Top 10 Ridiculous Shark Movies

Jeffrey Combs was no stranger to playing mad scientists [1] prior to signing on to "Hammerhead" in 2005. After all, Combs was already a cult sensation, thanks to his performance in the horror classic "Reanimator." "Hammerhead" benefits greatly from its casting of Combs as the lead villain, whose obsession with curing his son's cancer leads to him turning the boy into a vicious shark/human hybrid. Meanwhile, the crew of "Hammerhead" take their cues from "Jaws" and show the titular creature only sparingly, using POV shots and brief glimpses to hide the shoddy CGI work. Still, "Hammerhead" is more competently made than many other films on this list, though, so that's gotta count for something.

We've already mentioned "shoddy CGI" once in this list, but buckle up, because we're going to be referencing that a lot here with these movies. Case in point? 2011's "SuperShark," which couldn't seem to be bothered to even attempt anything approaching quality, and seems to be proud of that fact. Sure, some of its lead actors seem to be at least trying to keep a straight face with the ridiculous material on hand, but the simple fact is "Super Shark" rips off its plot from "Jaws," adds nothing to the genre and exists in its own vacuum of idiotic entertainment for an easily appeased audience.

Do you like your bad shark movies to buck the aquatic trend for something a bit more original? If so, then the next film on our list is for you. "Avalanche Sharks" froze the ocean over for its take on a fish feeding frenzy, as terribly animated sharks "swim" through the snow in search of their prey. The overall effect is somewhat similar to 2012's "Sand Sharks," in that they're moderately well shot during the dialogue scene, but the actual creature effects are so abysmal, that they make the end results absolutely impossible to take seriously.

Hey, whaddaya know? We have actual sharks featured in our next film! No CGI nonsense here! "Mako: The Jaws of Death" is also one of the few legitimately enjoyable films on this list, as it actually arrives with an inventive premise. Richard Jaeckel's Sonny seems to possess a telepathic connection with sharks, and the film uses this idea to portray them as sympathetic victims of humanity. This is solid drive-in fare all the way, with tense underwater photography and Jaeckel's straight-forward performance to hold the film together. If you're looking for a 70s shark flick that tries to do something other than ape "Jaws," then this "Mako" is for you.

The Asylum are well known to schlock movie fans as purveyors of shamelessly low budget, tie-in cash grab films known as "mockbusters." Now, "2-Headed Shark Attack" may not have been riding the coattails of any specific film when it hit rental and VOD on 2012, but it definitely has all of The Asylum's trademark ticked boxes. Middling to downright bad acting? Check. Gratuitous T&A? Double check. Shark effects that look like the unfinished work of a first year graphic design student? You betcha! Then again, it IS called "2-Headed Shark Attack," so what were we really expecting?

Hey, have you ever wondered what an awful shark movie and an awful T.V. series would do if they somehow inhabited the same universe? No? Well, neither have we, but we're gonna talk about it anyway. "Jersey Shore Shark Attack" is perhaps the film with the least pride in what it does, cranking out a premise that rides on the wave of a popular reality craze and combines it with the laziest shark movie tropes imaginable. The acting is amateur hour (for the most part, Jack Scalia still delivers) and the effects are some of the worst ever put to screen, leaving this as one ridiculous shark movie best left for chum.

The Asylum returns yet again on our list, this time with the first in their series that pits a "Mega Shark" against various mutated creatures in a fight to the finish. This first fight was titled "Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus" and delivers pretty much what you'd expect from the straight forward title. It's nowhere near as ridiculous as future installments would get, and hey, it stars pop singer Debbie Gibson and Lorenzo Lamas of "Renegade" fame, so that's something, right? Honestly, fans of campy shark flicks could do worse than this one, buuuuut, yeah, we'd still recommend you watch any of the "Jaws" movies instead.

Alright, we'll give this one an "A" for effort. "Ghost Shark" at least tries to do something new with an established genre here, which was no mean feat when it hit T.V. screens in 2013. The ghost effects, to their credit, could've been a lot worse, and it looks like most of the folks involved with this one - from cast to crew - are trying their best to have fun with a silly premise. Does the idea of a dead shark haunting the living make any sense? No, but who cares! "Ghost Shark" was made to be enjoyed with friends, drinks and one giant grain of salt.

Roger Corman is an industry icon, a filmmaker and producer who gave many Hollywood superstars their first shots in the business. He's also a man who knew how to make money, thanks to a career producing some of the exploitation world's most enjoyable films. "Sharktopus" was produced by Corman for the SyFy Network, and was just one in what had been decades of the Corman Factory's conveyor belt of killer beast flicks. So, is the film as fun as the man's ‘70s and ‘80s output? Well...no, but there's a knowing nod and a wink to the proceedings here that make the idea of a shark and octopus hybrid just that much more enjoyable to watch.

Before we name our number one bit o' shark bait, here are some hungry honorable mentions!

"Dinoshark" (2010)


"Shark Night 3D" (2011)

"Malibu Shark Attack" (2009)

C'mon, you knew this had to be at number one, right? Sure, there had already been tons of low budget shark disasters prior to the release of "Sharknado" in 2013, but rarely had one entered the public consciousness in quite the same way. The mainstream media, for one reason or another, picked up on the ludicrous premise of shark-infested water spouts flooding the city of Los Angeles, and earned the film a slow burn of success. The "Sharknado" series even managed to earn itself five sequels, which is probably more than anyone at SyFy or The Asylum expected when they greenlit the film for development. Good on ya, guys!