Steven Spielberg’s 1975 summer blockbuster movie Jaws influenced generations of creature features to come, but only a handful live up to that iconic picture. The tale of the rogue and flesh-hungry great white terrified audiences and became a cinematic masterpiece, setting a new standard in Hollywood that movies like Deep Blue Sea, Open Water, and more recently The Meg have attempted to replicate. As Jaws celebrates its milestone 50th anniversary this year, one of the best shark movies from the 2010s is swimming to a new streaming home, and it’s the perfect end-of-summer watch!
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The movie in question is The Shallows, and it started streaming on Hulu on September 11th. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by Anthony Jaswinski, the 2016 survival horror thriller stars Blake Lively as Nancy Adams, a medical student reeling from the loss of her mother who travels to a secluded beach for some much-needed solace. She finds herself in a tense fight for survival when she is attacked by a great white shark while surfing and finds herself injured and stranded 200 yards from shore.
Why You Should Watch The Shallows
There’s no shortage of shark movies, but The Shallows just may be one of the best to follow Jaws. The film offers a slimmed-down narrative and cast that focuses on one woman’s survival not only against the shark that lurks beneath the waters but also against the environment, with Lively’s performance carrying the film and delivering a character-driven plot. The decision to center the shark as a territorial predator rather than simply a mindless killing machine, combined with the fact that the shark is rarely shown and instead lurks beneath the waves, helps build suspense and continues to put the focus on Nancy and her fear.
The Shallows is an incredibly well-crafted film and a nail-biting thriller from beginning to end, so it’s no surprise that it was a hit. The movie grossed over $119 million against a production budget of around $13 million, making it a box office hit. It also earned a “Certified Fresh” distinction on Rotten Tomatoes with a 79% critics’ score. The audience rating sits lower at 59%.
Other Horror Movies Now on Hulu
Hulu’s September 2025 content catalog features a wide range of titles that offer something for just about anyone, including horror fans. This month, the streamer is stocking several horror movies in its library perfect for spooky season, and The Shallows is just one of them. Creature feature fans can get even more fun in with The Meg and The Meg 2: The Trench, films that center around the terrifyingly massive megalodon, a shark species thought to be extinct only to be rediscovered with devastating effects.
Those looking for a different type of horror can sit down and watch Jennifer’s Body, the 2009 cult classic starring Megan Fox as a demonically possessed high school cheerleader who kills her male classmates. For a lighter option, Hulu also just added Werewolves Within, director Josh Ruben’s 2021 whodunit comedy horror film about a group of people who find themselves trapped in a snowstorm and terrorized by a mysterious creature.
Will you be watching The Shallows or any other horror films on Hulu this September? Let us know in the comments!
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