Quentin Tarantinohas dubbed one film the greatest movie of all time, and an expert has finally weighed in to explain why its best shot is so effective. Besides making his own beloved films, Tarantino is known as something of a cinematic tastemaker, and his opinions go a long way.
From the lowest B-movie to the biggest Hollywood blockbuster, it’s safe to assume that Tarantino has an opinion, and he’s usually quite astute. He’s brought that love of movies to his own films, and they are often love letters to the works that most inspired him. Despite his frequent commentary, he’s only dubbed one movie to be the very best.
It’s hard to deny Tarantino’s pick, and he isn’t alone in loving the classic horror film. Ironically, Tarantino’s pick isn’t some obscure gem, but actually one of themost popular summer blockbusters ever, and it continues to thrill. This has inspired an actual therapist to give his two cents on the film, and he has a lot of interesting insights.
A Therapist Explains The Psychology Of The Scariest Scene In Jaws
It’s More About What The Audience Doesn’t See
In a video on theCinema Therapychannel on YouTube, therapist Jonathan Decker discussedJawswith a duo of film experts, and he had a lot to say about the unique psychology being employed in the film. In particular,Decker described the scene in which Chief Brody’s son is nearly gobbled up as having the “scariest shot in the movie.”
It’sthe iconicJawsmomentin which the shark is seen through the cloudy water as it pulls an unsuspecting boater under. Filmmaker Alan Seawright astutely added that the audience gets “just enough of it to go, ‘Oh my gosh, how big is that shark?'“Though it’s often overshadowed by other shark shots,it’s the subtlety that’s so effective.
the scene is pivotal because it forces Brody to finally face the problem head on instead of “dancing around the issue.”
From a psychological perspective, as Decker explains, the scene is pivotal because it forces Brody to finally face the problem head on instead of “dancing around the issue.” Thisreflects real-life tactics that people often use to avoid conflictuntil it is finally so bad that it can’t be avoided anymore.
How Jaws’ Scariest Scene Holds Up In 2025
It’s Aged Like Fine Wine Compared To Other Moments
Jawsis one of those rare horror movies that has aged perfectly, and continues to get better with each passing year. Though manybehind-the-scenes factorsforced the movie to show the shark less,the subtle use of the shark is really the best part of the entire movie.
Decker calling the attack scene scariest isn’t far off, particularly because of how well it has aged.The animatronic never looks scarier than in the brief moment it’s seen through the surface of the water, and it’s even creepier as it slowly fades into the darkness below.
There’s an element of psychological horror to the image as it reminds the viewer that the sea is the shark’s domain, and that’s on top of the more straightforward terror of the shark attack itself. It’s no wonder thatQuentin Tarantinoloves the movie so much, and its reputation is earned largely because it’s still scary today.
