Sharksploitation

What can we say about Sharksploitation flicks that hasn’t been said by better folks over the years? It’s the sort of weirdly accessible and passionately loved-by-all sub-genres that has endured for decades. While Jaws is the undeniable granddaddy of the genre, it wasn’t the first to give the fearsome toothy creature of the deep its due on screen. There were sharks in movies before Spielberg's classic… and there were plenty after that monster devoured the box office. 

Where I’ll give extra props to director Stephen Scarlata and Sharksploitation is that it understands the sub-genre from a historical point of view as well as one of just pure enjoyment. As it dives into the treasure hunting films of the 1940s and ‘50s that’d inevitably feature a shark at some point, it also deftly segues into the different types of Sharksploitation films out there. While plenty of attention is given to Jaws and its sequels, it also dovetails into the knockoffs like Grizzly, which was literally just Jaws on land but then also covers the hilarity of Enzo Castellari’s The Last Shark and then the legendary momma of all rip-offs, Bruno Mattei’s Cruel Jaws which stole footage from Jaws as well as The Last Shark. 

Sharksploitation certainly highlights the heavy-hitters, fan-favorites, and obscure entries, and it gives plenty of time for various personalities to chime in and offer their two cents. We hear from everyone, from the likes of Roger Corman and Joe Dante to Joe Alves and Carl Gottlieb, to the likes of Wendy Benchley. And as we also get to hear from various academics like Michael Gingold on the subject, we’re given an impressively detailed history of the genre from the roots in early 1930s films, through the SyFy mockbuster years, and into the smattering of major budget studio releases peppered in between. 

From the standpoint of a connoisseur of the genre, I might not be fully surprised or enlightened at the end of Sharksploitation, but I had a great time with this. I knew a lot of the history, I knew (and reviewed) most of the films mentioned throughout the docs, but I still found this a fascinating and enjoyable watch. I think part of why this doc is so nice is that you get to see all of the other people who have just as much affection for the sub-genre. Also, I have to give a shoutout for Sand Sharks simply because an old college buddy is the poor sod buried in the sand who meets an untimely end 12 minutes in. 

As this documentary highlights very eloquently, Sharksploitation movies aren’t going away anytime soon. These films have been fan favorites for decades. Some are certainly better than others; Hollywood will occasionally punch out a solid entry every couple of years. But so long as there’s a summer season, there’s going to be more Sharksploitation flicks, and this documentary is a loving tribute to this gnarly sub-genre.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 
Shudder and OCN Distribution team up to deliver the 2023 documentary Sharksploitation to Blu-ray. Pressed on a Region A BD50 disc, the disc is housed in a standard clear case. If you were lucky to order from Vinegar Syndrome fast enough, you could score an exclusive slipcover. Also included is a booklet with a terrific essay from our very own Sam Cohen.

Similar to any run of genre-dedicated documentaries, Sharksploitation may not always be a lot to look at, but it’s a well-produced documentary. We see our range of personalities on screen against non-descript backgrounds as they tell their tall tales of working on a shark film. There are animations detailing the timeline of the genre and a nice little accent for when Joe Alves discusses the use of 3D for Jaws 3 and how/why it was so limited or ineffective. Between the talking heads, the documentary features a number of clips and segments from the variety of films mentioned to bring the topic home. What’s nice is that these clips are actually of a decent quality. Unless it was particularly crappy-looking from the start, each scene looks good and lets you appreciate the point being made. 

Audio for this doc comes in with a fine DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. Sonically speaking, it’s not altogether the most sonically impactful surround track ever produced, but it’s effective for what this doc is presenting. Obviously, the individuals being interviewed have their voices coming through front and center. If there’s a clip from a relevant film, that voice comes in over the rest of the set - unless it’s a very specific moment, then that clip fully dominates. Otherwise, between a smattering of dialog and sound FX from the film clips, there’s a nice music bed to back up the thrust of the documentary. This probably didn’t need a 5.1 track to be effective, but it works without any issues or nitpicks to speak of. 

On the bonus features front, there’s a nice range of extras to enjoy. We get an informative commentary track with writer/director Stephen Scarlata and producer Josh Miller. A great interview with Michael Gingold, who is featured prominently throughout the documentary, and a bunch of deleted scenes and extended interviews that didn’t make the final cut. The deleted interviews are great, especially Joe Alves on Jaws and Mario Van Peebles on Jaws the Revenge. 

• Audio Commentary featuring Stephen Scarlata and Josh Miller
• Interview with Michael Gingold (HD 24:35)
• Extended/Deleted Scenes (HD 1:20:23)
• Original Trailer

You can be an expert, but you don’t have to be to have a love for a documentary like Sharksploitation. All you need to be is a fan of the sub-genre to get a kick out of this effort. The film does a terrific job detailing the history and impact while highlighting and appreciating the wide swath of films that have been produced over the last few decades. It’s an efficient, informative, and most importantly, very fun documentary. On Blu-ray, Shudder and OCN Distribution deliver a solid disc with a clean A/V presentation and some worthwhile extras, including over an hour of deleted interviews. It’s summer! Take a bite out of this one. Recommended