This weekend is the unofficial start of summer. Hello, sun, shorts, ice cream, and swimming!
In the summer of 1975, I was 7 years old, and everyone I knew was afraid to go near any body of water. Do I have to remind you why? The film Jaws debuted. Happy 50th Birthday!
Director Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster hit movie lands at #4 in The Top Ten Greatest Films of All Time. Between its marketing strategy, the power of fear, and John Williams’ famous score, no wonder it still resonates with movie fans. Including me. After all these years, it still scares the daylights out of me..lol I have a couple of scenes that get to me every time I watch it.
The first scene out of the gate terrifies me because of the element of the unknown. The sky is dark. The ocean water is murky. And how about those infamous notes made by the tuba? Chrissy is taken under by the shark that nobody sees.
I learned how Spielberg filmed that scene. They strapped her into a harness with cables from the water to the beach. The actress, Susan Backlinie, didn’t know which way they would pull those cables, causing her screams to be authentic. It works. This opening sets the stage for the whole movie franchise.
My youngest always laughs at me about the other scene in the movie that freaks me out. Every.Single.Time. It’s when Ben Gardner’s blue, waterlogged, one-eyed face popped out of his shark-eaten boat. Yikes! As a kid, I had nightmares..lol.
I remember the Jaws craze when the movie debuted. I’m sure this summer, with the 50th anniversary, will bring back those memories. Everyone was talking about it. I’ll never forget playing the Jaws game with my friends, and the infamous picture of the woman swimming above the menacing shark with those straggly teeth.
However, I do have a confession. I never read Peter Benchley’s book. I bought a copy last summer but have yet to dive in. No pun intended.
Perhaps the 50th anniversary celebration will motivate me to do so. I will pull my legs up tight when reading it. Why? Because nobody’s safe in the water this summer. Or reading the book in a chair…
Writer McWriterson
You’re only two years older than me, so this totally brings back memories. I think my mom and dad went to see Jaws in theaters with another couple.
But what I really remember is when it came on HBO. Back then, HBO felt kind of edgy, and all the neighborhood kids would talk about the stuff you could see on there—mainly, naked bodies. We’d try to sneak out of our rooms to watch the movies our parents didn’t allow. When Jaws was on, I was definitely traumatized by the blood and gore. But honestly, I love that movie now. The boat scene?? So good. (Not for the guy) And it was made in 1975! Steven Spielberg was way ahead of his time.
And yes, I totally remember that Jaws game! Such good times.
Judith E Palermo
HBO..yes! We were the only neighborhood family to have it. I remember sneaking and watching the movie Alien with friends! My kids think it’s hilarious that I still get freaked out over Jaws. They didn’t even think Halloween was scary when they watched it when they were young. ..whatever. Those films were certainly “the oldies, but goodies”! I’m sure it will be on sometime this weekend. I’ll stop to watch it…lol
Writer McWriterson
My kids are the same way about scary movies. Ella laughs when I tell her how scary Halloween is—IT IS SCARY! So is Poltergeist! Have you watched it in recent years? Mike and I rewatched it for the first time since the 80s and we were both like WHOA. I’m sure our kids are just like, “Whatever.” 🤣
Judith E Palermo
Those 70s/80s movies are truly scary! Poltergeist and The Exorcist are ones that I don’t like. Yup..my kids are the same. Nothing scares them. I remember watching The Blair Witch Project and they were laughing..what?! Crazy kids…
Suz
I remember seeing the movie in the theater, I was also seven. WHO TAKES A SEVEN YEAR OLD TO A HORROR MOVIE? My father. Also, I grew up in Florida, so we were at the beach all the time. I can’t tell you the fears I had after this movie.
So very interesting about how they filmed those scenes. Thanks for sharing that little trivia with me. I don’t know if I could read the book, but you do you. 😝
Judith E Palermo
I remember all us neighborhood kids going in someone’s station wagon and being dropped off…lol I think parents worried more about nudity then being scared. They were happy to have “peace and quiet” for a couple of hours..haha Florida beaches had to have been wide open that summer. What a place to live when Jaws was released!
Nicole MacPherson
You won’t believe this but I’ve actually never seen Jaws! I’m a big scaredy cat when it comes to anything intense in movies. I read somewhere that they were so limited in budget that they couldn’t have the shark popping out all the time, instead they used the ominous music to create tension – and what a great decision that was!
Judith E Palermo
No way! Well, I STILL think it’s scary even though the shark really does look fake. I agree that the music makes that movie scary! ..and the fact that the first scene you don’t even see the shark. Yeah, no need to make your blood pressure rise at this point! It’s funny. I have a love/hate relationship with horror movies. I continue to watch them but they freak me out. Not sure what that means…lol