Spring has officially sprung and soon many of us will begin traveling in droves toward bodies of water for some rest and relaxation. As I ponder my own escape to the rocky shores of Cape Cod, it evoked images of all the things that lurk below the surface of the water. In commemoration our looming return to nature I thought it best to remember that when you don’t respect nature, it certainly won’t respect you. Below is a diverse conglomeration of American natural horror films focused on aquatic animals.
10. Frogs (1972).
A group of hapless victims is invited to an island estate crawling with evil frogs.
9. Tentacles (1977).
Ocean Beach, a seaside tourist resort, has come under attack by a giant octopus, which captures and devours human swimmers and boaters, picking the skeletons clean of flesh and bone marrow. Experts suspect the construction of an underwater tunnel by the Trojan company. Trojan has been using radio signals that have been “above regulated levels”, somehow maddening the octopus and causing it to attack human beings. In the end, the octopus is killed by Gleason’s pair of killer whales. (Wikipedia)
8. Barracuda (1978).
Little coastal town is being terrorized by deadly Barracudas.
7. Anacondas (1997).
A “National Geographic” film crew is taken hostage by an insane hunter, who takes them along on his quest to capture the world’s largest – and deadliest – snake.
6. Piranha (1978).
When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort’s rivers, the guests become their next meal.
5. Orca (1977).
A hunter squares off against a killer whale seeking vengeance for the death of its mate.
4. Mako: The Jaws of Death (1976).
The film is about a brooding loner who accidentally learns that he has a telepathic and emotional connection with sharks. He eventually rebukes society and sets out to protect sharks from people. This film is one of the first in the wave of films that sought to capitalize on the popularity of Jaws. The film’s sympathetic portrayal of sharks as the real “victims” of human exploitation, is notable in the maritime horror genre for having depicted the sharks as the heroes and man as the villain. (Wikipedia)
3. Deep Blue Sea (1999).
Searching for a cure to Alzheimer’s disease a group of scientists on an isolated research facility become the bait as a trio of intelligent sharks fight back. Also starring Samuel L. Jackson and some of the best delivered one liners.
2. Lake Placid (1999).
A group attempts to destroy a giant, 30-foot-long man-eating crocodile, which terrorizes Black Lake, Maine. More importantly, Betty White has a memorable role as the croc-feeding golden girl.
1. Jaws (1975).
When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it.
Honorable mention: Bermuda Depths (1978) – made for TV, Crocodile (2000) – Direct to video, and Mega Python vs Gatoroid (2011) – simply because it has a stellar fight scene between 80s superstars Tiffany and Debbie Gibson!!!
