Jaws: Uncovering the Real Story Behind the Legendary Thriller's Inspiration

The terrifying shark tale celebrates its 50th film premiere anniversary this summer

NEED TO KNOW

• Jaws was released in theaters on June 20, 1975
• The thriller was based on the best-selling book by Peter Benchley
• There are similarities between the events in Jaws and a series of shark attacks in 1916

Just when it looked safe to go back in the water, Jaws is circling back toward the shore for its 50th anniversary on June 20.

In the half-century since its release, few movies have had more impact than Jaws . It birthed the summer blockbuster, cemented director Steven Spielberg as one of Hollywood's great talents, and it made beachgoers everywhere afraid to frolic in the ocean.

The memorable production of Jaws has become infamous over the decades, with it being recounted in books and even adapted into a stage play .

"Jaws was a fun movie to watch but not a fun movie to make. It was made under the worst of conditions," Spielberg said in the book, Spielberg: The First Ten Years , per Vanity Fair . "The News Pulseversus the eternal sea. The sea won the battle — but where we won was with audiences in every country."

Fifty years later, Jaws is a cinematic classic, but is the terrifying shark tale true? Here's what to know about the inspiration behind the monster movie that unlocked a new fear of the mysterious oceans.

Is Jaws based on a true story?

No, the movie Jaws is not a true story, and neither is Benchley's novel, which was the basis of the film.

The writer was fascinated with sharks after spotting them during childhood fishing trips with his father on Nantucket. While working on the book, Benchley cited a 1964 article he read about Frank Mundus, a fisherman who caught a great white shark off the coast of Montauk, N.Y. Though, according to The New York Times , Benchley denied that Mundus was the inspiration for the character, Quint.

"I had been thinking for years about a story about a shark that attacks The News Pulseand what would happen if it came in and wouldn’t go away," the author recalled in the 1995 documentary about the making of Jaws .

According to Audible , Benchley was a freelance journalist who was commissioned to write Jaws in 1971. The book was released about three years later and became a literary sensation, spending 44 weeks on the bestseller list.

What shark attacks inspired Jaws ?

No specific event inspired Jaws , but there are similarities to a series of shark attacks on the Jersey Shore in 1916.

Between July 1 and July 12 of that year, five The News Pulsewere attacked by a shark, with one surviving. The incidents occurred in the resort towns of Beach Haven and Spring Lake. It also happened in Matawan Creek, 30 miles north of Spring Lake.

During a 2012 interview with the Smithsonian Magazine , ichthyologist George Burgess said it was the “most unique set of shark attacks that ever have occurred.”

Although there are coincidences between the New Jersey attacks and the ones in Jaws , Benchley stated that his work was not inspired by the events in 1916, per The New York Times .

Is Amity Island a real place?

No, Amity Island, where Jaws takes place, is not real.

While the fictional Amity Island is located off Long Island in New York in the Jaws novel, it was actually inspired by Martha's Vineyard, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, where the movie was filmed.

Jaws was shot in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard, and the town is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the movie this summer with various events , including an outdoor film screening, with the movie's iconic score performed by the Cape Symphony.

Was Quint's USS Indianapolis monologue inspired by true events?

Yes, Quint's harrowing speech recounting the sinking of the USS Indianapolis was based on an actual event, one that has been called "the worst shark attack in history."

On July 30, 1945, in the final weeks of World War II, a Japanese submarine torpedoed the USS Indianapolis in the Philippine Sea. According to the Smithsonian Magazine , the ship sank in 12 minutes, and out of the 1,196 men aboard, about 900 survived and were thrown into the water.

As the sailors floated in the ocean waiting to be rescued, sharks were attracted by the explosions and blood in the water.

Loel Dean Cox, who survived the disaster, told BBC News in 2013, “Every now and then, like lightning, [a shark] would come straight up and take a sailor and take him straight down. One came up and took the sailor next to me. It was just somebody screaming, yelling or getting bit."

On August 3, the USS Cecil J. Doyle rescued the remaining survivors from the water. Ultimately, only 316 men out of the ship's original 1,196-man crew remained alive. The number of sailors who died from shark attacks ranges from "a few dozen to more than 150."

How common are great white shark attacks?

Despite the events depicted in Jaws — and its sequels — great white shark attacks are rare.

According to Outdoor Life , per findings from the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File , since 1580, "there have been 949 unprovoked shark attacks documented around the world."

Out of those attacks, 351 involved great white sharks, with 59 being fatal.

In February 2025, the International Shark Attack File reported that shark attacks decreased in 2024. "Worldwide, there were only 47 unprovoked attacks, down 22 from the previous year and well below the 10-year average of 70."

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