31 Days of Horror: Jaws (1975)

Jaws may not be the first movie to cross your mind when you think 'horror'. Why not? Steven Spielberg's classic contains all the essentials: gore, tension, fear, victims, and villain. What makes it masterful is how Spielberg takes Peter Benchley's novel and creates a taunt film.

Amity Island is a nice, quiet beach community whose population swells in the summer. The Island depends on tourism for its survival. When an unlucky skinny-dipper is attacked and killed by a shark, it's enough to make Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), the new police chief, shut the reverie down. Not so fast says Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) and the local officials. It's not until the creatures kills again and again, that Brody... you know the story...

Jaws is a rip-roaring time with great character development. From the shark itself to the crazy trio that goes after it, Spielberg crafts a terrorizing story. Quint (Robert Shaw) is the enigmatic, weather-beaten, crazed {possibly evil} shark hunter. Brody (Schieder) is a perfect everyman riddled with guilt over a cover-up--he doesn't want to be hero, but when put to the test, always delivers. Richard Dreyfuss as the oceanography/scientist Matt Hooper, is solid and thankfully provides periodic comic release. These three are so good in their roles it's deceptively simple.

From the moment we hear John Williams' brilliant score and see the water lap over the camera, the tension builds. Whether by choice or accident, the audience never 'sees' the shark. Instead, he is represented by objects or a lone dorsal fin. Buying in is almost too easy thanks to Spielberg and Williams. Not seeing the creature amplifies the fear.

It's obvious Spielberg knew where he was going with the story. No frame is unspent; no dialogue is wasted. This is the stuff of solid nightmares and irrational fears of water. The slow build to the final showdown between men and beast is one heart-pounding moment after another.

Jaws is a movie that transcends genres. Deserving of every accolade, Jaws is visionary story-telling that never fails to frighten.