dismayed to find no human remains inside.

This discovery leads them to suspect that the real killer is still at large. Determined to find answers, the duo takes Hooper's boat on a nighttime search. Their quest brings them to Ben Gardner's half-sunken vessel, a chilling sight in itself. Hooper dives to investigate, and in a moment that has since become one of cinema's greatest jump scares, Ben's half-chewed body suddenly appears, along with a giant shark tooth embedded in the boat's hull. This shocking reveal not only confirms the presence of a much larger predator but also heightens the tension and fear that pervades the rest of the film.

Estuary Boater

The Nameless Boater Is Pulled Into The Water By Bruce

One character who is in the novel but not the film is Morris Cater, a victim who is eaten by the shark in a brutal fashion. Conversely, the one victim in the movie who is not in the novel is the unnamed estuary boater who is viciously attacked by Bruce in front of young Michael, though his Jaws death was originally much longer.

As a way to increase the psychological stakes for Michael, a serene day at the beach is interrupted when Bruce swims into the pond where Michael and his friends hang out on the water. A man on a smaller boat mere feet away from Michael is attacked by Bruce from behind until a geyser of gore colors the sea blood-red. The shot of a single human leg floating to the bottom of the pond seals it as one of the movie's most gruesome moments.

Quint

Quint's Death Is A Testament To His Fearlessness

Saving the most dramatic for last, the final human victim in Jaws is the relentless shark hunter, Quint (Robert Shaw). Quint's obsession with killing the great white shark drives him to a tragic end. As the captain of The Orca, his expertise is tested when his ship begins to sink far off the coast of Amity Island. The climax comes when the shark lunges out of the water, crashing into The Orca. With the boat in ruins, Quint slides toward the jaws of the great white, fighting valiantly but ultimately futilely against the predator's immense power.

The camera does not shy away from the gruesome details as Quint is caught in the shark's mouth, chewed, and dragged underwater. This unflinching portrayal underscores the sheer brutality and relentless nature of the shark, leaving a lasting impact on viewers. Quint's death is not just a pivotal moment in the film; it is a testament to his fearless resolve and the terrifying reality of facing such a formidable force. The loss of Quint heightens the stakes, pushing the remaining survivors to their limits in the battle against the great white.

Bruce

Brody Kills The Shark By Shooting An Air Tank In Its Mouth

Although Bruce the Shark succumbs to harpoon wounds in the novel, Spielberg gave the villainous character a far more exciting and incendiary death in the film. After the shark devours Quint on the deck of The Orca, Brody tosses a pressurized air tank into the beast's mouth as the ship begins to sink. Climbing into the crow's nest lookout tower, Brody first stabs the shark several times in the snout with a spear, and the shark swims away to prepare for another attack.

As the beast charges toward the sinking ship, Brody fires multiple rounds at the air tank in the shark's mouth, making on the sixth shot. The resulting bloody explosion is immensely satisfying, marking the shark's dramatic demise. However, it's Brody's one-liner just before he fires the kill shot that truly makes the moment iconic. This thrilling and inventive end for Bruce the Shark cements the film's legacy as a masterclass in suspense and action.

Which Jaws Movie Has The Highest Death Count?

Across the four Jaws movies, a total of 18 people fall victim to the franchise's three sharks: Bruce, Brucetta, and Vengeance. These fearsome predators not only eat, drown, and crush people but also cement themselves as some of cinema's most terrifying monsters. While humans are the primary targets, the sharks also kill several fish and a killer whale in Jaws 2 and Jaws 3-D, and Bruce famously devours Pipit the dog in the original Jaws, one of the franchise's saddest moments.

While Jaws has plenty of kills, Jaws 2 holds the highest kill count, with the shark killing six people throughout the film. This mirrors trends in other horror franchises where the initial films have relatively low body counts, such as Halloween and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The other Jaws movies are not far behind. Both Jaws and Jaws 3-D have kill counts of five people each, while Jaws: The Revenge has the lowest, with only two fatalities. The lower count in Jaws: The Revenge is partly due to its secluded setting in the Bahamas, resulting in fewer potential victims.

While the kill counts may be lower than those in other horror franchises, the Jaws series remains a masterclass in building suspense and delivering terrifying cinematic moments.