10 Most Thrilling Shark Movies, Ranked (2024)

There's something in the ocean, but you can't see it. Something lurking beneath the refreshingly cool water. Did something just brush against your foot? Shark movies have been around for a long time, from the gloriously cheesy like Sharknado to overly serious takes like The Reef.Steven Spielberg revolutionized cinema with his classic Jaws, creating what we now know as the summer blockbuster and inspiring countless shark films since.

The vast ocean, with its mysterious and treacherous depths, has provided filmmakers with endless opportunities for creativity. They have explored everything from alien creatures lurking beneath the waves to terrifying beasts we know all too well. Among these, shark movies stand as the ultimate undersea thrillers due to their combination of ticking clocks (rising water or running out of air), isolation, and pure survival instincts. While not all of these films are masterpieces, these shark movies are the most thrilling, offering the best "bites" for your bucks.

10 '47 Meters Down: Uncaged' (2019)

Directed by Johannes Roberts

The unrelated sequel to the 2017 film 47 Meters Down, Uncaged features four teenage girls on a diving expedition in the Amazon rainforest. During their dive, they unwittingly unleash a pack of blind, albino great white sharks that are looking for their next meal. The girls try to reunite with one of their fathers (played by John Corbett) and get to safety before being turned into fish food one by one.

47 Meters Down: Uncaged, gets points for the claustrophobic underwater temple, with tunnels and dead ends causing the characters and viewers to panic. The blind albino sharks are somewhat silly, and look slightly like concrete, but the concept adds a new twist to the old formula. While the sharks don't actually make an appearance until roughly 20 minutes in, there are several jump-out-of-your-skin moments, mostly due to the sound whenever the sharks appear (it is akin to the sound Hans Zimmer used for Inception). A particularly nail-biting sequence has the girls scrambling up the sides of a pulley system, and hungry sharks waiting below.

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47 Meters Down: Uncaged

PG-13

Horror

Adventure

Drama

Thriller

47 Meters Down: Uncaged follows the story of four teenage girls: Mia, Sasha, Alexa, and Nicole. The girls explore a submerged Mayan city, but their adventure quickly turns into a nightmare when they encounter deadly, blind sharks that have adapted to the dark underwater environment. Trapped in a claustrophobic labyrinth of submerged caves, the girls must find a way to escape the sharks and survive.

Release Date

August 16, 2019

Director

Johannes Roberts

Cast

Sophie Nélisse , Corinne Foxx , Brianne Tju , Sistine Rose Stallone , John Corbett , Nia Long

Runtime

90 Minutes

Main Genre

Horror

Writers

Johannes Roberts , Ernest Riera

9 '47 Meters Down' (2017)

Directed by Johannes Roberts

Featuring Claire Holt and Mandy Moore, the first 47 Meters Down follows two sisters who go on a cage dive while vacationing in Mexico. When the winch boom breaks and the cage plummets to the bottom of the ocean – where a group of hungry great whites are swimming – the two have to figure out how to survive. Above, Captain Taylor (Matthew Modine) tries to get help, but the sisters have to wait it out until the Coast Guard comes.

47 Meters Down is one of the scariest shark movies out there, not because the sharks go on much of a killing spree (there are only two deaths), but because of the primal fear that it instills. The general terror of being trapped underwater is enough to put viewers on edge, but the predatory creatures lurking just out of sight add an extra layer of tension. The ticking clock of running out of air forces the sisters to make a break for the surface; a lit flare illuminates a spine-chilling scene of snapping teeth. If the sharks don't get to you, the claustrophobia of being stuck and running out of air will.

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47 Meters Down

PG-13

Thriller

Adventure

Documentary

Horror

Release Date

May 25, 2017

Director

Johannes Roberts

Cast

Mandy Moore , Claire Holt , Chris J. Johnson , Yani Gellman , Santiago Segura , Matthew Modine

Runtime

87

Main Genre

Thriller

Writers

Johannes Roberts , Ernest Riera

8 'Shark Night 3D' (2011)

Directed by David R. Ellis

Starring some familiar faces – Sara Paxton (The Innkeepers), Dustin Milligan (Hot Frosty), Donal Logue (Gotham), and American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee – the PG-13 romp Shark Night was originally released in 3D and is a sufficiently silly entry. The story follows a group of college kids to a lakeside cabin for a fun vacation. What they don't know, however, is that they stumbled into the money-making scheme of several locals. The villains have released various sharks into the saltwater lake, equipped with cameras to capture some gruesome footage to sell to depraved buyers. After attracting a shark while jetskiing, the kids must figure out how to survive threats from both humans and sharks.

While not very graphic in terms of gore, Shark Night 3D features many kills to get viewers' adrenaline going. What little gore appears is somewhat cheesy, like a "missing" arm clearly tucked into the actor's shirt or just shots of red water, but some of the shark puppets are successfully intimidating. Shark Night sets itself apart by featuring a variety of sharks: great whites, tiger, cookie-cutter, and even a hammerhead! It also features 3D effects, with sharks lunging at the audience in expected, but effective, jump scares. While the film is mostly silly, fans should enjoy the water chase sequences, campy villains, and a shark getting punched in the face.

Shark Night 3D

PG-13

Horror

Thriller

Where to Watch

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Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

September 2, 2011

Director

David R. Ellis

Cast

Sara Paxton , Dustin Milligan , Chris Carmack , Katharine McPhee , Chris Zylka , Alyssa Diaz

Runtime

91

Main Genre

Horror

Writers

Will Hayes , Jesse Studenberg

7 'Meg 2: The Trench' (2023)

Directed by Ben Wheatley

Jason Statham returns to the ocean for more megalodon action in Meg 2: The Trench. Picking up years after the first film, Jonas Taylor (Statham) and a team of scientists face a sinister mining operation, mercenaries, and gigantic megalodon sharks – including one that scientist Jiuming (Wu Jing) raised and "trained." The sequel ups the ante even more by adding creatures called Snappers and a giant octopus into the mix.

Meg 2: The Trench takes a little while to get into the action, but then it doesn't let up. The intense underwater chase scenes (both human and submersible), large-scale action sequences (it is a Jason Statham movie after all), and the enormity of the creatures compound to create a mostly thrilling experience. While some audiences thought the film jumped the shark (ahem) with the Snappers, others lauded the film for not taking itself too seriously, but still getting hearts racing with the film's sheer spectacle. The cherry on top of the campy sundae comes when Jiuming says that his shark might be pregnant, setting up a third film for the franchise.

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Meg 2: The Trench

PG-13

Action

Science Fiction

Horror

Director

Ben Wheatley

Cast

Jason Statham , Wu Jing , Shuya Sophia Cai , Page Kennedy , Sergio Peris-Mencheta , Sienna Guillory , Cliff Curtis , Skyler Samuels , Melissanthi Mahut , Whoopie van Raam , Kiran Sonia Sawar , Felix Mayr , Guo Tao , Robin Hill , Dai Lele , Ivy Tsui , Stewart Alexander , Able Wanamakok , Kenneth Won , Bai Narisu , Matthew Stirling , Richard Glover , Billy Clements , Jonny James , Sara Dee

Runtime

116 minutes

Writers

Erich Hoeber , Jon Hoeber

6 'Bait' (2012)

Directed by Kimble Rendall

Bait is an underrated Australian film which features sharks in a grocery store. After an earthquake, a tsunami devastates the coastline, flooding the aforementioned store housing our heroes and human villains. Two great whites get uprooted by the waves; one in the store itself, and one in the parking lot below. The survivors have to deal with debris, rising water, injuries, and the hungry sharks waiting below.

Bait starts off strong, with a graphic scene of shark mayhem, but drags a bit when setting up the supermarket locale and some of the side characters are hit-or-miss. Then, in a thrilling set piece, Bait doesn't shy away from the utter devastation of the tsunami as waves destroy buildings and people run for their lives – and then it's non-stop thrills to the climax. No strangers to being the "final person" in horror, Xavier Samuel (The Loved Ones) and Sharni Vinson (You're Next) use everything at their disposal in the market to make their escape in several refreshing new ways. The film's pacing (after the tsunami) successfully builds tension in the confined space, and several death scenes will definitely leave a gruesome lasting impression.

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Bait

R

Horror

Thriller

Action

Bait plunges a group of shoppers into chaos as a freak tsunami floods a coastal Australian supermarket, trapping them inside. To make matters worse, 12-foot great white sharks infiltrate the store, transforming their predicament into a frantic battle for survival. As they navigate the flooded aisles, they must also contend with electrocution risks and dwindling resources, heightening the tension of their desperate fight for life.

Release Date

September 14, 2012

Director

Kimble Rendall

Cast

Xavier Samuel , Sharni Vinson , Adrian Pang , Qi Yuwu , Alex Russell , Phoebe Tonkin , Martin Sacks , Alice Parkinson , Julian McMahon , Dan Wyllie , Cariba Heine , Lincoln Lewis , Damien Garvey , Richard Brancatisano , Chris Betts

Main Genre

Horror

Writers

Russell Mulcahy , John Kim

5 'The Shallows' (2016)

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

Blake Lively gives a solid performance as shark food in The Shallows. Unfortunately for the shark, though, the food fights back. Lively stars as Nancy, a medical student taking a surfing trip to Mexico after her mother dies from cancer. While there, she gets in the way of a hungry great white shark, and is stranded on a rock until she can use her survival skills to escape – with no one but Steven the seagull to keep her company and motivated.

There are not many fatalities in The Shallows, but the shock value of those few kills, and Nancy's subsequent fight for survival make for a superb shark flick. The looming threat early on in the film, the shark's shadow stalking Nancy without her knowing, sets up fans for a tense viewing experience. The sudden bursts of the violent shark attacks provide ample thrills, and some great gore effects – a whale carcass, Nancy's injuries, and shark bites – show the severity of the situation. When Nancy can't wait for help any longer, she goes head-to-head with the shark in an exciting showdown.

The Shallows

PG-13

Thriller

Horror

The Shallows follows Nancy Adams, a young surfer who's attacked by a great white shark after getting stranded 200 yards from the shore while surfing alone at a secluded beach in Mexico. Blake Lively stars in the 2016 survival thriller, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.

Where to Watch

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Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

June 24, 2016

Director

Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast

Blake Lively , Oscar Jaenada , Angelo Josue Lozano Corzo , Joseph Salas , Brett Cullen , Sedona Legge

Runtime

87 minutes

Main Genre

Thriller

Writers

Anthony Jaswinski

4 'The Meg' (2018)

Directed by Jon Turteltaub

Jason Statham is synonymous with action, and his first outing into the ocean with The Meg is no exception. Packed to the gills with thrills, The Meg has Staham's Jonas Taylor taking on a giant megalodon shark that stalks a team exploring the Mariana Trench. Oceanographer Suyin (Li Bingbing) also gets in on the action when her 8-year-old daugher Meiying (Sophia Cai) is put at risk.

This campy take on the genre doesn't skimp on the action, with submersible chase sequences, giant squid attacks, and humans sacrificing themselves to save others. The Meg builds tension further when, after thinking Suyin killed it, a second, larger shark reveals itself as a threat. In a wink to audiences, the film puts a dog in peril (heavily featured in the marketing) only to have it live to see another Meg in The Trench. The ending of The Meg is particularly brutal and visceral, making for a high-stakes and heart-pounding finale.

The Meg

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

A group of scientists exploring the Marianas Trench encounter the largest marine predator that has ever existed - the Megalodon.

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Release Date

August 10, 2018

Director

Jon Turteltaub

Cast

Jason Statham , Bingbing Li , Rainn Wilson , Ruby Rose , Winston Chao , Cliff Curtis

Runtime

113 minutes

Main Genre

Action

3 'Under Paris' (2024)

Directed by Xavier Gens

The most recent entry into the shark genre comes from France. Netflix's Under Paris follows Bérénice Bejo's Sophia, a marine researcher tracking a mako shark named Lilith. Three years after Lilith kills Sophia's team (including her husband), Sophia is dragged back into the mess when Lilith finds her way into the Seine – just in time for a heavily attended triathlon, which the mayor refuses to cancel. The stakes are higher than the characters realize, though, and Under Paris grips viewers and has them gasping for air.

In some of the more tension-filled scenes, Under Paris effectively utilizes the murky water or a trash-filled ocean to its advantage. The characters can't see what's coming for them, but the feeling that a threat is close by always lingers. The audience knows that Lilith is coming, but not always when, anticipation building in the quiet before the chaos. Several frantic scenes punctuate Under Paris with graphic carnage – from Lilith and her offspring descimating environmentalists to the human buffet swimming in the Seine. The film, and Lilith, captivated audiences enough to warrant a sequel.

Under Paris

A team of urban explorers ventures into the depths of Paris' catacombs, discovering a long-hidden secret that could change everything they know about the city. As they delve deeper, they encounter supernatural occurrences and deadly traps that test their limits.

Where to Watch

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Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

June 5, 2024

Director

Xavier Gens

Cast

Berenice Bejo , Nassim Lyes , Léa Léviant , Anaïs Parello , Iñaki Lartigue

Runtime

101 Minutes

Main Genre

Mystery

Writers

Xavier Gens , Yannick Dahan , Maud Heywang

2 'Deep Blue Sea' (1999)

Directed by Renny Harlin

Director Renny Harlin's Deep Blue Sea is often cited as a fan-favorite shark film. It features some notable stars – including Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsgård, Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, and LL Cool J – in a quest to cure Alzheimer's. Susan (Burrows) and her team work in an underwater facility and have genetically enhanced their shark test subjects in the hope of a medical breakthrough. An unintended side effect of their research: the sharks have gotten smarter. When the researchers try to take a routine sample from one of their great whites, the shark instead takes a human sample of Jim's (Skarsgård) arm. And that is only the beginning of the chaos.

From top to bottom, Deep Blue Sea takes viewers on an exciting thrill ride. The opening shark attack scene and climax are reminiscent of Jaws, and it also features one of the best jump-scares in film, firmly solidifying itself as a top-notch shark movie. The plot point that the sharks are smarter than normal also enhances the terror; they can do things like swim backwards away from trouble, and set an oven to "on" with a human inside. Deep Blue Sea features a small cast for the sharks to chomp down on, but the characters are relatable and mostly charming (except for Susan, whom test audiences demanded the film kill off). With the tight spaces of the facility, rising water levels, and sharks on the prowl, there are plenty of chills and thrills to be had in the deep blue sea.

Deep Blue Sea

R

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Action

Horror

Where to Watch

• stream
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*Availability in US

Release Date

July 28, 1999

Director

Renny Harlin

Cast

Saffron Burrows , Thomas Jane , LL Cool J , Jacqueline McKenzie , Michael Rapaport , Stellan Skarsgård , Samuel L. Jackson

Runtime

105 minutes

Writers

Duncan Kennedy , Donna Powers , Wayne Powers

Budget

$60 million

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Sequel(s)

Deep Blue Sea 2 , Deep Blue Sea 3

1 'Jaws' (1975)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Generally regarded as the best shark movie of all time, Spielberg's classic sees a hungry great white (lovingly nicknamed Bruce on set) stalking the beaches of Amity Island. Chief Brody (Roy Scheider), Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and Quint (Robert Shaw) begrudingly team up to combat the beast when the mayor refuses to shut the beaches down over the July 4th weekend. Jaws set the standard for shark films, from the shark POV shots to the authorities refusing to listen to reason.

Due to well-documented technical difficulties on set, Spielberg couldn't show the shark much (and this was way before terrible CGI sharks), which created a mysterious threat that finally gets revealed in the thrilling ending. The slow-burn pacing of the film allowed viewers to sink their teeth into the characters and performances, exemplified in Quint's captivating and horrifying Indianapolis monologue (which itself was turned into a movie starring Nicolas Cage). While Jaws is more deliberately paced than other films on this list, Spielberg's use of atmosphere and pacing combined with John Williams' notorious score ratchets up the tension and keeps viewers on the edge of their seats all the way through the explosive finale.

Jaws

PG-13

Adventure

Horror

Thriller

Where to Watch

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*Availability in US

Release Date

June 18, 1975

Director

Steven Spielberg

Cast

Roy Scheider , Robert Shaw , Richard Dreyfuss , Lorraine Gary , Murray Hamilton , Carl Gottlieb

Runtime

124 minutes

Main Genre

Adventure

Writers

Peter Benchley , Carl Gottlieb , John Milius , Howard Sackler , Robert Shaw

Tagline

Franchise

Jaws

Sequel

Jaws: The Revenge, Jaws 3, Jaws 2

Cinematographer

Bill Butler

Producer

Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown

Production Company

Zanuck/Brown Productions

Budget

$7 million

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