In the 2023 documentary, Sharksploitation, writer/director Stephen Scarlata tracks the evolution of shark films. From those that existed before 1975’s seminal Jaws to those that were inspired by 2013’s over-the-top Sharknado and (almost) everything in between, Scarlata attempts to categorize the various eras in the “sharksploitation” genre. He does thisContinue Reading
With the advent of affordable computer graphics programs, independent filmmakers are capable of adding special effects to their movies that were once only possible with millions of dollars of equipment. Unfortunately, most don’t take the time to make them look anywhere near as good as those older, more expensive effects.Continue Reading
Shark movies come in many varieties. There are a plethora of over-the-top and ridiculous ones. However, boring movies featuring sharks are almost as rare as truly exciting ones. One such boring shark film is Deep Blood. Directed by the prolific Joe D’Amato, Deep Blood is an Italian sharksploitation film thatContinue Reading
Oh, SyFy. Where would the sharksploitation sub-genre be without you? For a while, the channel pumped out one completely insane shark movie after another. Most of them are complete garbage with their concepts — usually given away in the title — being better than the actual movies. Occasionally, some ofContinue Reading
Prompted by the success of the completely bonkers Sharknado series of films, an influx of ridiculous shark movies has washed up on screens lately. Avalanche Sharks, Raiders of the Lost Shark, Land Shark, Ghost Shark and the obviously documentary-style Five-Headed Shark Attack are just some of the creatively titled butContinue Reading
Mako: The Jaws of Death centers around Sonny Stein (Richard Jaeckel,) a Vietnam vet who can telepathically communicate with sharks. Sonny patrols around the Florida Keys to protect sharks from harm. In the opening scene, a fishing charter hooks a tiger shark. Sonny swims in, cuts the line, and thenContinue Reading
One complaint that I have about most shark-related movies is that they’re wildly exaggerated. Sharks don’t actively hunt people. Most shark attacks are accidents, with the shark not knowing that it is biting a human. Once a shark discovers what it’s bitten isn’t a seal or other prey item, itContinue Reading