This article discusses the relationship between Jaws and the growing phenomenon known as selachophobia. Virtually non-existent prior to the films release, selachophobia is a phobia in which individuals are scared for their lives every time they step foot in the ocean. In some instances, individuals are so irrational about their fears that they cannot even go into a harmless bathtub without thinking they will be eaten. Although the idea of shark attacks had been prevalent since 725 B.C., Jaws put these ideas out there for millions to see in a seemingly realistic setting. Previously it had seemed a myth, however the shark Spielberg created was the size of a true great white that really did roam the water. The reality of the situation is brought to its height in Quint’s dramatic portrayal of his experience on the U.S.S. Indianapolis, a real ship wreck that lost hundreds at sea, many the result of shark attacks. All of a sudden shark attacks didn’t seem so far fetched-they were undeniably all over the ocean and a real life example had been provided. These aspects, blended with the brilliant suspense and terror scenes in the film worked to greatly heighten the fear of sharks. Many of us have an extremely mild case of selachophobia, in which we think about the possibility of sharks when we step in the ocean, however we can overcome this fear. For some though, this fear hit closer to home and had a more profound impact on their decision-making after seeing the film. According to the source, this fear not only would keep individuals out of the water, however it also would be a leading cause of the backlash against sharks. These individuals sough revenge against sharks, which would be evident in the decline in many species of sharks and the potential extinction of certain types.

    This review is a very well written piece that does a great job breaking down the aspects that make Jaws the masterpiece that it is, but also pointing out its flaws.  This article is worth noting because it explains how Jaws left such a shock on viewers and why it was so powerful even after audiences left the theater.  There are many horror films in many genres that haven’t had nearly the same impact as Jaws and this article provides a possible explanation.  Nesbit attributes the films success to the way Spielberg was able to set up scenes and master the art of suspense. It wasn’t only the gruesome images that had a lasting impact on the viewers, but also the element of surprise and not knowing exactly when the dreadful images would come.  This is a very important aspect to Jaws that made the film so influential.  Everyone knew at some point there would be bloodshed, yet the road there wasn’t so simple.  Spielberg used the prevalent theme song to build up the threat of violence, however its portentous tune didn’t necessarily mean something bad was immediately coming.  It was his way of putting the audience on the edge of their seats.  Numerous times he would intentionally mislead the audience, hyping them up for extreme violence, only to be children scuba diving or adults horsing around.  This technique added another dimension to the film, and added to its overall power.  If the film relied solely on freaking out the audience with shark attacks there’s no way its impact would have been felt the same way that it was.  As Nesbit points out, “Spielberg doesn't serve up mass quantities of blood and gore. He knows it's the anticipation of horror that brings suspense; there are relatively few killings.”  This technique works to make the ocean seem so gripping; every time it is shown there is the potential for something terrible to happen, yet it is unlikely.  Perhaps this is the lasting image that led to such an increase in the fear of sharks, as people could relate to shark attacks likely not occurring, however there would always be that mystical possibility.

Jaws became a Hollywood hit immediately upon its release in 1975. There are many reasons for its stunning success, one of the most important being the fear it instilled in audiences. It worked so well because of the power director Steven Spielberg had over audiences to keep them constantly scared of the shark images that would come next. This power worked not only to make Jaws so popular at the time, but also to have long term effects. The following articles touch on how Spielberg worked to make the film so effective as well as the films impact long after viewers saw Jaws, with a focus on the perception of sharks.

This 1975 article, entitled “Jawsmania,” explains the effects of Jaws’ success throughout the United States.  Aside from the obvious benefits for Universal Studios, which included a line of spin-off products, there was also an important impact on beach communities.  Following its’ release, there was an immediate increase in the number of shark sightings, as everybody seemed to be more on the lookout for sharks.  When a 14 year old girl was attacked by a sea animal, many assumed it was a shark, however the police chief claimed it likely could have been a bluefish.  In Georgia, swimmers killed a sea creature when they saw its dark form underneath the surface- it turned out to be a baby whale.  Because this article is written in the summer of the film’s release, it is very effective in illustrating the power the film had on its viewers.  The article also details the theater going experience, as Jaws was so powerful that it made individuals faint and others leave the theater every time a shark came on the screen.  Spielberg’s scenes worked so that no matter what kind of water real swimmers would later swim in, they would be thinking of Jaws.  Shark-free beaches would now have swimmers trembling, and one man even commented that, “My wife won’t even go into the goddam swimming pool anymore.”  Accounts such as these show the truly stimulating effects Jaws had on its many viewers. Obviously Jaws was too a large degree responsible for all the commotion surrounding sharks that would follow, however Newsweek hints at the idea that it was Spielberg’s power in manipulating the audiences that really accomplished this.  Most shark movies wouldn’t have the impact Jaws had, however the way Spielberg put the film together made it have the lasting impact.  One crucial aspect of this power came from the fact that it wasn’t only gory images that would shock the audience.  Instead, Spielberg constantly used the element of surprise and anticipation to confuse the audience and not allow them to feel comfortable anytime the ocean was being shown.  

This article focuses on sharks and how Americans’ views on sharks have evolved since around the 1970s. Author Stephen Papson writes about how the use of documentary films on Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week 90” has shaped the terror-filled relationship between humans and sharks. Papson also acknowledges Jaws as the first movie to “elevate the shark to celebrity status.”

As Papson states, it is easy to be mislead by the manner in which sharks were represented in early films due to the fact that many moviegoers’ first shark encounters occurred while watching one of those films. In Jaws, Steven Spielberg uses an oversized replica of a great white shark in conjunction with various “Hitchcockian devices” with which to involve the audience in the film while simultaneously maintaining a certain sense of reality so as to not lose the viewers.

However, 1971 marked the first significant contribution in film pertaining to sharks, particularly the great white shark -- Peter Gimbel and James Lipscomb’s documentary “Blue Water, White Death.” Many early films that involved sharks, including Gimbel and Lipscomb’s film, regarded sharks as evil man-eating machines. It was Spielberg’s Jaws that first cast sharks in a different light. The shark in Jaws was given “personality and internationality” which in turn led to the international media coverage of new shark encounters (including Time Magazine’s June 23, 1975 cover page). The opening scene, in which the audience experiences the action from the shark’s perspective, draws on humans’ primal fear of being attacked and eaten by a shark.

As one can see, Americans have been educated on the nature of sharks primarily through documentary film, but movies like Jaws helped in attaining global coverage of shark activity that eventually led to the production of “Shark Week 90,” giving Americans a trustworthy source of information on sharks.