Shudder Releases Trailer for Shark-Themed Documentary ‘Sharksploitation’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

This article was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the documentary being covered here wouldn’t exist.

It is definitely safe to say that each and every one of us… feared encountering a shark when we were younger. In fact, some folks believed that perhaps one would find them in the bathtub or the pool. Because sharks outright scared the living daylights out of us, for we simply thought that an encounter with them would result in pain and suffering. For they also harbored the label of maneaters, creatures that would go wild when hungry for human flesh and well… what we don’t really think about all that much regarding this fear… is the genesis of our terror. But we should.

Because there is likely a common origin, we all share in the matter, specifically… horror movies. For the genre is filled to the brim with shark-themed horror features that utterly terrified us and left us fearful of sharks and their carnivorous potential and well… with a celebration of Shark nearly upon us, Shudder thought now would be the right time to bring forth a fin-tastic documentary about shark-themed horror films and their impact upon the genre and our lives, entitled, Sharksploitation, which will make its debut on July 21, 2023. And to prepare you for what is going to be the deFINitive word on this particular monster’s relationship with the genre, Shudder released a jaw-some trailer for this documentary, and some details regarding it, that we are happy to share with all of you.

‘Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thrillers and the supernatural, released today the trailer for the new documentary, Sharksploitation from filmmaker Stephen Scarlata. In the wake of blockbuster classic Jaws, a new subgenre was born. This new documentary explores the weird, wild cinematic legacy of sharks on film and the world’s undying fascination. The film features multiple interviews including of Roger Corman, producer of Sharktopus and Dinoshark; Joe Dante, who directed Corman’s Piranha; Carl Gottlieb, writer of Jaws 1, 2 and 3; Johannes Roberts, director of 47 Meters Down, and Mario Van Pebbles, who starred in Jaws the Revenge along with marine and environmental conservation advocate Wendy Benchley, who was married to late Jaws, author Peter Benchley.
 
Produced by Scarlata, Kerry Deignan Roy (Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist), and Josh Miller (Sonic the Hedgehog), the feature-length documentary examines the sub-genre of sharksploitation films, from Corman’s 1958 She Gods of Shark Reef, to the release of Jaws, and the subsequent knockoffs.

About Shudder
AMC Networks’ Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving members with the best selection in genre entertainment, covering horror, thrillers and the supernatural. Shudder’s expanding library of film, TV series, and originals is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. For a 7-day, risk-free trial, visit www.shudder.com.
 
About AMC+  
AMC+ is the company’s new premium streaming bundle featuring an extensive lineup of popular and critically acclaimed original programming from AMC, BBC America, IFC, and SundanceTV and full access to targeted streaming services Shudder, Sundance Now and IFC Films Unlimited, which feature content such as A Discovery of Witches, Creepshow, and Boyhood. The service features a continually refreshed library of commercial-free content, with iconic series from the AMC Networks portfolio including Mad Men, Halt & Catch Fire, Hell on Wheels, Turn: Washington’s Spies, Rectify, Portlandia, and series from The Walking Dead Universe, among many others. The service also offers a growing slate of original and exclusive series including Gangs of London, This is Going to Hurt, Dark Winds, and the first two series in a new Anne Rice universe, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire and Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches. With new movies released every Friday, AMC+ is the newest destination for exclusive film premieres direct from theaters all year long. AMC+ is available in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Korea, and Spain and is available in the U.S. through AMCPlus.com, the AMC+ app, and a number of digital and cable partners.’

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