Brand Awareness: Why Horror Franchises Struggle to Succeed

Those of us who are in love with shark horror generally accept The Great White Shark as undisputed king.

Steven Spielberg's 1975 classic not only perfects the art of underwater suspense, but also skilfully combines high-seas adventure with family drama and genuine fear. But Spielberg's masterpiece does not answer one glaring question: What if sharks were super smart? That is the premise of Renny Harlins Movie from 1999 Deep blue seaa sharksploitation crowd-pleaser that convinces with its offbeat element. The story is about the crew of the Aquatica, a doomed marine research center that is torn apart by three giant – and incredibly intelligent – mako sharks. With all the trappings of 90s slasher fun, the film The Great White Shark and Spielberg's other man-versus-nature classic Jurassic Park for an aquatic horror blockbuster that ages like a fine blood-red wine pouring into the sea.

Harlin's story begins with a near-miss. Two attractive couples are making out on a catamaran when something large hits them from below deck. Moments before giant jaws can tear them to pieces, a rescuer appears with a harpoon. Carter Blake (Thomas Jane) is a shark hunter from nearby Aquatica who is tasked with rescuing one of the escaped test subjects. The facility's director, Dr. Susan McAlester (Saffron Caves), has dedicated her life to finding a cure for Alzheimer's and genetically modified three mako sharks. Together with the brilliant but carefree Jim Whitlock (Stellan Skarsgard), she has augmented their brains to extract a chemical that can stimulate cell regeneration in human patients. Unfortunately, this controversial program has a nasty side effect: the sharks are now extremely intelligent and have begun to conspire to fight their way out. When a high-stakes demonstration goes horribly wrong, the Makos begin systematically hunting down Aquatica in the hopes of killing their captors and escaping into the (wink) deep blue sea.

If you think this premise is ridiculous, you're not alone. But Harlin backs up this pseudoscience with three killer beasts. Created through a mix of CGI, animatronics, and real shark footage, these “gliding monsters” stalk the flooded corridors with furtive silence and savage bite. Harlin goes all out on the villainous portrayal by giving these fish the ability to hunt in packs, as well as a cannibalistic taste for the flesh of other sharks. Like Spielberg's iconic birds of prey, they target the cocky humans and herd them through the quickly flooded halls. This predatory trio uses their 3500kg+ bodies to break through metal doors and fly out of the water to kill unsuspecting victims. While admittedly absurd, the suspension of credibility is par for the course. How does a 46-foot mako swim through a crowded kitchen? Who cares! We are all for the fun of shark exploitation.

Harlin introduces his killers through brutality and size. In an early scene, Carter swims with a deadly tiger shark that later becomes a meal onscreen. Just as Jason decimated a biker gang, these cannibalistic killers quickly wipe out a species that rivals the great white shark for the title of the ocean's greatest threat. To obtain the serum, Susan has created two 26-foot-long Gen 1 sharks, which themselves spawned the 45-foot-long Gen 2. These creatures pursue Carter through a series of reinforced underwater tunnels, nearly managing to breach the walls. Using a death-defying feint, the skilled swimmer stuns a Gen 1 and leads it to an observation platform. Standing next to the gigantic fish, he watches and tranquilizes it while Susan inserts a three-foot needle into its brain. A far cry from Spielberg's dysfunctional Bruce, this animatronic creature seems frighteningly real.

In addition to these surprisingly lifelike cartilage villains, Deep blue sea benefits from an exceptional cast. Jane broods charmingly in her breakthrough role, guiding us through the film's second half. Burrows is convincing in her role as a Frankenstein-esque antiheroine who brings death to her friends in an ill-conceived attempt to play God. Compared to Skarsgård's wonderfully ruthless and nihilistic Jim, however, she comes across as anything but heroic in her noble quest to cure a degenerative brain disease. Michael Rapaport And Aida Turturro give the ensemble more shine, but it is LL Cool J who provides the flame. As a former alcoholic pastor turned chef, called “Preacher,” he warms up the film with clever observations, modified Bible passages, and a witty parrot named Bird. It is difficult to Deep blue sea in a crowd without someone reciting “You ate my bird” or breaking into a rendition of his popular single “Deepest Bluest” and then confirming that his hat does indeed look like a shark fin.

Samuel L. Jackson Billionaire philanthropist Russell Franklin anchors the film. Initially vilified as an ignorant “suit guy,” he quickly emerges as the voice of reason, however, using his knowledge from a previous disaster to rally the terrified survivors. His calming presence and charisma lead to a shocking bait-and-switch and one of the best deaths in horror movie history. After a rousing speech reminiscent of Donner Party, Franklin stands next to the wreckage of the facility's submersible. As he orders them to seal off the open pool, a shark leaps out of the water and bites him in two. The opening in the water immediately fills with blood, and we watch as the two Gen 1s chew up his limbs. This brutal attack hits like lightning, setting a horrific tone for the second half of the film. Not only can any of these characters die, the sharks can also get you out of the water.

An earlier sequence shows the bombastic nature of their devious plan and sets up the death spiral for this “floating Alcatraz.” While celebrating a successful demonstration, Jim gets too close to the seemingly sleeping shark and falls into its jaws. The bleeding scientist, missing an arm, soon finds himself strapped to a stretcher hanging from an unstable rescue helicopter in the middle of a raging storm. Although the desperate pilots try to pull him aboard, he quickly splashes into the Makos’ enclosure. In a clever nod to The Great White Sharkwe see the rope being pulled from the depths, pulling the helicopter towards Aquatica's tower in a massive explosion that will burn all night. Back in the lab, the shocked team stares in horror at a ghostly object approaching the observation window. The Gen 2 hurls Jim and the stretcher into the reinforced glass, which slowly begins to splinter and break. They rush out of the room as a wall of water pours through the broken portal. Filmed using the same tanks used for TitanicThe stakes in this scene are incredibly high. As the frigid water pours in by the ton, we fear that the terrified members of this ragtag team are just minutes away from being swept out to sea.

As Aquatica crumbles, humans and sharks are barely distinguishable. Underwater corridors serve as a target for these apex predators, and the splintered team must race to the surface before the facility sinks to the sea floor. Multiple makos provide ample opportunity for a series of shark showdowns, each more thrilling than the last. Humans are torn apart, sharks burned, and the water is awash in blood until only three humans remain to face the massive Gen 2. In an explosive finale, Susan sacrifices herself to prevent the demonic beast from breaching the outer gates. (The torn doctor was originally supposed to survive and end the film with a strange kiss with the heroic Carter, but test audiences reportedly demanded accountability for her destructive arrogance.) With harpoon assistance from a wounded Preacher, the heroic shark tamer manages to swim faster than the crazed fish, who escapes just before it explodes. Our final two guys make exhausted jokes as they collapse on floating debris, 90s rap swells, and a lifeboat approaches.

With fiery action, breakneck pace and a likable cast, Harlin manages to pull off this ridiculous plot. We forget the flimsy science and the illogical plot and treat ourselves to a series of increasingly bloody underwater murders. Instead of a tired The Great White Shark tear down, Deep blue sea feels like the pinnacle of the era's best horror film. With three times as much shark danger (four times as much if you count the tasty tiger) and a facility to destroy, it's a wonderful mix of '90s meta-slasher gore, sci-fi isolation, aquatic adventure, and monster movie fun. IMDb currently has it ranked as the best shark movie of all time, and it's possible that in another 25 years, this magnificent shark science spectacle will overtake Spielberg's heavyweight and become ruler of the cinematic seas.