Greetings, and welcome back to October Horror Fest! Today, we dive into one of the most iconic and influential films of ALL TIME. Once I tell you its name, I’m pretty positive that ALL of you will be shocked that I haven’t seen it yet. And honestly, I’m pretty shocked too. After watching this movie, I understand why it is one of the most quintessential horror films of all time, especially for directors who like to exploit EVERY PART of human fear. Yes, my friends, I was NOT ready for what this monster had in store for me. To celebrate the second half of Horror Fest, let’s review the famous, the monstrous, Jaws. Without further ado, sit back, relax, turn off the lights, grab some Candy and Popcorn, and let’s review…

Jaws

(Yes, I haven’t seen Jaws until today, and you guys can bully me about that, I feel it is justified in this case)

Our tale begins on Amity Island, a nice quaint town on a New England island that VERY much reminds me of Hawkins, Indiana. (Chief Brody, who we will meet in a second, is a direct inspiration for Hopper, and even drives a VERY similar car, and EVENNNN says one of Hop’s famous lines, “I can do whatever I want, I’m the chief of police.”) We see a teenaged girl and boy, and this boy is DRUNKKKK out of his mind. While he’s basically passed out on the beach, the girl heads into the water to swim around. However, in one of the most iconic opening kills in history which literally INVENTED having opening kills, she is PULLED UNDER and ATTACKED by what seems to be an invisible presence. The next morning, her SEVERED HAND is found washed ashore. THAT’S ONE WAY TO START IT! We meet our boy Martin Brody, chief of police on Amity. He is one hell of a cop, even if it’s his first year. He’s originally from New York City, and has a wife (Ellen) and their two sons, Michael and Sean. What remains of the body (we barely see it but it is described in GRAPHIC detail) is taken into the coroner, who immediately thinks the attack came from a shark. Brody is VERY defensive about this, and immediately wants to shut down the beaches, as our boy actually cares about people. However, he is persuaded out of doing this by the Mayor of Amity, Mr. Larry Vaughn. (Larry SUCKS, although he has a lot more characterization that is utilized later he STILL sucks, just like the Mayor of Hawkins).

Larry cares about the upcoming 4th of July parties on the beach town more than the actual safety of the people, and says that the attack was probably just a boating incident, and not to close down the beaches (this is a VERY stupid decision). This man just wants the cash, and refuses to shut down. The coroner apparently joins in on the party, saying that it was “probably” a boating accident. Well, that’s just GREAT isn’t it. Brody has to carry on under this VERY wrong rhetoric, until he is proven right in the worst way possible. Later that day, the beach is flooded with people as it always is. However, something goes horribly, horribly wrong. A young Alex Kinter, only 11 (I believe, he’s either 11 or younger), gets PULLED UNDER the sea, his red blood becoming plumes of color floating towards the surface. This HORRIFIED me, I was NOT expecting the movie to go in the dead child route so fast.

Immediately after this, the town is outraged (for good reason), and the higher ups have a board meeting with the town. Brody says that he WILL be closing the beaches, but Larry (LITERALLY THE SAME NAME AS THE HAWKINS MAYOR IT JUST CLICKED) makes sure to say that the beaches will only be closed for 24 hours. At the meeting, funnily enough, a $3,000 dollar bounty is placed on Jaws (I’ll be referring to the shark as either Jaws or as Bruce, the name of the animatronic sharks (there were several) that were used to make him), which causes literally the entire town to show up on the water with their boats and complete inexperience and try to go shark hunting.

However, at the meeting, one interesting man introduces himself. His name is Quint, and he tells our boy Brody that if he wants this shark DEAD, he needs Quint’s help. However, he will only do it for $10k. Larry, being Larry, says that they will think about it, as the slightly insane but hilarious but ALSO amazingly written Quint excuses himself. (He will be our second member of the trio of boys in this film). Our final member of the trio is introduced just moments later, as he shows up right in the middle of the fishing frenzy on Amity. His name is Matt Hooper, an oceanographer from the Oceanographic Institute (no kidding). He examines the remains of our first girl who died in the opening kill, and in a scene of INCREDIBLE acting where he can barely stand the sight of the body, he says that they are NOT dealing with any sort of boating accident. They are dealing with a shark…

Ironically, back on the beach, just minutes after Hooper reveals that it is a shark, the islanders actually CATCH ONE! It, however, is a tiger shark, which Hooper explains to the islanders who made the catch. He says to Brody that the chances of this being the shark that killed the young boy and the young girl are about 100 to 1, and he has to make SURE by cutting open the fish and examining its digestive track. However, Larry, once again BEING LARRY, immediately gives a mini-press conference to reporters on the scene, saying that the beaches are open, and Amity will be OPEN FOR BUSINESS on the 4th (capitalism at its finest). Later that night, after Hooper shows up to Brody’s house and have a drink together (along with Ellen) in a HILAROUS scene, our two boys head out into the night to examine the shark. They arrive where the shark is being held, and Hooper cuts it open, finding (you guessed it), absolutely NO human remains. This is not the shark they’re looking for. Our boys immediately leave the storage shack where the imposter shark is being held, and book it to the seas (Brody has a DEEP rooted fear of the ocean, so he is very much freaking out while Hooper takes the reins). Hooper is well educated, rich, but also hilarious, and our man knows his way around a boat. Our boys set out on Hooper’s boat that night, just to try and track Jaws. However, they find something they were NOT expecting. They find a BOAT, which has been completely destroyed. Hooper dives into the water in a scuba suit to look around, and finds a shark tooth embedded into the wood of the ship. He keeps searching, and in an INSANELY iconic jumpscare, THE DISEMBODIED HEAD of Ben Gardner, a local Amity fisherman (and the owner of the boat), comes barreling out of the boat (I guess former owner now because this man is DEAD). GODDDDD

The next morning, Hooper and Brody immediately head out to find Larry, and tell him what they saw. However, since Hooper obviously dropped the tooth after being jumpsacred by a floating head, Larry in no way shape or form believes that a great white is out there in the waters. He REFUSES to close the beaches for the 4th (OF COURSE). Our boys spring into action, assembling a mini army to watch over the beaches. The next morning IS THE 4TH OF JULY BABBBYYYY WOOOOOOOOOO, and the island is poppin’. Even after initial hesitation about going into the water, most of the partiers go into the open ocean. However, after a shark prank by two kids pretending to be Bruce, everything goes REALLY REALLY bad. In one of the most iconic shark attacks ever put to screen, and the turning point of the film, Jaws appears and KILLS a boater, who was in the “pond” section of the beach lagoon, which was SUPPOSED to be safe. Micheal, who was in the water, immediately falls into shock, and is rushed to a hospital. NOT. GOOD. The next scene, while channeling his inner (and future) Jim Hopper, Brody pulls Larry aside, and forces the guilt ridden man (who is also lowkey losing it), to sign a blank check for Quint, allowing our boy Brody to assemble the dream team of himself, Hooper, and Quint to go hunt down Jaws, and end him…

We now begin our “second half” of the film, where our trio says goodbye to Amity, and goes to explore the open ocean to hunt down Jaws (or Bruce, honestly I don’t know which name I prefer). Immediately, as our trio boards Quint’s boat The Orca, the tension between Quint and Hooper is palpable, and can literally be sliced with a knife. These two do NOT like each other, and Quint takes every opportunity possible to dunk on Hooper. After an actual nice time where John Williams flashes his insane skill at not just making horror music but making hopeful music as well, the boys begin setting down chum from a bucket (I had to) into the water. However, when Brody turns his back, Jaws APPEARS from the water, getting increasingly closer to our boy. Brody backs up, eyes still on the water, and says his famous (ad-libbed btw) line, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat!”. Our trio heads onto the deck, and Quint estimates that Bruce is about 25 feet long weighing approximately 3 tons (SHEESH). Quint is able to harpoon Jaws with a rope attached to a floatation barrel, so our boys can keep an eye on Bruce AND hope he doesn’t have the strength to submerge. However, this is Jaws we’re talking about, and he immediately goes back under the boat (Jaws even circles the boat and goes UNDER it. In this movie, Bruce is presented as a methodical KILLER, not just a shark feeding for survival).

It’s now night, and our boys are held up in the cabin. Hooper and Quint are now both very drunk, which is a good time for them to actually have some bonding. While Brody takes a step back and hilariously looks for any scars on his body, Quint and Hooper take turns showcasing their various scars and the stories attached to them. However, all is sunshine and rainbows and laughter until Brody points out one very specific scar on Quint’s arm. Quint reveals his BIGGEST piece of characterization, and something that helps us so much more with his character. Quint reveals that the scar is actually from a removed tattoo, a tattoo of survivors of the USS Indianapolis. It is revealed by Quint that he was in the Navy in World War Two, and survived the sinking of the ship (this is a REAL historical event btw). He explains in shocking and horrific detail how most of the soldiers died in the water from, you guessed it, sharks. He says he will never wear a life vest again, and we can refer back to his trauma and PTSD from the Indianapolis’s sinking for explanation of his actions as we go forward. However, there is NO TIME for bonding, as Jaws appears from the water, RAMMING THE BOAT with all his force. Water comes aboard, as our trio panics and tries to fight back. However, before they can do anything against Bruce, the power cuts out. The engine has been disabled, and thanks to Bruce, so has the power. We cut to the next morning, after our trio worked through the night just to repair the engine and get power flowing through the Orca again.

Immediately, after BARELY getting the engine to work, Jaws appears once more, ramming the hull and swimming around the boat. Brody has enough of it, and runs to Quint’s radio to call the coast guard. However, Quint (psychologically, my theory is that he is almost locked in a personal battle with Jaws, thanks to his guilt and trauma over the sinking of the Indianapolis), DESTROYS THE RADIO, and walks out on Brody. Brody hilariously tries to fight back against this choice, but it is no use. Quint is basically obsessed with killing Jaws without ANY outside assistance, and he’s willing to do anything. Our trio heads outside, and spends a good five minutes just trying to wrangle Jaws and trap him. The ring around the rosey chase FINALLY ends when Quint gets Jaws with another harpoon attached to ANOTHER barrel. Our boys then tie the ropes from the barrels to the ship itself, attempting to sail back to shore and suffocate Bruce. However, this is, once again, THE Jaws, and he PULLS THE BOAT THE OTHER WAY. In one of the most insane scenes in the movie, our boys frantically try to sail the other way while Jaws literally tows them back to the open ocean. Water RUSHES aboard the ship, flooding the deck and the engine compartment below deck. The cleats (metal rivets that the ropes were attached to) finally break off the damaged ship, BUT the barrels stay attached to Jaws. Seeing that they are incredibly outmanned, they sail back towards shore (once again to try and suffocate Jaws in shallower waters), but the engine fails after Quint overloads it (once again, I honestly think this is because he wanted to battle Jaws SOOOOO bad, probably due to his trauma).

It’s now the incredible climax of the film, and stuff is going WILD in each and every direction. The Orca is taking on water TOO FAST for comfort, so Hooper makes the ultimate sacrifice (I’m just joking he’s pretty safe, or is he?). Hooper uses his shark-proof-cage (it’s exactly what you’re imagining, it’s literally a cage underneath the ocean that Hooper stands in), and Quint, without any other options, asks Hooper to use his “fancy tech” to END Jaws. Hooper has a hypodermic spear, intending to lethally inject Jaws through the mouth. The cage descends and descends, as Hooper goes under. He sees Jaws attacking, until he doesn’t. ??? SUDDENDLY, JAWS APPEARS FROM BEHIND HOOPER, attacking the cage with force. THE METAL BEGINS BENDING UNDER BRUCE’S BITE, AND HOOPER DROPS THE SPEAR. Jaws continues his attack on the cage, and Hooper dives into the water, hiding out on the bottom of the ocean floor. In the most HORRIFIC scene of this entire movie, Jaws literally JUMPS out of the water onto the deck of the sinking Orca, chomping wildly. Brody and Quint try to hold on as the boat capsizes, but Quint can’t forever. In literally the most horrible few seconds of the film, Quint FALLS DOWN THE BOAT, and right into the awaiting “Jaws” of Bruce. We see blood pouring EVERYWHERE as Quint is devoured by Jaws. He screams as blood spews from his mouth, as he is dragged under the waves. REST IN PEACE GOAT.

Brody runs into the cabin and tries to stay above the rising water, AS JAWS LITERALLY BREAKS OPEN THE WALL AND ATTACKS. Brody stays away, and is able to THROW a scuba tank into Bruce’s mouth. It is now time for one of the most famous theatrical endings of ALL TIME. Brody climbs onto the crows nest, and tries to get as high as he can from the water. It rises and rises, but this is MARTIN BRODY. He takes a rifle, and fires at the approaching Jaws. Finally, he gets the shot he wants, and in one of the most iconic one liners of all time, Brody BLOWS UP THE TANK, saying “Smile, you son of a…”. THE MONSTER HAS BEEN SLAIN. Brody stays afloat on the rest of the barrels, and HOOPER RISES FROM THE DEPTHS. Of course, our boy is alive, and Brody and Hooper share a laugh. The two men, hanging onto the barrels, paddle back to shore, with Brody saying he always used to hate the water, and Hooper ending our story on the line, “I can’t imagine why.”

THERE WE HAVE IT! This movie was INCREDIBLE, and I am so shocked I haven’t seen it yet. (Also, I apologize for this article being just a bit late!) Seriously. I’m embarrassed at myself that I haven’t seen it yet. Jaws is a masterpiece that I believe everyone should see at LEAST once in their life. It had everything. It had the story, the horror, the suspense, the characters, EVERYTHING. I really loved this movie, and I thank you all for sticking with me on it. HERE’S TO THE NEXT HALF OF OCTOBER!!! And, always remember, beware the beach. Next time you’re out there, you could be a monster’s next victim…