The yellow barrels. The haunting two-note score. The blood-red surf. We all know the movie.
When “Jaws” hit theaters on June 20, 1975, it forever changed how Americans viewed sharks — sparking a fear that still lingers today. Some viewers say the film scared them away from beaches, pools, and even bathtubs. But over time, that fear evolved into fascination.
Now, as Martha’s Vineyard celebrates the film’s 50th anniversary, locals and scientists are working to rewrite the story of the great white. After “Jaws” debuted, a wave of shark phobias and trophy hunting contributed to a sharp decline in shark populations — a legacy advocates now hope to confront and correct.
As the population and reputation of sharks off the coast of Massachusetts have begun to rebound, many are using the 50th anniversary of “Jaws” to remind the public of the importance of sharks and how to stay safe as beachgoers increasingly find themselves in close proximity to the predators.
Is ‘Jaws’ based on a true story?
The iconic film that launched Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster career — and cemented his place as one of the most successful filmmakers of all time — was inspired by real events, though it’s not a true story.
The movie is actually based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley, who drew inspiration from the series of attacks along the Jersey Shore in the summer of 1916, when a juvenile great white killed four people over 12 days as it traveled nearly 70 miles up the coast, according to BBC.
The first victim — a recent University of Pennsylvania graduate — died while swimming, but the incident went largely unnoticed; many assumed he was joking. The second attack was harder to ignore: beachgoers discovered a bloodied body, bitten in half. The story made the front page of The New York Times, and panic began to spread.
Two more fatal attacks occurred after the shark swam about 4 miles upstream in Matawan Creek — a brackish tidal estuary well inland from the New Jersey shoreline.
At this point, an expert from the American Museum of Natural History identified the culprit as a great white shark. Panicked residents then launched shark hunts, determined to stop the creature that had terrorized their community.
The shark was ultimately killed by a local man who fought it off as it attacked his boat — sealing his place in history as a hero.
Where to watch ‘Jaws’ on the 50th anniversary
“Jaws” and its three sequels are streaming now on Peacock.
Tonight, NBC will air a special three-hour presentation of the original film, featuring an introduction by Steven Spielberg.
Plus, catch “Jaws” back on the big screen with a special re-release on Aug. 29.
Is ‘Jaws’ the scariest film of all time?
Watch it once or hundreds of times and the scare seems fresh every time, Dawn Keetley, editor of the journal Horror Studies and professor of English and film at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, told USA TODAY.
“Spielberg presents this shark as a pure animal force that we run into at our peril,” Keetley says. She notes that “Jaws” starts out a pure horror film, then morphs into a perilous and tense buddy film when the three protagonists head off in a boat in search of the beast that haunts them.
“Sharks stand in perfectly for wild nature that’s at the edge of where humans can go, and as humans, we always push at the border,” she says. “Sharks mark where we can’t go very easily, maybe where we shouldn’t go. To the dangerous and the forbidden.”
Contributing: Marco della Cava and N’dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: ‘Jaws,’ Steven Spielberg’s first blockbuster, turns 50 today: Where to watch the film
Reporting by Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman / Austin American-Statesman
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
