Ever since Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster Jaws was unleashed in June 1975 there has been wave after wave of sharksploitation movies. Following a dribble of Jaws imitators in the ’80s and ’90s, including the terrible third and fourth Universal Jaws sequels, the success of Deep Blue Sea (1999) initiated a new flurry of shark-themed films.
The success of The Asylum’s Mega Shark movies prompted ever more silly and outlandish productions that reached their apex with the increasingly self-mocking Sharknado franchise. Low-budget producers took the bait and a spate of even sillier shark movie mutations washed over our screens. There were also occasionally effective serious movies such as Bait 3D, The Shallows and 47 Meters Down, to remind us that sharks could indeed still be scary.
Meanwhile, the spoofs have continued and Deep Blue Sea spawned a couple of late-entry sequels. The long-gestating megabucks adaption of The Meg finally arrived in 2018 which then prompted a mockbuster from The Asylum.
The last couple of years have also seen several Chinese shark movies, which often have an ironic ecological theme considering the country’s poor record on pollution. So, without further ado, here’s a monster listing of what sharksploitation has to offer:
1975:
Jaws
1976:
The Jaws of Death aka Mako: The Jaws of Death
Shark Kill
1977:
Tintorera
1978:
The Sharks’ Cave
Jaws 2
1979:
The Shark Hunter
Zombie Flesh Eaters
1981:
Great White aka The Last Jaws
1983:
Jaws III aka Jaws 3-D
1984:
Monster Shark aka Devil Fish
1986:
Sharks Paradise
1987:
Jaws: The Revenge
1988:
Night of the Sharks
1990:
Deep Blood
1995:
Cruel Jaws
1996:
Aatank
1998:
Great White
1999:
Deep Blue Sea
Shark Attack
2000:
Shark Attack 2
2001:
Shark Hunter
2002:
Megalodon aka Sharkzilla
Shark Attack 3: Megalodon
2003:
Dark Waters
Open Water
Red Water
Shark Zone
2004:
12 Days of Terror
Blue Demon
Shark Attack in the Mediterranean
2005:
Hammerhead: Shark Frenzy aka SharkMan
Raging Sharks
Spring Break Shark Attack
2008:
Shark in Venice
Shark Swarm aka Great White
2009:
Malibu Shark Attack
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus
Psycho Shark aka Jaws in Japan
The Shark is Still Working
2010:
Dinoshark
Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus
The Reef
Sharktopus
2011:
Shark Night
Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast
Super Shark
Swamp Shark
2012:
2-Headed Shark Attack
Bait
Dark Tide
Jaws of the Shark
Jersey Shore Shark Attack
Jurassic Shark
Sand Sharks
Shark Week
2013:
Avalanche Sharks
Ghost Shark
Sharknado
2014:
90210 Shark Attack
Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws
Mega Shark vs Mecha Shark
Piranha Sharks
Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre
Sharknado 2: The Second One
Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda
2015:
3-Headed Shark Attack
Mega Shark vs Kolossus
Raiders of the Lost Shark
Roboshark
Shark Exorcist
Shark Killer
Shark Lake
Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!
Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf
Zombie Shark aka Shark Island
2016:
Atomic Shark
Dam Sharks!
Dickshark – coming soon… maybe
Ice Sharks
Ozark Sharks
Planet of the Sharks
The Shallows
Sharknado: The 4th Awakens
Sharkenstein
2017:
5 Headed Shark Attack
47 Meters Down
Empire of the Sharks
House Shark
Land Shark (USA)
Mississippi River Sharks
Open Water 3: Cage Dive aka Cage Dive
Sharknado 5: Global Swarming
Toxic Shark
Trailer Park Shark aka Shark Shock
2018
6-Headed Shark Attack
Deep Blue Sea 2
Frenzy aka Surrounded
The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time
The Meg
Megalodon
Nightmare Shark
Post Apocalyptic Commando Shark
Santa Jaws
2019:
47 Meters Down: Uncaged
Bad CGI Sharks
Snow Monster
2020:
Amityville Island
Deep Blue Sea 3
From the Depths
Horror Shark aka Blood Shark
Land Shark
Ouija Shark
Shark Encounters of the Third Kind
Shark Season aka Deep Blue Nightmare
Sky Sharks
Up from the Depths
Virus Shark
2021:
Apex Predators
Big Shark Attack
Escape from the Shark’s Mouth
Great White
Huge Shark
Jurassic Shark: Aquapocalypse
Killer Shark aka Death Shark
Mako
Megalodon Rising
No Shark
Noah’s Shark
Shark Huntress
Shark Island
Sharks of the Corn
Sharkula
Swim
2022:
Alien Shark
Amityville Shark House
Beneath the Surface
Big Shark (Tommy Wiseau!)
Blood in the Water
Bull Shark
Doll Shark
Maneater
Ouija Shark 2
The Reef: Stalked
The Requin aka From Below
Shark Bait
Shark Side of the Moon
Shark Waters
2023:
Bathtub Shark Attack
Blind Waters
Cocaine Shark
Deep Fear
Ninja vs Shark
Jurassic Shark 3: Seavenge
Meg 2: The Trench
Megalodon: The Frenzy
Shark Evil
Sharksploitation – documentary
Sharktopus (Chinese)
2024:
Beast of War
Bull Shark 2
Bull Shark 3
Chum!
Into the Deep
The Last Breath
No Way Up
Shark Exorcist 2: Unholy Waters
Shark Girl
Something in the Water
Under Paris
Forthcoming:
Fear Below
Mountain Shark
Shark City
The best, best worst and weirdest Jawsploitation:
