Bigger Boat Needed: “Jaws” and Other Summer Scares

"Jaws" swims into Hollywood, followed by other H20 horror flicks.

Our city's art movie houses and outdoor film series lead the way in innovative double features and strange film series. A whole week devoted to a single obscure director or a type of comedy that only stars clowns that ride unicycles? Bet a theater here has covered it.

We're still waiting, though, for the summer-winter horror mash-up. Scary snow flicks, where isolation and cold reign, would make a fine and fearsome pairing for the summer frighties.

Which pretty much all deal with water and woods. The most prominent example is "Jaws," a summer blockbuster with a summer feel and a movie that usually gets play around the Fourth of July each year. (Not surprising, since the plot plays out over an everybody-in-the-ocean Fourth of July weekend.)

American Cinematheque is screening this soaky slice of summer horror at The Egyptian, along with a few other what's-in-the-water flicks, over the holiday weekend.

"Jaws" kicks things off -- er, swims things off? -- on Friday, July 5. "Piranha," "Alligator," "Tintorera: Killer Shark," and "Blue Water" play that night or later in the weekend, along with "Grizzly," which, nope, is not a water movie, but water-adjacent.

If you prefer your summer H20 flicks to be of the sweeter, starrier variety, hang tight: a double features starring the lovely Esther Williams is coming up later in the month at the Aero Theatre as well as "Storm Surfers: 3D."

We love the cinema-style cool-off, it is true, especially after this last heat wave. But, seriously, theater owners, you need to get on that winter-summer horror-o-thon. Or, to make it a little trickier, an autumn-spring horror series? Are there even any movies that qualify there?

The Scene

Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.

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