The best narrow escapes in JAWS
JAWS is rightfully famous for its death scenes and heart-stopping jump scares. To this day, I can’t watch the “Ben Gardner’s head” scene while holding anything that might spill! That said, while the deaths in JAWS might get the most attention, the near-misses in the movie are often just as terrifying.
Tom Cassidy
Bruce could have had two meals for the price of one in the first scene of JAWS, but while Chrissie Watkins dies horribly, her boyfriend, Tom Cassidy, was too drunk to get undressed properly, let alone go swimming. Tom takes first place on the list as he never actually entered the water.
Pipit
Pipit got in the water but we don’t know how close the fetch-loving dog got to the shark. She could have gone home for dinner early, but it is possible that when the shark swam past Pipit on his way to Alex Kintner, Pipit got so much of a shock that she dropped her stick. For years, we all thought that Bruce had swallowed the poor dog whole, but Steven Spielberg retconned this fate for a young fan in 2023.
Mike Brody
Mike’s near-miss was a turning point in JAWS, with Brody making it his personal mission to destroy the shark, and Mayor Vaughn finally understanding the meaning of “too little, too late”. Luckily for Mike, Bruce had just eaten and all he did was swim past Mike, terrifying him, and everyone else on the beach.
Charlie
This narrow escape is one of the scariest scenes in JAWS, even though we never see the shark. Charlie and his friend are out on the water, trying to catch Bruce with an ill-advised holiday roast on a hook, when Bruce pulls the entire pier into the water. When those floating planks turn and start to follow Charlie, it is one of the most tense scenes in any movie. Though “take my word for it, don’t look back” is a chilling line, even if Charlie had turned, he wouldn’t have seen a thing. Bruce didn’t make an appearance at the surface, which could mean that he was about to attack from below…
Brody
From the moment Bruce sticks his head out of the water, most of Brody’s time on the Orca has involved near-misses. Brody was within reach of Bruce’s jaws several times on the Orca, but the closest he came to being bitten was his final showdown with the shark. (“Smile, you son of a—!”) A few seconds more and Brody would have gone the same way as Quint!
Hooper
Who else for the top spot?? Hooper narrowly escaped the shark after one of the real sharks filmed for the movie got stuck in the cage. The footage was so good that Hooper’s fate was changed so that it could be used. Hooper escaped the shark cage and joined Brody after what was likely the nearest miss in JAWS.
Words by Faith Roswell
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