All 4 Jaws Movies in Order

Ever heard of Jaws 5? It doesn't officially exist. But the Italian Cruel Jaws tried anyway, with footage lifted from other films, new scenes with plastic sharks and even a dolphin. Everything feels stolen, everything feels wrong, which of course makes it essential for collectors of cinematic decay.

Spielberg's breakthrough as blockbuster king. A shark attacks, the town stays silent and three men head out to sea: that's all. But with ironclad suspense, a mostly unseen threat and the most terrifying two notes ever composed. Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw play it deadly serious, which makes it terrifying and timeless, even though the mechanical shark barely worked.

Brody returns, and so does a shark. A little bigger, a little angrier, but sadly without Spielberg. There's still some tension, especially when the water is full of teenagers. Less tightly written and more clichéd, but just enough bite to take seriously. And yes: 'Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...' comes from this film's marketing.

Michael Brody works at a SeaWorld-style marine park where a great white gets in, and its mother follows. The 3D effects are legendarily bad, with glass shattering in slow motion as if made of jelly. A fantastic disaster of a film: pure camp, zero suspense.

This time the shark takes it personally. Really. Ellen Brody flees to the Bahamas, but the beast follows her across the ocean. The shark even roars, and the ending is so absurd it has to be seen to be believed. Michael Caine famously said he never saw it but had seen the house it built. The only reason to watch: marveling that anyone took this script seriously.