11 Movies That Make You Never Want to Go Swimming Again
By Sharon Knolle In the new thriller "The Shallows," Blake Lively tries not to become shark food. Some of us still haven't gone in the water since seeing "Jaws." Here are 11 movies that made us permanent members of #TeamDryLand.
'Jaws' (1975)
The grand daddy of "don't go in the water" flicks, this Steven Spielberg blockbuster made generations deathly afraid of the beach. Just hearing the iconic "Jaws" theme is enough to strike terror in most people's hearts.
'Open Water' (2004)
In this nail-biting indie, a young couple scuba diving in the Caribbean are accidentally left behind by their boat and must fend off hungry sharks. And no mechanical Bruce for this movie: Those are real sharks!
'Anaconda' (1997)
A giant anaconda preys on a documentary film crew in the Amazon -- including Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube -- leading up to a spectacularly silly final showdown with local snake hunter Jon Voight.
'Lake Placid' (1999)
A 30-foot-long man-eating crocodile terrorizes an otherwise idyllic lake in Maine. How did it get so big? Sweet old Mrs. Bickerman (Betty White) was feeding it live cows! The croc kills are mainly played for laughs, and the odds of finding a killer croc in your lake are slim, but you can't ever be too careful, can you?
'The Host' (2006)
In this South Korean monster movie from "Snowpiercer" director Joon-ho Bong, a monstrous creature (caused when a scientist pours formaldehyde into the Han River) begins attacking people. Even worse: It's amphibious, so making it to dry land won't save you.
'Soul Surfer' (2011)
AnnaSophia Robb stars in the true story of teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a horrific shark attack in 2003. She returned to the sport she loved, making this the most (and the only?) inspirational shark movie out there.
'Piranha 3D' (2010)
Because you haven't watched piranhas devour hotties until you've seen it in 3D. Elisabeth Shue, Adam Scott, Ving Rhames, Jessica Szohr, and horror director Eli Roth are among those trying to survive piranha-infested waters in Africa's Lake Victoria.
'Deep Blue Sea' (1999)
Enhancing shark's intelligence for an Alzheimer's study leads to, duh, even more deadly killing machines in this thriller in which Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson, LL Cool J, and Thomas Jane are all (potentially) on the menu. Especially Jackson.
'The Reef' (2010)
Another harrowing survival-at-sea tale, this one inspired by a real-life tragedy off the coast of Indonesia. In the film, several friends are stranded and stalked by sharks after their ship capsizes. The stuff nightmares are made of.
'Rogue' (2007)
Radha Mitchell, Michael Vartan, Sam Worthington, and Mia Wasikowska are tourists (and all-too-knowing locals) stalked by a man-eating crocodile in Australia. Considered by some to be the best killer croc movie ever.
'Black Water' (2007)
Based on the true, horrifying story of a 2003 deadly croc attack, this tense thriller is set in the mangrove seas of northern Australia, where crocs are king. The almost complete lack of CGI here only makes the threat even more real.
