A Bigger Boat: The Resurgence and Evolution of Sharksploitation Movies in the 21st Century  

With the critical appraisal of the Netflix-distributed French shark movie, Under Paris (2024), as the ‘best shark movie’ since Jaws (1975), and the impending release of Renny Harlin’s Deep Water (2024), twenty-five years after Deep Blue Sea (1999), sharksploitation is experiencing yet another cultural renaissance. Progeny of the preeminent ‘summer blockbuster film’, Jaws, and the spoofs, parodies, ‘rip-offs’ and ‘knock-offs’ made in its wake, sharksploitation movies are emblematic of the logic of intertextuality and of big and small films that recycle and innovate. Entangled in the industrial, technological and cultural developments that continue to reshape 21st century cinema, sharksploitation movies of the new millennium echo the past yet stand on their own as products of new and emerging forms of cinema. 

Across sequels (e.g., Deep Blue Sea 2 and 3 (2018, 2020); 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019); Meg 2: The Trench (2023)), series (e.g. Sharknado (2013-2017); Open Water (2003-2017)), and ‘spin-offs’, sharksploitation movies of the 21st century showcase the global proliferation of approaches to storytelling and genre. Sharksploitation movies in the digital era are increasingly engaged with narrative tropes and generic conventions related to feminism, environmentalism, globalization, and history (especially prehistory). These include diverse international teams, the disruption of female ‘victimhood’, and the ‘return of nature’ through ever-bigger sharks (often associated with existing monster myths). The modern sharksploitation movie has embraced greater generic hybridity, fluidity and self-consciousness since the era of Jaws and its immediate offspring. In horror, this includes the growth of particular subgenres, such as natural and animal horror, and entails new ways that the genre mixes and merges with survival stories, action movies and thrillers. 

Sharksploitation films also exemplify the multiplicity of distribution and consumption in the digital era, from ‘event films’ to straight-to-cable and -streaming. This includes sharksploitation films on cable channels dedicated to horror and science fiction, like Syfy, and the cult retro horror content and B-film productions that litter the catalogs of global video-on-demand services, such as Tubi. The paratextual pleasures and tastes of online fan communities are enacted through various audience practices, as consumers watch, rework, and produce sharksploitation content. Extending recent scholarly interest in Jaws, the collection will offer a unique perspective on the complex migratory paths and cultural bite of the modern sharksploitation movie beyond conventional modes of production, distribution and reception. 

This anthology seeks previously unpublished essays on Contributions could include, but are not limited to, the following topics: 

• Globalization and internationalization, including international productions such as Mako (Egypt, 2021), Under Paris (France, 2024), and co-productions such as Bait (China/Australia, 2012), The Meg (US/China, 2018), and Black Demon (US/Mexico, 2023) 

• Shark movies in the streaming era, including their importance to distribution, syndication, and catalogs 

• The impact of technology, from on-screen visual effects to the influence of short-form video and social media on storytelling approaches 

• Politics and policy (e.g., environmental/conservation perspectives on shark representations in film media)

• Sharks and ‘taste’ (e.g., shark movies as cult cinema/B-film) 

• Viewing contexts and experiences (e.g., theatrical, cable TV, OTT streaming)

• Audience practices (e.g., online fan communities and fan-generated content on social media and video-sharing platforms)

• Shark movies and paratexts (e.g., promotional materials)

• Shark movies and genre, including in children’s media and video games (e.g., Hungry Shark Evolution)

• Class, race, sexuality, gender and queer readings (e.g., female ‘victims’ and reclaimed agency)

• Sharks and (rapid) narrative evolution (e.g., ever-bigger sharks, isolated protagonist versus team survivor stories, and international casts, settings and scenarios)

• Shark as symptom (e.g., of the Anthropocene)

• Mythic, symbolic and archetypal readings (e.g., sharks as Frankenstein’s monster)

Edinburgh University Press have expressed strong interest in the project as part of its 21st Century Horror series. 

The collection will be international in scope, interdisciplinary in nature and reflect a diversity of perspectives. We will assess all submissions on their merits but encourage proposals that will help the book reflect the myriad ways that sharksploitation films can be examined. This includes in terms of their transnational presence, cultural adoption, and political representation, as well as the different ways they can be situated in terms of film history, audience practices, and cultural and environmental policy. The chapters will be peer-reviewed, scholarly, and written at a high academic level.

If interested in submitting a proposal, please send the following to glen.donnar@rmit.edu.au by 9 December 2024:

• Abstract (250-300 words)

• 4-5 chapter keywords

• Academic bio (100 words)

• Link to research outputs or short research CV (2 pages maximum) 

Prospective authors are also welcome to contact the editors with any questions, including about alternative potential topics.

If accepted, full draft chapters of 6000 words will be due in May-June 2025.

Note: Acceptance of a proposed abstract does not guarantee the acceptance of the full chapter.