Movies like Cruel Jaws (1995)
The best movies like Cruel Jaws (1995) are Jaws (1975), Jaws 2 (1978) and Anaconda (1997). If Cruel Jaws hooked you with its horror and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedJaws (1975)7.7/10 from 12,024 votes
- NewestThrash (2026)Released 2026
Jaws (1975)
When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to kill the beast before it strikes again.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJaws 2 (1978)
Police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnaconda (1997)
A 'National Geographic' film crew is taken hostage by an insane hunter, who takes them along on his quest to capture the world's largest — and deadliest — snake.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisOzark Sharks (2016)
A picturesque family vacation to the Ozarks goes sideways when a group of bull sharks show up just in time for the big fireworks festival that the town holds every year.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisRogue (2007)
When a group of tourists stumble into the remote Australian river territory of an enormous crocodile, the deadly creature traps them on a tiny mud island with the tide quickly rising and darkness descending. As the hungry predator closes in, they must fight for survival against all odds.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPiranha (1978)
When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisShark Bait (2022)
A group of friends enjoying a weekend steal a couple of jetskis racing them out to sea, ending up in a horrific head-on collision. They struggle to find a way home with a badly injured friend while from the waters below predators lurk.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Reef (2010)
A great white shark hunts the crew of a capsized sailboat along the Great Barrier Reef.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisBait (2012)
A freak tsunami traps shoppers at a coastal Australian supermarket inside the building ... along with a 12-foot great white shark.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like this47 Meters Down (2017)
Two sisters on Mexican vacation are trapped in a shark observation cage at the bottom of the ocean, with oxygen running low and great whites circling nearby, they have less than an hour of air left to figure out how to get to the surface.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisPiranha 3D (2010)
Each year the population of sleepy Lake Victoria, Arizona explodes from 5,000 to 50,000 residents for the annual Spring Break celebration. But then, an earthquake opens an underwater chasm, releasing an enormous swarm of ancient Piranha that have been dormant for thousands of years, now with a taste for human flesh. This year, there's something more to worry about than the usual hangovers and complaints from locals, a new type of terror is about to be cut loose on Lake Victoria.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisLake Placid (1999)
When a man is eaten alive by an unknown creature, the local Game Warden teams up with a paleontologist from New York to find the beast. Add to the mix an eccentric philanthropist with a penchant for "Crocs", and here we go! This quiet, remote lake is suddenly the focus of an intense search for a crocodile with a taste for live animals...and people!
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOpen Water (2004)
Two divers are left out at sea without a boat. There’s nothing but water for miles, unless they look at what’s underneath them...
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisArachnophobia (1990)
A large spider from the jungles of South America is accidentally transported in a crate with a dead body to America where it mates with a local spider. Soon after, the residents of a small California town disappear as the result of spider bites from the deadly spider offspring. It's up to a couple of doctors with the help of an insect exterminator to annihilate these eight legged freaks.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKiller Crocodile 2 (1990)
The Caribbean swamps which is to be made into a holiday resort is terrorized again by a second monstrous crocodile which is killing off anyone unfortunate to be on the water.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
The Reef: Stalked (2022)
After her sister's murder, Nic, her younger sister and two friends seek solace through a Pacific island kayaking adventure. Hours into the trip the women are stalked by a shark and must band together, face their fears and save each other.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisDeep Blue Sea (1999)
Researchers on the undersea lab Aquatica have genetically altered the brains of captive sharks to develop a cure for Alzheimer's disease. But there's an unexpected side effect: the sharks got smarter, faster, and more dangerous. After a big storm damages their remote research facility, they must fight for their lives.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMako: The Jaws of Death (1976)
A man accidentally learns that he has a mystical connection with sharks, and is given a strange medallion by a shaman. Becoming more and more alienated from normal society, he develops an ability to communicate with sharks telepathically, setting out to destroy anybody who harms sharks. People enter into his strange world to exploit his weird passion, and he uses the animals to gain revenge on anybody who double crosses him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Primate (2026)
College student Lucy and her friends spend their vacation at her family's home in Hawaii, which includes her pet chimpanzee, Ben. However, when Ben contracts rabies after being bitten by a rabid animal, the group must fight for their lives in order to avoid the now-violent chimp.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlligator (1980)
A baby alligator is flushed down a toilet and survives by eating discarded lab animals that have been injected with growth hormones. The now gigantic animal escapes the city sewers and goes on a rampage, pursued by a cop and a big-game hunter.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOrca (1977)
After witnessing the killing of his mate and offspring at the hands of a reckless Irish captain, a vengeful killer whale rampages through the fisherman's Newfoundland harbor. Under pressure from the villagers, the captain, a female marine biologist, and an Indigenous tribalist venture after the great beast, who will meet them on its own turf.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThrash (2026)
When a catastrophic hurricane slams a coastal town, stranded residents must survive rapidly rising waters swarming with ravenous sharks.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Shallows (2016)
While surfing on a secluded beach, Nancy finds herself in the feeding grounds of a great white shark. Though stranded only 200 yards from shore, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills, requiring all of her ingenuity, resourcefulness, and fortitude.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTremors (1990)
Val McKee and Earl Bassett are in a fight for their lives when they discover that their desolate town has been infested with gigantic, man-eating creatures that live below the ground.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFear Below (2025)
A rag-tag team of divers attempting to salvage a sunken car from a river are thwarted by a highly aggressive bull shark.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGator Lake (2024)
In 2003, Lake Jesup became the stage for a real-life horror story, as a monstrous alligator escaped from captivity and began a reign of terror. As the body count rose, a desperate hunt ensued to stop the creature.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAccident Man (2018)
Mike Fallon, the Accident Man, is a stone cold killer. When a loved one is murdered by his own crew, Fallon is forced to avenge the one person who actually meant something to him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInto the Deep (2025)
Divers searching for sunken treasure witness the murder of drug dealers by modern-day pirates, but a killer great white is determined not to let any of them escape its waters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisInto the Blue (2005)
When they take some friends on an extreme sport adventure, the last thing Jared and Sam expect to see below the shark-infested waters is a legendary pirate ship rumored to contain millions of dollars in gold. But their good fortune is short-lived, as a ruthless gang of criminals gets word of what they have uncovered.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Way Up (2024)
Characters from different backgrounds are thrown together when the plane they're travelling on crashes into the Pacific Ocean. A nightmare fight for survival ensues with the air supply running out and dangers creeping in from all sides.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like Cruel Jaws and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Cruel Jaws?
The closest matches to Cruel Jaws are Jaws (1975), Jaws 2 (1978) and Anaconda (1997). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Cruel Jaws?
People who watched Cruel Jaws most often go on to Jaws (1975), Jaws 2 (1978) and Anaconda (1997).
What is the highest-rated movie like Cruel Jaws?
Jaws (1975), rated 7.7/10 by 12,024 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Cruel Jaws?
Thrash (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Cruel Jaws?
Yes: Jaws (1975), Jaws 2 (1978) and Anaconda (1997).
How are movies similar to Cruel Jaws chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Cruel Jaws, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.