Ten things you (probably) didn't know about JAWS The Revenge

Jaws The Revenge (1987), sees Chief Brody's widow believes that her family is deliberately being targeted by another shark in search of revenge. It’s such a crazy premise that even the film’s director described it as “idioitic” and critics describing it as “the best comedy of 1987”, the making of the movie was almost as comedic. Here are just ten things you (probably) didn't know about JAWS The Revenge….

1. During the climax, the notorious roar of the shark actually originates from a Tom and Jerry cartoon titled "The Milky Waif" (1946). Supposedly, this decision was made because the sound editor declined to create an original sound effect, deeming the concept of a roaring shark absurd.

2. Blue dye filled the tank where the climax was filmed, causing Michael Caine's and Lorraine Gary's hair to turn blue.

3. The primary tagline of the movie, "This time it's personal," received a playful spoof in Back to the Future Part II (1989). In the fictional "Jaws 19," directed by Max Spielberg, the movie poster boasts, "This time it's REALLY personal!

4. Michael Caine quipped, "Won an Oscar, built a house, and had a great holiday. Not bad for a flop movie." He earned $1.5 million for just seven days of work in the Bahamas. The shooting schedule was so intense that he couldn't attend the Academy Awards, yet he still won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar for his performance in "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986)..

5. Roy Scheider was invited to make a cameo appearance but refused, declaring, "Even Satan himself couldn't persuade me to do 'Jaws' part 4." It's been said that had Scheider agreed to the cameo, his character would have met his demise at the hands of the shark early in the film. Instead, Scheider appears in the movie through archive footage from Jaws (1975) cleverly inserted into certain scenes.

6. An essential subplot revolved around Hoagie (played by Michael Caine) smuggling drugs onto the island. Although the scenes were filmed, they were ultimately removed during post-production as they detracted from the main focus on the shark. The full narrative can be found in the novelization of the film.

7. The novelization, based on Hank Searls' original script, contained numerous scenes and subplots that were ultimately omitted from the final film. Some of the removed material includes:

  • The Amity Police Department discovering Sean Brody

  • Thea being hypnotized and nearly wandering into the water at night where the shark lurks

  • The death of a wind surfer

  • A humorous encounter involving a drunken retired newscaster and the shark

  • A drive-by shooting where the Brodys narrowly escape injury

  • A foot pursuit

  • The strain on Mike's marriage due to his secrecy about the shark, including him installing a monitoring device in the bedroom, leading to a conflict with Carla when she inadvertently disables it, unaware of its purpose

  • Deleted characters such as an island gangster who befriends Ellen Brody and is later killed by the shark, Hoagie's law enforcement partner, and Papa Jacques, a voodoo doctor who in the novel serves as a local advisor disliked by Mike for exploiting islanders

  • Papa Jacques summoning the shark after a confrontation with Mike, and stealing Thea's pail to curse it, resulting in Thea being lured towards the water in a trance

  • Several segments narrated from the shark's perspective, revealing it as a pawn unable to comprehend the force driving it.

These details provide additional depth to the narrative but were ultimately left out of the final film adaptation.

8. ‘Vengeance’ the animatronic hark received a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor in this film, marking the first time an animal had been nominated since the "shrieking dolphins," Cindy and Sandy, in Jaws 3-D.

9. The term "Voodoo Shark," coined by the website "TV Tropes," describes an attempt to resolve a plot hole that ultimately fails. This occurs when the explanation itself becomes a plot hole, leading to further inconsistencies. The name of the trope originates from a deleted plot point, preserved in the film's novelization, which attributed the shark's motives to a curse by a voodoo witch seeking revenge on the Brody family following a confrontation with Michael.

10. In contrast to its successful predecessors at the box office, the film underperformed, grossing only $51.9 million against a $23-million budget. The widely mocked plot received such poor reception that stand-up comedians devoted entire acts to parodying the movie following its release. As a result, Universal scrapped any plans for future sequels

Words by Ross Williams

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