As far as shark attacks in movies go, the opening of the first Jaws is a classic. The score by John Williams, the POV of the shark, and the screams of pain from Chrissie (Susan Backlinie) during a late-night swim transform a sea creature into a man-eating monster. It would be tough to follow up on how famous of an opening kill this is, for any shark-themed horror, but especially within its own franchise. The opening of 1978’s Jaws 2 doesn’t match the terror, but later in the movie, there is a deadlier, darker shark attack that is even more horrific than Chrissie’s fate.
‘Jaws 2’ Has an Angrier Shark Lurking Around Amity Island
Amity Island may have experienced horror and tragedy in 1975, but 1978 is where it truly lost its innocence. A new shark swims into the waters surrounding the community in Jaws 2.It’s more aggressive than the first movie’s “Bruce” and is closer to a slasher villain than a hungry fish. That is apparent early on when a water skier is pulled under the water and the shark slams into the boat, causing an explosion that leaves its face charred in the process. Amity Island has been invaded by its own Freddy Krueger, with the sea becoming their nightmares. An angrier shark aside, Jaws 2 often rehashes story beats from the first movie, although it doesn’t become nearly as original as, well, the original.
But there are horrifying moments that are memorable, giving it an edge over the schlock of Jaws 3-D (1983) and the downright bonkers The Revenge (1987). The attacks in Jaws 2 lead to a sequence where a young couple, Eddie (Gary Dubin) and Tina (Ann Dusenberry), are thrown into danger and only one will survive. Alongside returning characters like Chief Brody (Roy Scheider), Eddie and Tina are part of the new residents of Amity that pop up throughout the movie. They aren’t given complex character depth, but the audience’s familiarity with seeing them is akin to how you might notice people around your town. They’re also always seen kissing, joking, and enjoying a summer of their youth. They are summertime innocence personified, which is what makes their fate all the more traumatizing. The small boat they are on, named Tina’s Joy, is morbidly ironic when they are attacked in the middle of the ocean with no one to rescue them.
Eddie’s Death Is Brutal To Watch in ‘Jaws 2’
The underwater predator uses its favorite tactic of slamming into the boat, the force tossing Eddie into the ocean and dragging the boat, with Tina in it, a couple of hundred yards away. The way the sequence is filmed fuels the feeling of helplessness as the shark returns to finish what it started. The distance closes in on all three. Tina might be in the safety of the boat, placing her in the middle, but she can’t do anything to help her boyfriend except yell for Eddie to swim faster. But there’s no way a human can swim faster than a 25-foot Great White shark. The consequence of losing means a cruel defeat for the young man as the shark drags him under. When Eddie resurfaces, his body is pulled and slammed into the body as if to let Tina have one last look at her boyfriend. Then the shark takes him under, with blood reaching the ocean’s surface as confirmation of his death.
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Eddie’s death is a darker version of the opening in the first Jaws,where Chrissie’s late-night swim is seen by no one. Her admirer is too drunk to follow her in, and he falls asleep on shore. Flipping the gender of the victim and the time of day it takes place, it’s the girlfriend who is left in deep shock at the brutal death of her boyfriend, all in direct sunlight. Although Jaws 2 repeats having no one believe Chief Brody about a shark off Amity, at least the sequel doesn’t shy away from exploring how traumatic the events of the first movie and this installment can be. Long before horror legacy sequels tried to do the same (looking at you, Halloween Kills), this 1978 horror moviegets up close and personal with how the residents and tourists learn the past can’t be forgotten so easily.
Tina’s reaction is more visceral than what is seen in the first Jaws whenBrody’s son Michael (Chris Rebello) encounters Bruce. The boy witnesses the shark chomp into a man and falls unconscious from shock, needing to be dragged back to shore and stay overnight at the hospital. He’s quiet during a short scene when he wakes up, although it’s nothing like the unsteady emotions for Tina. She stays awake in a petrified state, where she whispers to herself as if it were just a bad dream she could wake herself from. The camera stays on her to capture the shock as it consumes her. She isn’t anywhere close to land like Michael, leaving her alone for an unknown amount of time until Brody and his wife find her. Only then does Tina’s quiet voice turn into bone-chilling screams, but she’s still one able to get out one word: shark. Ann Dusenberry’s performance is utterly devastating as Ellen tries to console Tina. Her traumatized, catatonic state eerily sets the stakes for Brody’s rescue mission in the movie’s final act.
The original Jaws put in raw moments of how the characters reacted to death, from Michael’s response tothe angry grief of Mrs. Kintner (Lee Fierro). But those moments weren’t as extended as Tina’s. It’s enough to know she will be having nightmares for days, weeks, and probably years to come. Chrissie’s lonely demise is a classic horror opening kill, but having a witness, like Tina, creates an uncomfortable aftermath that feels a little too real. Audiences understand that even after this new shark is killed, Amity Island won’t be fast to heal.
