Episode 47: Jaws, Minus the Shark Movies, feat. Ann-Marie Taylor

YOU DON’T NEED TO GO TO AMITY ISLAND FOR A SHARK MASSACRE!! IN FACT, YOU DON’T EVEN NEED A SHARK!!

It’s easy to recognize a Jaws knock-off when it revolves around a shark eating people, but what about all of those movies without sharks that lift scenes and ideas from Steven Spielberg’s film and Peter Benchley’s novel? Well, around here we call those movies “Jaws, Minus the Shark” movies and they make up a surprisingly versatile and eclectic little subgenre, one full of Brodys, Quints, and inordinately sexy Hoopers.

Join Gabe and Ann-Marie Taylor – returning to Genre Grinder for the first time since 2020’s Bad Shark Movies episode – as we explore what defines a Jaws, Minus the Shark movie and look at four such films: Michael Anderson’s Orca (aka: Orca: The Killer Whale, 1977), Lewis Teague’s Alligator (1980), Dick Maas’ The Lift (Dutch: De Lift, 1983), and Christophe Gans’ Brotherhood of the Wolf (French: Le Pacte des loups, 2001).

Note: There’s something going on with my mic during this recording that makes me sound a little weird. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice until I was editing. Apologies.Also note: Episode 3 of the three-part Giant Monsters of 1957 podcast will be ready in about two weeks, after which time I'll be returning to a monthly release format.