Hooptober XII: 11/32

“Heres to swimmin’ with bow legged women!”

Hooptober is so damn fun, I understand it now. Through my first ever Letterboxd challenge, I’ve been able to cover up some pretty glaring holes as it pertains to horror viewing. We’ve got another big one crossed off the list with Steven Spielberg’s 1975, Hollywood blockbuster shaping feature, Jaws. On the back of one of the most troubled productions in big budget history, Spielberg’s creature feature changed an entire industry from both an artistic and business perspective. Yet even without those game-changing accolades, Jaws is one of the most watchable monster movies ever put to film, and a beautiful looking one to boot (I can absolutely see why they did an IMAX release this year and am kicking myself for not having taken advantage of it). 

Many movie fans have heard about the litany of issues plaguing production when it comes to Jaws lore. Especially the titular mechanical shark which wouldn’t work consistently in salt water, leading to a minimalist, sound driven approach to ratchet up suspense. And through those cinematic limitations, we get possibly the single best example of restraint in regard to unveiling a monster to this day. That approach still paces most modern monster pictures’ tension and suspense elements, but dammit, there’s something about the beautifully shot nature of Jaws that towers over its contemporaries. Especially once we settle into the heart of the story: The Orca.

Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss’ dynamic on the aforementioned shark hunting vessel is where it’s Moby Dick-ian narrative shines through this being another 70’s B-movie. Each character spits genuine emotion toward each other; whether that be malice, hubris or friendship, and it’s a god damn hoot spending time with them.

And I mean… John Williams’ score is so insanely epic when actually heard against its intended form. A top-to-bottom masterclass. 

The mayor just really wanted to have a summer party, can you blame him? 
🦈⛴️⚓️🩸🎣🧔‍♂️🧔🏻‍♂️👱‍♂️