So people usually laugh at me when I say that Jaws is one of the most frightening movies I've ever seen. But if you're just a tiny bit scared of sharks and your imagination is decent enough to compensate for nearly forty year-old special effects technology, you might just find this film a strong contender in your scary movie section.
Released in 1975, "Jaws" has become a must-see classic, though often in the category of "funny" rather than "terrifying". I, for my part, saw it for the first time about two years ago, and had to pause it several times in order to breathe. My teddy bear was firmly planted on my lap, and if it hadn't been for my furry companion, I believe I might have fainted. This with the knowledge that movies generally don't scare me.
However, I do realise that recommending this movie on the basis that it's insanely frightening would only serve to disappoint most of you when you should eventually see it (if you haven't already), for, as I mentioned, most people don't find it all that chilling. I'm intensely scared of sharks, so for me it hit home. Love the huge, swimming fiends though. Love them. They're awesome. I just have a very, very high respect for huge, fishy things.
Nevertheless, even if you are not like me (in other words, sharks don't really give you the creeping willies), this movie is still suspenseful, well-cast and, believe it or not, surprising. Roy Scheider plays the hapless Police Cheif Martin Brody, who lives on an island and is, ironically enough, terrified of the water, Robert Shaw plays the absolutely batshit insane shark hunter Sam Quint, and Richard Dreyfuss plays Matt Hooper, the young and eager marine biologist, brought to the scene by his fascination with sharks. An overall pretty decent cast.
Oh, and also, people get eaten. Which is always fun.
