Testament to Genius: Jaws As A Serial Killer Movie

While there are other movies as classic as Jaws, there is no movie as classic as Jaws. The music, the catch phrases, the themes, and the characters have become thoroughly embedded in American culture. So it didn't surprise me that it was on the big screen when theaters reopened in the Fall. What did surprise me was the new subplot I discovered. Everyone knew Jaws was an animal horror movie, but I now realize it has all the hallmarks of serial killer movie.

The first reason Jaws works as a serial killer movie are the characters. First, the shark is a classic serial killer. Denied at first and not revealed until the end, it continually defeats all efforts to stop it until the very end. It will kill again and again and again and even has a favorite "hunting ground."

Was Chrissie the first victim of a serial killer?

This is a good time to point out that the shark the mob kills is a great stand in for the innocent man accused of the crime. This shark was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got literally swept up by the mob, much like Spencer Tracy's character in Fury. In fact, the photographic scene is a little too reminiscent of a literal hanging.

The second classic character is Chief Brody. Very much a law enforcement officer, he's not a sheriff, but a police chief with less heroic and more bureaucratic connotations. He's the Everyman whose goal is to protect his people from this killer. In fact, my mind first headed down this rabbit trail when he headed off into the ocean in "hot pursuit" of a killer.

The Amity Tiger shark…. an innocent man?

The third classic character --- a staple of the serial killer genre --- is Hooper, the expert. Hooper knows everything there is to know about sharks and is the equivalent of The Profiler. This is the expert who can predict the behavior of the serial killer. To add an extra flourish Hooper is independently wealthy and studies sharks out of a personal interest, pushing him to the rare class of dilettante profiler. He doesn't have to, but he does.

The fourth character is Quint, who makes Jaws a true serial killer movie. At first I thought Quint was a "local guide," aka "the great white hunter." He seemed to be the expert who knows the territory we see in the form of the gamekeepers in Jurassic Parks. But as I watched I realized he was far from a guide since he was so inextricably linked to the serial killer. Then I slowly realized Quint is The Survivor --- The One That Got Away.

But Quint is so much more that The One That Got Away. He got away, but couldn't escape. He has become obsessed with the serial killer that killed so many of his Navy brethren --- and maybe even his literal brother. We don't see any evidence of family or other connections, meaning that any family he has would be estranged.

Even in the end Quint can't escape his persecutor and is ultimately --- literally --- consumed by it. His decision to destroy the radio is worth an article in itself but definitely seems to indicate a conscious decision to face the shark mano a mano. Quint's obsessive character indicates the all-consuming nature of the beast --- pun intended.

The second reason Jaws works as a serial killer movie are the kills. We see the first body dumped on a beach, perhaps one of the most classic serial killer moves. The killer nearly takes another victim by outwitting the two overconfident citizens who attempt to take the law in their own hands. The actual second victim is taken in a crowd, taunting the chief by doing it right under his nose. The final civilian victim is taken in such a way to threaten the sheriff's family, poetically showing the sheriff that even those he loves the most are not off limits to the serial killer.

This article is too long and too short --- there are too many paragraphs but at the same time I could write a book on the subject. This article is too shallow and too comprehensive --- I've overthought the subject and yet haven't even read through the 1975 screenplay. (Let alone rewatched the film or even read the novel --- can you tell its Christmas?) The article is too grim and yet too light hearted --- serial killers are no joke.

In the end this article is an homage to the writer, director, and actors. The director's decisions --- including keeping the monster off the camera for so long --- shaped the film. But this movie owes so much to its actors. Roy Scheider’s low-key performance, Dreyfuss’ naive performance, and finally Robert Shaw as Quint. This is a true classic film whose influence will never die. (Sorry.)

Words by D. Lanier Shook

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