Happy Hauntings Horror Fans and happy July! This week we are changing the format just a bit, I wanna dive into some of my favorite shark movies available on Tubi. While Jaws and Sharknado are some obvious choices. I want to shed some light on other wild, thrilling, and bloody shark films. Additionally, this list will focus on sharks in locations where sharks shouldn't be. So don't expect any movies like Open Water or Shark Bait. Grab a lifevest and let's chat sharks in preparation for Shark Week next week!
NUMBER 5 AVALANCHE SHARK (2014)
This film revolves around cursed sharks who haunt a ski resort. Overall there was not enough shark in this for me. While the kills were bloody and the idea interesting, it just missed the mark in terms of being able to follow the plot. There were many characters each doing their own thing at the resort and we never got enough time with any characters to actually care about them. This could be a fun watch/ drinking game where you take a drink each time a character makes a terrible decision.
NUMBER 4 SWAMP SHARK (2011)
Swamp Shark takes place in a small town in Louisana. A shark ends up in the swamp after being dumped by some dumb animal smugglers. The shark then starts attacking the residents of the small community and a restaurant owner and her workers fight to put an end to the terror once and for all. Overall this one had some decent kills but seemed to lack the tension of a normal shark movie and again, we don't see the shark that much.
NUMBER 3 SHARK LAKE (2015)
Okay, so Shark Lake is one of the classic ideas for sharks in places they shouldn't be. This movie follows a shark that was put in a lake by an exotic animal trafficker before he was arrested. The shark goes unnoticed for years before it starts terrorizing this small lakeside town. This movie is very middle of the road. It has decent characters and an interesting B-plot. However, I wish we would have gotten more sharks and the tension did not feel as intense during Shark Lake since the police force is in denial for most of the film about the shark's existence.
NUMBER 2 LAND SHARK (2020)
Runner-up on my list is the Chinese film Land Shark. I really loved this one. This follows a team of scientists who need to try and kill an experimental shark that ends up escaping from its enclosure. This film had a great range of characters and a very easy story to follow. The tension with the shark felt very similar to Jaws so even when you don't see the shark the horror atmosphere is there. If you like shark movies and have yet to see this one please check it out while you can!
AND MY NUMBER 1 SHARK MOVIE GOES TO….
DRUMROLL PLEASE…..
SHARK SIDE OF THE MOON (2022)
Last but not least is Shark Side of the Moon. I have a whole Tubi Tuesday dedicated to this movie already but I really do love it. It has everything you could want! So much screen time for the sharks, an interesting backstory, and phenomenal kills. Shark Side of the Moon is about Russian-made human/shark hybrids sent to the moon during the space race. The film then jumps to the present day with new NASA astronauts traveling to the moon. Once there they find this colony of bi-pedal sharks who have a plan for dominating Earth. My favorite part about this movie was there were so many sharks! The storyline is wild but the actors fully commit and in my opinion, Shark Side of The Moon is a can't-miss experience.
In conclusion, if you are a shark nerd like me or just enjoy a good creature feature check out some of these eccentric shark movies. I love seeing how these movies justify the sharks being the in places they end up. Additionally, I would prefer these types of shark movies because it doesn't seem as exploitative to me. Often times I feel for the shark in ‘normal’ shark movies because it's just doing what it needs to in order to survive. Those movies also tend to place characteristics on sharks that are not present in most types of sharks, like being territorial or only wanting human blood after tasting it. These movies listed above are just out there enough and the sharks are altered into something else which makes them a new interesting creature for the characters to deal with and audiences to enjoy.