The 40th anniversary of sea thriller “Jaws” is upon us. The Steven Spielberg-directed classic starring Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss left its mark on pop culture for decades to come, from tongue-in-cheek comedy sketches to the most menacing movie music this side of the “Imperial March.” We’ve ranked some of the most notable sharks in pop culture from their most menacing to the most humorous with our Shark-O-Meter.
The stuff nightmares are made of
“Jaws”: Released in 1975, the suspense-ridden classic scared beachgoers and reminded us all that we’re gonna need a bigger boat.
Shark Week: Sharks are majestic creatures – and they can kill you. Discovery Channel’s popular annual shark programming reminds us of this and starts July 5.
Terrifying
“Open Water”: This 2003 psychological thriller has a scuba-diving couple left behind and battling those biters of the deep.
“Sharknado”: Ian Ziering of “Beverly Hills, 90210” fame battles a tornado of sharks in Los Angeles. You decide what’s more frightening – the concept or the acting.
Absurd yet disturbing
“Deep Blue Sea”: What’s scarier than LL Cool J singing about a shark? The genetically altered sharks in this 1999 movie, which also stars LL Cool J.
Sharks with laser beams on their heads: Austin Powers nemesis Dr. Evil didn’t get his villainous wish with sharks with laser beams, but if he did, it would be scary. Mutated sea bass were just a start.
“Sharktopus”: Before there was “Sharknado,” there was “Sharktopus.” Eric Roberts starred in this 2010 sci-fi TV movie about a half-shark, half-octopus.
Just absurd
“Shark Tank”: The reality show where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to tycoons can be more brutal than the old Simon Cowell days on “American Idol.”
Jaws at Universal Studios: If you believe the Kevin Smith movie “Mallrats,” it’s the perfect time for a proposal – the most romantic part of the tram tour is when Jaws pops out of the water.
Nonthreatening
“Shark Tale”: The 2004 computer-animated movie features Robert De Niro voicing a shark that’s the head of a mob family.
Bruce from “Finding Nemo”: The shark in this 2003 Pixar classic looks all menacing at first, but then he’s like, “Fish are friends, not food.”
Greg Norman: The Australian golfer, known as The Great White Shark, may be a force on the links, but his clothing line, emblazoned with his shark logo, is dadwear.
Comical
Katy Perry’s Left Shark:During the pop princess’s Super Bowl halftime show, Left Shark went rogue with its own dance moves and inspired a nation.
Jabberjaw: The Hanna-Barbera cartoon shark from the ‘70s played drums in a rock band, talked like Curly from “The Three Stooges” and took down bad guys a la Scooby-Doo.
Land Shark: The “Saturday Night Live” sketch featured a shark voiced by Chevy Chase who eats people after knocking on their doors and convincing them to let him in. Candygram.
Pathetic
“Sharknado 2: The Second One”: Sadly, the 2014 sequel wasn’t titled “Sharknado 2: Electric Boogaloo,” but it’s really like “Sharknado 2: Lost in New York.”
“Jaws: The Revenge”: The fright factor of the original “Jaws” directly correlates to the pathetic factor of the fourth film in the franchise. Apparently sharks know where you live and follow you to the Bahamas for revenge.
Click the image below or follow this link to see the Shark-O-Meter in its full print glory.
