Jaws was one of the most popular movies of the period it was released and continues to be a cult favorite. It has created a fear of sharks in everyone who watched it. The scary and tension-inducing music, the image of the giant shark swimming towards the small human, and the wide and unforgiving ocean all factor into the deep fear of sharks. But where did Jaws draw their inspiration from?
In July of 1916, a series of shark attacks in New Jersey terrorized swimmers and killed many. Sharks generally avoid human interaction and keep to themselves, although the shark in these attacks was different than the usual. The people in the water were doing nothing to bother the shark; them being in the water was enough. The first death did not make as big a splash (see what I did there) as perhaps it should have. People on the beach heard the man being attacked screaming from the water, but they thought he was screwing around and ignored it. His body drifted below the waves and no one thought anything about it. This was the first recorded shark attack death. The second swimmer that was attacked ended up washing up on the beach, their half eaten body mauled and deformed. The beach-goers, seeing this, ran from the beach in terror. From that point on, sharks were demonized in the media. The wild shark killed five people in total, and the story lived on in infamy. In 1975, Spielberg released the summer hit “Jaws”, which was based on the events of the summer of 1916. Knowing what we know about sharks now – that they are relatively docile when it comes to humans – makes Jaws look like a fictional and maybe even a little obscure story. Although, Jaws was dramatized, the story it told was not too far off. The maulings of the five swimmers on the Jersey Shore on that fateful summer will forever live on through Jaws, and Jaws will continue to scare the hell out of anyone thinking of taking a visit to the beach.
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160713-the-true-story-of-jaws
This is sad, but I have never watched JAWS. Of course I know all about it though! It’s not very comforting to hear that Jaws could possibly happen to anyone, but I do think it is interesting that Jaws is based off of real life experiences. While I enjoyed this post, it makes me not want to go in the ocean again lol.
How can I join a Jaws fan site without social media? Facebook has a sexual lust in blocking me all it the damned time, an Twit just banned me last night!