TORONTO — A caiman swimming in a pond of a Toronto park. A fake shark surfacing in Lake Ontario near Kingston. Is it safe to go in the water?
This is the same question millions of people asked in 1975 upon the release of Jaws, a movie about a shark terrorizing an island vacation spot.
At least the sharks in Jaws and its 1978 and 1983 sequels were in the ocean, where they belong. In other movies, people have been haunted — and hunted — by angry alligators, barracudas, crocodiles, piranhas and snakes not necessarily in their natural habitats.
Here is a look at 10 films that made us all think twice about going near oceans, lakes, rivers and streams.
Jaws (1975)
Directed by Steven Spielberg, this now-classic thriller is based on the Peter Benchley novel of the same name.
Alligator (1980)
This movie, co-written by John Sayles, shows what can happen when you flush an unwanted baby alligator down the toilet. He’s not going to forget.
Piranha (1978)
This B-movie about a swarm of killer piranhas was released to capitalize on the success of Jaws three years earlier. It spawned a sequel in 1981 and two remakes.
Piranha 3D (2010)
A remake of the 1978 original, it opens with a cheeky cameo by Jaws star Richard Dreyfuss.
Lake Placid (1999)
Ontario-born Oliver Platt is part of a star-studded cast in this horror movie about a 30-foot man-eating crocodile terrorizing a Maine lake. Worth watching for Betty White alone.
Black Water (2007)
This Australian horror film was inspired by an actual crocodile attack in the mangrove seas of northern Australia.
Anaconda (1997)
Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube and a hammy Jon Voight hunt for the world’s largest anaconda — a snake that doesn’t want to be hunted.
Shark Night 3D (2011)
Sharks attack college students in this 3-D action film starring Yellowknife native Dustin Milligan.
Open Water (2003)
This eerie flick, based loosely on a true story, follows a couple left behind after a scuba diving tour who must fend off jellyfish and sharks.
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Renny Harlin directed this sci-fi adventure about scientists searching for a cure for Alzheimers who turn sharks into faster, smarter and more dangerous predators.
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