12 Movies That Will Make You Scream "SHARK!!!"

Don't say I didn't warn you!

1. The Reef (2010)

Lightning Entertainment

This horror film is based on the true story of Australian sailor and shark attack survivor Ray Boundy. When the boat hits a reef and capsizes, Luke and his friends must swim to safety, fending off sharks (and paranoia) on the way.

The Shark(s): Great whites

The Shark Bait: Damian Walshe-Howling, Zoe Naylor, Gyton Grantley, Adrienne Pickering, Kieran Darcy-Smith

2. The Black Demon (2023)

The Avenue, BuzzFeed Studios

This new film, produced in association with BuzzFeed Studios, is based on Mexican folklore of the same name. Paul Sturges must protect his family when he investigates an oil rig for his company and encounters a very protective megalodon, an extinct species of giant shark.

The Shark(s): El Demonio Negro (aka "The Black Demon")

The Shark Bait: Josh Lucas, Fernanda Urrejola, Venus Ariel, Carlos Solorzano, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Jorge A. Jimenez

Watch The Black Demon now.

3. The Meg (2018)

Warner Bros.

An ensemble of rescue divers and deep sea scientists take on the "Meg," short for megalodon. That's right, more megalodons! The sequel, Meg 2: The Trench will be released this August.

The Shark(s): A megalodon (and spoiler alert, a second, bigger megalodon)

The Shark Bait: Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winston Chao, Cliff Curtis, Page Kennedy, Jessica McNamee, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Robert Taylor, Sophia Cai, Masi Oka

4. Open Water (2003)

Lionsgate

The true story of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, who were accidentally abandoned by their scuba diving group, inspired this horrific survival film. In the film version, the couple battle off the brutal ocean creatures and storms as the crew mounts a massive search.

The Shark(s): Caribbean Reef sharks (and some jellyfish)

The Shark Bait: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis

5. 47 Meters Down (2017)

Allen Media Group

Lisa and Kate lie about having diving experience to score a cage diving trip while on vacation in Mexico. When the winch holding the cage breaks, they are trapped on the ocean floor with limited oxygen and surrounded by sharks until help arrives.

The Shark(s): Great whites

The Shark Bait: Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, Matthew Modine, Chris Johnson, Yani Gellman

6. The Requin (2022)

Saban Films

Jaelyn goes to Vietnam with her husband to get away after a traumatic stillbirth. When their floating bungalow becomes unmoored during a tropical storm, they try to create a smoke signal which incidentally destroys what little shelter they have.

The Shark(s): Requiem sharks (Requin is French for "shark")

The Shark Bait: Alicia Silverstone, James Tupper, Danny Chung

7. The Shallows (2016)

Sony Pictures

Nancy, a medical student, goes on a surfing trip to Mexico and encounters a dead whale whose carcass draws in sharks. When a shark knocks her off her board and strands her on a small rock 200 yards from shore, she must use her medical training to survive and get back to shore.

The Shark(s): Great whites

The Shark Bait: Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Sedona Legge, Angelo Josue Lozano Corzo, Joseph Salas, Diego Espejel

8. Deep Blue Sea (1999)

youtube.com

Deep Blue Sea was one of the first successful shark movies at the box office since Jaws. In the film, a team of scientists working in an underground facility genetically engineer sharks with larger brains for their Alzheimer's research when the sharks start getting too smart for their own good.

The Shark(s): Genetically altered super-smart Mako sharks

The Shark Bait: Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane, LL Cool J, Jacqueline McKenzie, Michael Rapaport, Stellan Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson

9. Man-eater (aka Shark!) (1969)

Excelsior Pictures

A gunrunner, stranded on a port in the Red Sea, is tricked by a treasure-hunting woman into diving into shark-infested waters. A claim that a stuntman on the film was killed during filming led to a surge in publicity for the film, though it was never confirmed and thought to be a hoax.

The Shark(s): Bull sharks

The Shark Bait: Burt Reynolds, Arthur Kennedy, Barry Sullivan, Silvia Pinal

10. Jaws (1975)

Universal Pictures

Obviously, a shark movie list would be incomplete without Spielberg's classic. In it, a police chief, a marine biologist, and a shark hunter work together to find a shark that has been terrorizing the waters of a resort town.

The Shark(s): A great white

The Shark Bait: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Murray Hamilton, Lorraine Gary

11. Sharknado (2013)

Syfy

Sharknado, the ultimate "so-bad-it's-good" horror film, has spawned a cult following as well as five sequels and three spinoffs. The premise is literally a tornado picks up sharks from the ocean and sends them into Los Angeles. As the tagline reads...enough said!

The Shark(s): Hammerheads and great whites...in a tornado

The Shark Bait: Tara Reid, Ian Ziering, John Heard, Cassie Scerbo, Jaason Simmons, Aubrey Peeples, Chuck Hittinger, Christopher Wolfe

12. And finally, Sharktopus (2010)

Syfy

Before there was Sharknado, there was Sharktopus, and this Syfy Original might just be the most absurd on this list. A group of geneticists is hired to hunt down a genetically engineered shark/octopus hybrid. This film spawned beloved sequels and spinoffs such as Piranhaconda, Sharktapus vs. Pteracuda, and Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf. 

The Shark(s): "Sharktopus", a hyper-intelligent shark/octopus hybrid created by the US Navy

The Shark Bait: Eric Roberts, Sara Malakul Lane, Kerem Bürsin, Héctor Jiménez, Liv Boughn, Shandi Finnessey, Megan Barkley, Peter Nelson