If you loved the heart-pounding underwater thrills and giant shark scares of The Meg, you’re probably craving more movies that will make you think twice about taking a dip in the ocean. Well, you’re in luck, because there are plenty of other films out there that deliver similar doses of aquatic horror, suspense, and jumbo-sized sea creatures.
From classics like Jaws to modern shark attack flicks like The Shallows, these 18 movies like The Meg prove that when it comes to terror in the deep, the meg isn’t the only monster to watch out for. So grab your popcorn, hold your breath, and get ready to dive into the best movies like The Meg. Just be warned: you may never look at the water the same way again.
1. Jaws (1975)
No list of movies like The Meg would be complete without mentioning the granddaddy of all shark attack films: Jaws. Directed by a young Steven Spielberg, this 1975 classic about a giant great white shark terrorizing a beach town essentially invented the summer blockbuster. But more than that, it tapped into our primal fear of the ocean and what might be lurking beneath the waves.
While the special effects may look a bit dated now, the expert filmmaking, memorable characters, and iconic score still make Jaws a timeless and terrifying watch. If you want to see the original movie that made audiences afraid to go in the water, this is the place to start.
2. Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Before The Meg, there was Deep Blue Sea. This 1999 sci-fi horror flick stars Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, and Samuel L. Jackson as a team of scientists experimenting on genetically enhanced mako sharks to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. Naturally, things go horribly wrong and the super-intelligent sharks break out of their underwater facility and start hunting the humans.
With plenty of gory shark attacks, flooded corridors, and larger-than-life action, Deep Blue Sea delivers a fun and frightening deep sea creature feature. The CGI sharks may look a bit cartoonish at times, but the film’s tight pacing and game cast keep things entertaining. Plus, it has one of the most unexpected and shocking death scenes ever.
3. The Shallows (2016)
Blake Lively vs. a great white shark. That’s the simple but effective premise of The Shallows, a lean and mean survival thriller. Lively plays Nancy, a surfer who gets stranded on a small rock just 200 yards from shore after being attacked by a massive shark. Injured and alone, she must use her wits and resourcefulness to outsmart the circling predator and make it back to safety.
With a great lead performance by Lively and some genuinely nail-biting suspense, The Shallows is a small-scale but riveting entry in the shark movie genre. Director Jaume Collet-Serra makes great use of the single location and ratchets up the tension with each passing minute. If you want a more intimate, character-driven shark film, this is a great pick.
4. Open Water (2003)
What’s scarier than being attacked by a giant shark? How about being stranded in the middle of the ocean surrounded by regular-sized sharks? That’s the terrifying scenario of Open Water, an ultra low-budget horror film about a couple who gets left behind by their scuba diving boat and must tread water for hours in shark-infested seas.
Shot for only $500,000 and featuring real shark footage, Open Water is a minimalist but effective exercise in pure dread. The fear comes not from jump scares or a monster shark, but from the hopelessness of the situation and the unseen dangers lurking below. It’s a slow burn, but the sense of isolation and vulnerability is palpable throughout.
5. The Reef (2010)
Another low-budget shark survival film, the Australian movie The Reef follows a group of friends whose boat capsizes during a sailing trip, forcing them to swim through great white-infested waters to reach land. Like Open Water, it uses real shark footage to heighten the realism and tension.
While it may not be the most original premise, The Reef is a well-crafted and suspenseful thriller that makes the most of its limited resources. The characters are likable and easy to root for, and the shark attack scenes are harrowing without being too gory. It’s a solid pick for fans of aquatic horror.
6. 47 Meters Down (2017)
Sisters Lisa and Kate (Mandy Moore and Claire Holt) get more than they bargained for when they decide to go cage diving and see sharks up close in 47 Meters Down. But when the cable snaps and their cage plummets to the ocean floor, they find themselves trapped at the bottom of the sea with limited air and great whites circling above.
With a clever premise and some pulse-pounding underwater sequences, 47 Meters Down is an entertaining and sometimes quite scary shark flick. Moore and Holt have good chemistry and sell the life-or-death stakes. The CGI sharks are a bit ropey at times, but there are some effective jump scares and claustrophobic moments.
7. Bait 3D (2012)
In this Australian horror-comedy, a freak tsunami hits a coastal town, flooding a supermarket and trapping a group of shoppers inside. But as the survivors navigate the submerged aisles, they discover they’re not alone – a pack of hungry great white sharks is also trapped in the store, and they’re looking for a meal.
Directed by Kimble Rendall, Bait 3D is a gleefully ridiculous B-movie that knows exactly what it is and leans into it with gusto. The premise is utterly absurd, but the film commits to it fully, delivering a fun and entertaining ride full of gory shark attacks, inventive kills, and tongue-in-cheek humor.
The 3D effects are used to good (if gimmicky) effect, with plenty of shots of sharks lunging out of the screen. If you’re in the mood for a silly and over-the-top shark movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, Bait 3D is the perfect choice.
8. Deep Blue Sea 2 (2018)
The direct-to-video sequel Deep Blue Sea 2 may lack the star power and budget of the original, but it still delivers some decent low-rent shark thrills. This time, a billionaire pharmaceutical CEO is experimenting on bull sharks to develop a cure for human brain diseases. And once again, the sharks get loose and start chowing down on the cast.
While it can’t match the first film in terms of spectacle or memorable deaths, Deep Blue Sea 2 is a watchable enough creature feature for undemanding shark fans. The CGI is spotty and the characters are thin, but the film moves along at a good pace and delivers some okay gore. Just don’t expect anything on the level of the original.
9. Crawl (2019)
A surprisingly effective natural horror-thriller, Crawl traps a young woman and her father in the crawl space of their Florida home during a Category 5 hurricane while ravenous alligators stalk them. With the water rising and options running out, they must fight to survive the hungry reptiles and the raging storm.
Directed by Alexandre Aja, Crawl is a tight, tense, and well-crafted B-movie that delivers real scares and suspense. The alligator attacks are brutal and shocking, and Kaya Scodelario makes for a capable and sympathetic heroine. It may not be a shark movie, but Crawl offers similar aquatic horror thrills on a smaller scale.
10. Underwater (2020)
Underwater is more of a deep sea monster movie than a shark film, but it should still appeal to fans of claustrophobic aquatic horror. Kristen Stewart stars as part of a team of researchers working at the bottom of the Mariana Trench whose facility is rocked by mysterious tremors. Soon, they find themselves battling for survival against an unseen creature in the depths.
Essentially Alien underwater, this sci-fi horror film has plenty of tense moments and creepy creature designs. Stewart is great as always, and the production design is top-notch, really selling the cold and isolating environment at the bottom of the sea. The film keeps explanations to a minimum and focuses on pure suspense and scares.
11. The Reef: Stalked (2022)
A stand-alone sequel to the 2010 film, The Reef: Stalked once again sees a group of friends menaced by a great white shark after capsizing during a kayaking trip. One of the women is already traumatized after witnessing her sister’s murder, and the shark becomes a psychological symbol of the inescapable trauma and grief.
While it retreads a lot of the same beats as the first movie, The Reef: Stalked benefits from strong performances and a unique emotional undercurrent in its story. The shark action is solid for a low-budget film, delivering some effective moments of gore and suspense. Overall, it’s a worthy follow-up for fans of the original.
12. The Meg 2: The Trench (2023)
Of course, we can’t talk about movies like The Meg without mentioning its own sequel, The Meg 2: The Trench. Released five years after the original, this follow-up sees Jason Statham reprising his role as deep-sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor, who must once again confront a giant prehistoric shark.
This time around, Jonas and his team discover that the megalodon he defeated in the first film was just a baby – and its much larger mother is out for revenge. The action moves from the open ocean to a newly discovered underwater trench, where the humans must navigate a gauntlet of ancient sea creatures and other dangers.
If you enjoyed the first Meg movie and are hungry for more giant shark action, The Meg 2 is a fun and satisfying sequel that doesn’t disappoint.
13. Great White (2021)
In Great White, a blissful tourist trip turns into a nightmare when five seaplane passengers are stalked by a great white shark after their plane crashes into the ocean. Stranded miles from shore in a leaking life raft with a badly injured friend, they must find a way back to land before they either drown or get devoured.
Another low-budget shark survival thriller, Great White doesn’t bring much new to the table, but it’s a competently made and reasonably suspenseful film for the genre. The characters are a bit thin and there are some noticeable CGI shots, but the shark attack scenes deliver some effective jolts. You mostly know what you’re getting with this one.
14. Bait (2012)
An oddball entry in the shark movie canon, the Australian horror comedy Bait sees a freak tsunami hit a coastal town, flooding a supermarket and trapping the people inside. The catch? The floodwaters have washed in a pack of hungry great white sharks that begin to pick off the survivors one by one. It’s a bit like Snakes on a Plane, but with sharks in a grocery store.
With its wacky premise, Bait is more tongue-in-cheek than terrifying. But it’s still a fun and sometimes inventive spin on the shark attack formula, using the store setting to put clever obstacles between the characters and safety. The CGI sharks are iffy and the acting is over-the-top, but that’s all part of the film’s cheesy charm.
15. The Requin (2022)
A tropical island getaway turns into a waterlogged fight for survival in The Requin, which stars Alicia Silverstone and James Tupper as a couple whose overwater villa is destroyed by a massive storm. Swept out to sea on the floating remains of their room, they then must contend with some circling sharks.
Despite a decent cast, The Requin is a bit of a slog, with a slow pace and a shortage of shark action. Silverstone and Tupper try their best, but the characters are underwritten and the dialogue is clunky. There are a few okay attack scenes, but they are too few and far between. One for diehard shark movie completists only.
16. Shark Bait (2022)
When a group of spring breakers steal some jet skis for a joyride in Shark Bait, they end up stranded two miles from shore after crashing into each other. Bleeding and disoriented, they then start to get stalked by a massive great white shark that begins to attack.
Another by-the-numbers survival shark thriller, Shark Bait brings nothing new to the subgenre. The characters are the usual annoying party boy and bikini girl stereotypes, and the story is completely predictable. That said, the shark attack scenes are decent for a low-budget film, and it delivers some okay gore. Brain-dead but watchable shark schlock.
17. Maneater (2022)
Not to be confused with the Nelly Furtado song, Maneater is a Shark Week-inspired horror movie about a group of friends on a fishing trip who get terrorized by an aggressive great white shark after it starts to attack their boat. Trapped at sea with a damaged ship, they fight to survive against the relentless predator.
More comedy than horror, Maneater has its tongue firmly in its cheek, with lots of snarky jokes, meta humor, and over-the-top kills. The characters are broad stereotypes and the plot is thin even for a shark movie. But it’s all done with a knowing wink. It’s far from a good film, but it delivers some schlocky fun for undemanding shark fans.
18. Shark Side of the Moon (2022)
Quite possibly the most bonkers film on this list, Shark Side of the Moon imagines a future where the Space Race continues to the dark side of the moon, only for astronauts to discover it is inhabited by space sharks. Soon, NASA and the Russian space agency must work together to fight off the lunar shark menace.
With a title riffing on the Pink Floyd album and a premise that sounds like a mad lib, Shark Side of the Moon knows exactly how ridiculous it is. It’s a tongue-in-cheek sci-fi horror comedy with intentionally (?) bad special effects and a commitment to its absurd concept. Not scary or technically “good,” but possibly worth a watch for its sheer WTF factor alone.
So there you have it: 18 movies like The Meg to satisfy your craving for shark thrills and underwater chills. Whether you prefer your shark flicks to be intense and terrifying or silly and over-the-top, there’s something here for every fan of the subgenre.
