Take a Bite Out Of This: Juicy Behind the Scenes Facts About Jaws

It scared an entire generation of ocean-lovers. Those who saw the movie avoided the sea depths following the explosive release of the film. Since the summer of 1975, Jaws has continued to thrill audiences. Here are some of the surprising facts behind the iconic film.

Greatest Film Of All Time

Directed by the iconic director Steven Spielberg and based on the novel by Peter Benchley, Jaws is considered one of the greatest and most terrifying films of all time. We’re uncovering all the surprising behind-the-scenes secrets that went into making the loved thrilling movie.

The Fake Shark Weighed Enough To Be Real

The shark prop used in the film was built by expert production designer Joe Alves. The shark weighed a whopping 1.2 tons and measured an impressive 25 feet in length. One reason that Martha’s Vineyard was the chosen location for the film’s production was due to the size of the shark. The ocean bed in the area has a depth of 35 feet for a stretch of 12 miles offshore. Those conditions made for the ideal location for the shoot. When the shark wasn’t being used producers could rest the massive mechanical prop on the ocean floor.

The Movie Greatly Deviated From The Book

Although the movie follows the plot provided by the original novel, it also introduced some significant differences. In the book, Hooper was involved in an affair with Chief Brody’s wife. Although this was included in the film’s early screenplays, it was eventually cut out from the plot since producers believed it would detract from the central plot points.

Story Change

In the novel, the reason why Mayor Vaughn was insistent the beach would stay open wasn’t due to the the pressure of local business owners — it was because he was being monitored by the mafia and needed to maintain their real estate investments on the touristic island.