{{Short description|Subgenre of exploitation film}} {{For|the 2023 documentary film|Sharksploitation (film){{!}}''Sharksploitation'' (film)}} {{Multiple issues| {{More citations needed|date=July 2023}} {{Original research|date=July 2023}} }} '''Sharksploitation''' is a subgenre of [[exploitation film]] that involves [[shark]]s or [[shark attack]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2005/06/the-sad-decline-of-the-shark-movie.html|title=Sharksploitation! ''Jaws'' and the sad decline of the shark movie|last=Onion|first=Rebecca|date=June 16, 2005|website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3766747/sharksploitation-shudder-original-shark-horror-documentary-premieres-this-summer/|title='Sharksploitation' – Shudder Original Shark Horror Documentary Premieres This Summer|last=Squires|first=John|date=June 22, 2023|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|access-date=July 25, 2023}}</ref> The genre emerged in the wake of the 1975 film ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'' and [[Jaws (franchise)|its sequels]], but fell in [[popularity]] soon after.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.livescience.com/8309-jaws-changed-view-great-white-sharks.html|title=How 'Jaws' Forever Changed Our View of Great White Sharks|last=Choi|first=Charles Q.|date=June 20, 2010|website=[[LiveScience]]|access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref> The 1999 film ''[[Deep Blue Sea (1999 film)|Deep Blue Sea]]'' brought it back to public prominence. Other examples of sharksploitation films include ''[[Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus]]'' (2009), ''[[Dinoshark]]'', ''[[Sharktopus]]'' (both 2010), ''[[Snow Shark]]'' (2012), ''[[Ghost Shark]]'' (2013), ''[[Avalanche Sharks]]'' (2014), and the ''[[Sharknado (film series)|Sharknado]]'' film series (2013–2018).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/last-sharknado-won-t-be-end-sharksploitation-films-sharks-do-ncna901406|title=The last 'Sharknado' won't be the end of sharksploitation films. But sharks do need saving.|last=Howard|first=Jules|date=August 19, 2018|website=[[NBC News]]|access-date=July 25, 2023}}</ref>
In 2023, a feature-length documentary film about the subgenre, titled ''[[Sharksploitation (film)|Sharksploitation]]'', was produced and released by [[Shudder (streaming service)|Shudder]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/festivals/jaws-films-frontieres-doc-sharksploitation-1235032520/|title=Doc 'Sharksploitation' Delves into the Sub-Genre Spawned by Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' (Exclusive)|last=de la Fuente|first=Anna Marie|date=August 2, 2021|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=July 25, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3766747/sharksploitation-shudder-original-shark-horror-documentary-premieres-this-summer/|title='Sharksploitation' – Shudder Original Shark Horror Documentary Premieres This Summer|last=Squires|first=John|date=June 22, 2023|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|access-date=July 25, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenanarchy.com/2023/07/sharksploitation-trailer-doc-shudder-this-friday.html|title=Sharksploitation Trailer: Shark Horror Doc Debuts on Shudder This Friday|last=Mack|first=Andrew|date=July 18, 2023|website=[[Screen Anarchy]]|access-date=July 25, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indailyqld.com.au/inreview/film-tv/2025/10/22/bite-on-this-why-were-obsessed-with-bloody-shark-flicks|date=22 October 2025|access-date=22 October 2025|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|newspaper=InDaily Qld|title=Bite on this! Why we’re obsessed with bloody shark flicks}}</ref>
== Notable sharksploitation films == {{unreferenced section|date=March 2024}} {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Films ! Series ! Genre |- | 1950 | ''[[Killer Shark]]'' | NA | Adventure |- | 1960 | [[Shark! (film)|''Shark!'']] | N/A | Action |- | 1975 | [[Jaws (film)|''Jaws'']] | [[Jaws (franchise)|''Jaws'']] | Thriller |- | 1975 | ''[[Sharks' Treasure]]'' | N/A | Adventure |- | 1976 | ''[[Mako: The Jaws of Death]]'' | N/A | Thriller |- | 1976 | ''[[Shark Kill]]'' | N/A | Adventure |- | 1977 | ''[[Tintorera]]'', also known as ''Tintorera: Killer Shark.'' | N/A | Horror |- | 1978 | ''[[Jaws 2]]'' | [[Jaws (franchise)|''Jaws'']] | Thriller |- | 1978 | [[Cyclone (1978 film)|''Cyclone'']] ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: {{Lang|es|El Ciclón}}), also known as ''Terror Storm'' | N/A | Survival/Horror |- | 1979 | ''[[The Shark Hunter]]'' | N/A | Adventure |- | 1981 | ''[[The Last Shark]]'', also known as ''Great White'' | N/A | Horror |- | 1981 | [[Beyond the Reef (film)|''Beyond the Reef'']] | N/A | Adventure |- | 1983 | ''[[Jaws 3-D]]'' | [[Jaws (franchise)|''Jaws'']] | Thriller |- | 1987 | ''[[Jaws: The Revenge]]'' | [[Jaws (franchise)|''Jaws'']] | Thriller |- | 1989 | ''[[Night of the Sharks]]'' | N/A | Action |- | 1989 | ''[[Deep Blood]]'', also known as ''Sharks'' or <span dir="ltr" lang="it">''Sangue negli abissi''</span> ([[Italian language|Italian]], lit. "Blood in the Abyss") | N/A | Adventure/Horror |- | 1995 | ''[[Cruel Jaws]]'' | N/A | Thriller |- | 1999 | [[Deep Blue Sea (1999 film)|''Deep Blue Sea'']] | ''[[Deep Blue Sea (film series)|Deep Blue Sea]]'' | Sci-fi/Horror |- | 1999 | [[Shark Attack (film)|''Shark Attack'']] | ''Shark Attack'' | Thriller |- | 2000 | ''[[Shark Attack 2]]'' | ''Shark Attack'' | Thriller |- | 2002 | [[Shark Attack 3|''Shark Attack 3: Megalodon'']] | ''Shark Attack'' | Thriller |- | 2003 | ''[[Open Water (film)|Open Water]]''{{efn|name=open-water|''[[Open Water 2]]'' has been excluded from this list. Although it is nominally part of the ''[[Open Water (film series)|Open Water]]'' franchise, it is thematically unrelated to either ''Open Water'' or ''Open Water 3''.}} | ''[[Open Water (film series)|Open Water]]'' | Survival/Thriller |- | 2003 | ''[[Red Water]]'' | N/A | Action/Horror |- | 2003 | ''[[Shark Zone]]'' | N/A | Horror |- | 2004 | ''[[12 Days of Terror]]'' | N/A | Horror/Thriller |- | 2004 | ''[[Blue Demon (film)|Blue Demon]]'' | N/A | Sci-fi/Horror |- | 2005 | ''[[Hammerhead: Shark Frenzy]]'', also known as ''Sharkman'' or ''Hammerhead'' | N/A | Sci-fi/Action/Horror |- | 2005 | ''[[Raging Sharks]]'' | N/A | Sci-fi/Action/Horror |- | 2005 | ''[[Spring Break Shark Attack]]'' | N/A | Action/Adventure/Drama |- | 2008 | ''[[Shark Swarm]]'', also known as ''Great White'' | N/A | Thriller |- | 2008 | ''[[Shark in Venice]]'', also known as ''Sharks in Venice'' in the U.S. | N/A | Natural horror/Action |- | 2009 | ''[[Jaws in Japan]]'', also known as ''Psycho Shark'' | N/A (unrelated to the ''Jaws'' franchise) | Horror |- | 2009 | ''[[Malibu Shark Attack]]'', also known as ''Mega Shark of Malibu'' | It is a part of the SyFy Channel's ''Maneater'' series (which is unrelated to the ''Shark Attack'' or ''Mega Shark'' franchises), along with ''Shark Swarm'', ''Shark'' ''Killer'', and 25 other natural horror creature features. | Natural horror |- | 2009 | ''[[Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus]]'' | ''Mega Shark Versus'' | Creature feature |- | 2010 | ''[[Dinoshark]]'' | N/A | Horror/Comedy |- | 2010 | ''[[Mega Shark Versus Crocosaurus]]'' | ''Mega Shark Versus'' | Creature feature |- | 2010 | ''[[The Reef (2010 film)|The Reef]]'' | N/A | Thriller |- | 2010 | ''[[Sharktopus]]'' | ''Sharktopus'' | Horror/Sci-fi/Creature feature/Comedy |- | 2011 | ''[[Sand Sharks]]'' | N/A | Horror/Comedy |- | 2011 | ''[[Shark Night]]'' | N/A | Thriller |- | 2011 | ''[[Super Shark]]'' | N/A | Sci-fi/Action |- | 2011 | ''[[Swamp Shark]]'' | N/A | Thriller |- | 2012 | ''[[2-Headed Shark Attack]]'' | ''Multi-Headed Shark Attack'' | Survival horror |- | 2012 | ''[[Bait 3D]]'' | N/A | Horror/Disaster |- | 2012 | ''[[Dark Tide]]'' | N/A | Action/Horror/Thriller |- | 2012 | ''[[Jersey Shore Shark Attack]]'' | N/A | Horror/Comedy |- | 2012 | ''[[Jurassic Shark]]'', also known as ''Attack of the Jurassic Shark'' | ''Jurassic Shark'' | Horror/Comedy |- | 2012 | ''[[Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast]]'' | ''Snow Shark'' | Horror/Comedy |- | 2012 | ''[[Ghost Shark]]'' | ''Ghost Shark'' | Horror/Comedy |- | 2013 | ''[[Sharknado]]'' | ''[[Sharknado (film series)|Sharknado]]'' | Sci-fi/Disaster |- | 2014 | ''[[Avalanche Sharks]]'' | N/A | Horror/Comedy |- | 2014 | ''[[Mega Shark Versus Mecha Shark]]'' | ''Mega Shark Versus'' | Horror/Comedy |- | 2014 | ''[[Sharknado 2: The Second One]]'' | ''[[Sharknado (film series)|Sharknado]]'' | Sci-fi/Disaster/Comedy |- | 2014 | ''[[Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda]]'' | ''Sharktopus'' | Horror/Sci-fi/Creature feature/Comedy |- | 2014 | ''[[Piranha Sharks]]'' | N/A | Comedy/Horror |- | 2015 | ''[[Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf]]'' | ''Sharktopus'' | Horror/Sci-fi/Creature feature/Comedy |- | 2015 | ''[[Shark Exorcist]]'' | ''Shark Exorcist'' | Action/Horror |- | 2015 | ''[[3-Headed Shark Attack]]'' | ''Multi-Headed Shark Attack'' | Action/Horror |- | 2015 | [[Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws]] | ''Ghost Shark'' | Supernatural/Horror/Comedy |- | 2015 | ''[[Mega Shark Versus Kolossus]]'' | ''Mega Shark Versus'' | Sci-fi/Comedy |- | 2015 | ''[[Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!]]'' | ''[[Sharknado (film series)|Sharknado]]'' | Action/Horror/Comedy |- | 2015 | ''[[Roboshark (film)|Roboshark]]'', also known as ''Robo Shark vs. Navy Seals'' | N/A | Action/Adventure/Comedy |- | 2015 | ''[[Shark Lake (film)]]'' | N/A | Action/Horror |- | 2016 | ''[[Atomic Shark]]'' | N/A | Action/Horror |- | 2016 | ''[[Ozark Sharks]]'', also known as ''Summer Shark Attack'' | N/A | Horror/Thriller/Comedy |- | 2016 | ''[[The Shallows (film)|The Shallows]]'' | N/A | Survival/Horror |- | 2016 | ''[[Sharkansas Women's Prison Massacre]]'' | N/A | Sci-fi/Horror |- | 2016 | ''[[Sharkenstein]]'' | N/A | Sci-fi/Action/Comedy |- | 2016 | ''[[Sharknado: The 4th Awakens]]'' | ''[[Sharknado (film series)|Sharknado]]'' | Sci-fi/Disaster/Comedy |- | 2017 | ''[[5-Headed Shark Attack]]'' | ''Multi-Headed Shark Attack'' | Sci-fi/Horror |- | 2017 | ''[[47 Meters Down]]'' | ''[[47 Meters Down (film series)|47 Meters Down]]'' | Survival/Horror |- | 2017 | ''[[House Shark]]'' | N/A | Horror/Comedy |- | 2017 | ''[[Open Water 3: Cage Dive]]''{{efn|name=open-water}} | ''Open Water'' | Found footage/Survival/Horror |- | 2017 | ''[[Sharknado 5: Global Swarming]]'' | ''[[Sharknado (film series)|Sharknado]]'' | Sci-fi/Disaster/Comedy |- | 2018 | ''[[The Last Sharknado: It's About Time]]'' | ''[[Sharknado (film series)|Sharknado]]'' | Sci-fi/Disaster/Comedy |- | 2018 | ''[[Deep Blue Sea 2]]'' | ''[[Deep Blue Sea (film series)|Deep Blue Sea]]'' | Sci-fi/Horror |- | 2018 | ''[[The Meg]]'' | The Meg | Sci-fi/Action |- | 2019 | ''[[47 Meters Down: Uncaged]]'' | ''[[47 Meters Down (film series)|47 Meters Down]]'' | Survival/Horror |- | 2019 | ''[[Capsized: Blood in the Water]]'' | N/A | Survival/Horror |- | 2020 | ''[[Deep Blue Sea 3]]'' | ''[[Deep Blue Sea (film series)|Deep Blue Sea]]'' | Sci-fi/Horror |- | 2020 | ''[[Sky Sharks]]'' | N/A | Sci-fi/Comedy/Horror |- | 2020 | ''[[Ouija Shark]]'' | ''Ouija Shark'' | Comedy/Horror/Action |- | 2021 | ''[[Sharks of the Corn]]'' | N/A | Horror |- | 2021 | ''[[Swim (film)]]'' | ''N/A'' | Horror/Action |- | 2022 | ''[[Ouija Shark 2]]'' | ''Ouija Shark'' | Action/Horror/Comedy |- | 2022 | ''[[The Reef: Stalked]]'' | ''The Reef'' | Horror |- | 2022 | ''[[The Requin]]'' | N/A | Horror/Thriller |- | 2022 | ''[[Maneater (Shark film)]]'' | N/A | Action/Horror |- | 2022 | ''Shark Bait'' | N/A | Action/Horror |- | 2023 | ''[[Sharktopus Remade in China]]'' |'' Sharktopus'' | Horror/Sci-fi/Creature feature/Comedy |- | 2023 | ''[[Meg 2: The Trench]]'' | ''The Meg'' | Sci-Fi/Action |- | 2023 | ''[[Cocaine Shark]]'', also known as ''Kanizame Shakurabu''{{efn|name=cocaine-shark|''[[Cocaine Shark]]'' does feature character and geographical connections to both the ''Jurassic Shark'' franchise and ''Sharkenstein'' film, it is thematically unrelated to either film at this stage, with actors playing different characters in each film.}} | N/A | Crime/Drama/Horror |- | 2023 | ''[[Big Shark]]'' | N/A | Horror/Comedy |- | 2024 | ''[[The Black Demon]]'' | N/A | Sci-Fi/Thriller |- | 2024 | ''[[No Way Up]]'' | N/A | Survival/Thriller |- | 2024 | ''[[Shark Exorcist 2: Unholy Waters]]'' | ''Shark Exorcist'' | Action/Horror |- | 2024 | ''[[Shark Island (film)]]'' | N/A | Action/Horror |- | 2024 | ''[[Something in the Water (2024 film)|Something in the Water]]'' | N/A | Survival/Thriller |- | 2025 | ''[[Fear Below]]'' | N/A | Action/Thriller |- | 2025 | ''[[Into the Deep (2025 film)|Into the Deep]]'' | N/A | Action/Thriller |- | 2025 | ''[[Dangerous Animals]]'' | N/A | Action/Thriller |- | 2025 | ''[[Fear Below]]'' | N/A | Action/Adventure/Horror |- |}
{{notelist}}
==See also== * [[Exploitation film]] * [[Great white shark]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{cite web |url= https://sharksploitation.com/ |title= Sharksploitation |work= sharksploitation.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210206183726/https://sharksploitation.com/ |archive-date= February 6, 2021}} * [https://www.livingsharks.org/sharksploitation Sharksploitation exhibit -- Living Sharks Museum] * [https://filmschoolrejects.com/sharksploitation-feel-groove-according-jaws/ Film School Rejects - "Sharksploitation: Feel the Grove According to 'Jaws'] * [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science/qa-diving-deep-killer-shark-science-shallows-180959530/ Smithsonian Magazine - "How Realistic Is The Shark Science in 'The Shallows'?"] * [https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/sharknado-culture-phenomenon/story?id=24772098 ABC News - "Why Has 'Sharknado' Become Such a Culture Phenomenon?"]
{{Exploitation film}} {{Film genres}} [[Category:Exploitation films]] [[Category:Mockbuster films| ]] [[Category:Films about shark attacks|+Sharksploitation]]