Under Paris taps into one of our greatest fears — scary things in the water that want to eat you. There has been a long line of movies featuring underwater menaces ever since the success of Jaws, and there are a lot of people out there suffering from galeophobia who simply cannot stand them. But there are even more who are drawn to them, so if you are looking for some less obvious entries, here are 5 shark movies like Under Paris that aren’t Spielberg’s classic.
The Last Shark (1981)
Vic Morrow starred in this eighties bite fest which follows in the footsteps of Jaws and features a great white shark, angry at the development of a new beach in its territory and deciding to take action against the poor saps who visit.
Controversially the film would be the focus of a lawsuit, with Universal suing the producers on the grounds that it was was a Jaws rip-off, leading it to be pulled from theatres. The Italian schlocker probably falls into the category of being so bad it’s good, and is probably best enjoyed with a group of friends, a beer, and a pizza.
The Reef (2010)
This offering is set in The Great Barrier Reef, and features a tense premise, with a capsized sailboat, a group of survivors, and a shark intent on hunting them down in the water.
The Reef is a low-budget shocker that makes a mark by giving the characters some depth and allowing the audience to become invested in them before they become shark bait. The Australian production features real footage of sharks and aims at a realistic take on the genre, making this a bit of a hit when released.
12 Days of Terror (2004)
Set in 1916, this is an account of a true story that occurred in New Jersey, during a heat wave, and the ongoing war in Europe. A shark attack that took place on July 1st was the start of a twelve-day horror story that left four people dead and a fifth horribly injured.
The exact species of shark is still a mystery, some say great white, some say bull, and some speculated that a school of sharks was responsible. But regardless of the animal involved, the result was a terrifying ordeal for the unsuspecting beach revelers.
An underrated and worthwhile shark thriller.
Bait (2012)
At least this offering tries something a little different by stranding our cast in a supermarket after the effects of a devastating tsunami in Queensland Australia. Trying to survive in the waterlogged wasteland becomes a thousand times more difficult when the supermarket is breached by flesh-hungry sharks, looking to clean up in aisle five.
This is a little-known shark-based horror that manages to embrace its quirky setting, along the way becoming a hit in international theatres despite a poor showing in its home country. If you can get by the dated CGI, this is another film to be watched with friends.
Sand Sharks (2012)
We might as well finish with a real jump-the-shark movie, as our cast of characters in a small town become terrorized by prehistoric sharks that have evolved so they can swim through the sand, making the beach just as dangerous as the water.
This is more of a D or E movie than a B movie, and should only be approached if you know what to expect. Cheap, cheesy, shoddy, ambitious and ultimately befuddling, this is for die-hard fans only.
Do you have any other suggestions for shark movies like Under Paris? Let us know in the comments below.
