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Thanks to a little movie called Jaws, we'll always fear the ocean. No number of documentaries about diminishing shark populations or their hesitation to approach, much less attack, humans will change this—primarily because, for every one of those pro-shark flicks, there are several more movies like Steven Spielberg's classic 1975 horror flick that reinforce the image of them as blood-thirsty, prehistoric predators.
The latest is John Stockwell's thriller Dark Tide, in which Halle Berry, who's looking to revive her career, plays a diver traumatized by a shark attack who reluctantly returns to South Africa's Great White Shark-infested waters to tutor a big spending thrill-seeker, after she's urged by her old partner and boyfriend (Unfaithful's Olivier Martinez). Based on the trailer, we're already pissing our wet suit. With this new deep-sea nightmare hitting screens on Friday (then DVD and Blu-ray on 4/24), we take a look back at the scariest and funniest bloodletting in a bite-sized gallery of The Best Shark Attacks In Movies.
Written by Justin Monroe (@40yardsplash)
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Shark wins the zombie vs. shark battle, Zombie (1979)
Swamp Shark leaping decapitation of pervy Deputy Cooper, Swamp Shark (2011)
Jaws attacks female swimmer, encouraging bikini-clad women to stay on land, Jaws (1975)
Jaws gnaws on salty, old Quint like jerky, Jaws (1975)
A helicopter is like a Happy Meal to Jaws, Jaws 2 (1978)
Protein-craving Jaws chomps on a banana boat, Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
Jaws mistakes an airplane for a Twinkie, Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
Dinoshark breaks up a game of water polo, Dinoshark (2010)
Dinoshark really hates water polo players, Dinoshark (2010)
Dinoshark will do flying leaps for food, Dinoshark (2010)
Bull shark grabs a quick meal out of a mangrove tree, Shark Night 3D (2011)
Hammerhead shark goes toe-to-fin with a one-armed student athlete & his harpoon, Shark Night 3D (2011)
Great White Shark eats (a jet skiier) on the go, Shark Night 3D (2011)
Unseen sharks nibble on scuba divers, Open Water (2003)
Seafood? Sharktopus prefers landlubbers, Sharktopus (2010)
Sharktopus treats a bungee jumper like a worm on a fishing rod, Sharktopus (2010)
"Sleeping shark" has a scientist's arm for a midnight snack, Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Deep Blue Sea Skarsgard 2
Smart shark hurls scientist at his friends, Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Deep Blue Sea Samuel L. Jackson
Smart shark punctuates Samuel L. Jackson's stirring motivational speech, Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Shark goes for a ride on the Bat-copter via the Dark Knight's leg, Batman (1966)
Mega Shark Golden Gate Bridge
Mega Shark sees red, bites the Golden Gate Bridge, Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus (2009)
Mega Shark has serious hops, Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus (2009)
Spring Break Shark Attack
Sharks agree that spring break is like a meat market, Spring Break Shark Attack (2005)
Megalodon doesn't mind the sliminess of a guy who stole a life vest off a woman, Shark Attack 3: Megalodon (2002)
Megalodon eats a life raft whole like he's competing against Kobayashi, Shark Attack 3: Megalodon (2002)
Megalodon opens wide for a jet skiier, Shark Attack 3: Megalodon (2002)
Great White Shark nevers lets meal time get away, The Last Shark (1981)
2-Headed Shark Water Skiiers
Two water skiiers means two-headed shark never needs to share, 2-Headed Shark Attack (2012)
Two-headed shark always seems to find people in pairs, 2-Headed Shark Attack (2012)
Two-headed shark eats in church, like FTW, 2-Headed Shark Attack (2012)
