Steven Spielberg’s legendary horror movie Jaws still haunts many viewers with its suspenseful storyline and terrifying gore.
However, the making of the film was equally enthralling, with several behind-the-scenes stories that have captivated fans over the years.
From shooting with an unfinished script to Spielberg dubbing the mechanical shark as The Great White Turd, the making of Jaws is a fascinating tale.
One of the most shocking stories about the making of Jaws is how Spielberg went to extreme lengths to achieve his vision for the film.
While filming a scene in which a young woman named Chrissie Watkins is depicted as being dead, Spielberg wanted a more realistic-looking arm than the prop arm that had been created.
So, he buried a crew member alive in the sand, connected her hand to Chrissie’s, and refilmed the entire scene.
The effect was disturbingly authentic when viewed onscreen.
Even after the principal photography was wrapped up, Spielberg added a severed head scene to intensify the jump scare factor.
For this, he used a prosthetic head that looked like the missing fisherman and made it pop out from the sunken boat to terrify audiences.
The director’s recollections of making the film are just as fascinating.
Spielberg wanted to shoot Jaws in the ocean instead of using studio space, but the ocean conditions proved to be challenging.
“I was naive about the ocean, basically,” Spielberg told ET.
He was too young to realize that trying to conquer Mother Nature was foolhardy.
But he insisted on shooting in the Atlantic Ocean, so that the audience could feel that the three men were cast adrift with a great white shark hunting them.
The mechanical sharks that had been created for the film worked fine when tested in freshwater.
However, during production in the Atlantic Ocean, the saltwater caused malfunctions.
But this turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the director.
“The shark not working was a godsend.
It made me become more like Alfred Hitchcock,” said Spielberg.
He rewrote the script and filmed accordingly, resulting in one of the greatest horror movies in history.
Jaws had a budget of $9 million but went on to earn $476.5 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films of all time.
Even after all these years, the movie continues to entertain and terrify audiences with its suspenseful storyline and realistic gore.
The stories of Spielberg’s extreme measures, such as burying a crew member alive, to achieve the desired effect for the film are a testament to his artistic vision.
It is also a reminder of the lengths filmmakers are willing to go to bring their creative ideas to life.
In conclusion, Jaws remains a classic horror movie that continues to captivate and scare viewers with its suspenseful plot and realistic gore.
The behind-the-scenes stories of the film’s creation, including Spielberg’s extreme filmmaking methods, only add to its mystique and fascination.
It is a movie that will be forever remembered as a masterpiece of the genre.
