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Shark Night
Shark Night
from Wikipedia
Shark Night
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid R. Ellis
Written byWill Hayes
Jesse Studenberg
Produced byChris Briggs
Mike Fleiss
Lynette Howell
StarringSara Paxton
Dustin Milligan
Chris Carmack
Katharine McPhee
Donal Logue
Joshua Leonard
Joel David Moore
CinematographyGary Capo
Edited byDennis Virkler
Music byGraeme Revell
Production
companies
Sierra Pictures
Incentive Filmed Entertainment
Silverwood Films
Next Entertainment
Distributed byRogue
Release date
  • September 2, 2011 (2011-09-02) (United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million[1]
Box office$41.4 million[1]

Shark Night (advertised as Shark Night 3D) is a 2011 American horror film directed by David R. Ellis and written by Will Hayes and Jesse Studenberg. It stars Sara Paxton, Chris Carmack, Katharine McPhee, Alyssa Diaz, Dustin Milligan, and Joel David Moore. The film, which was negatively received by critics and grossed $40 million worldwide, was released in RealD 3D and Digital 3D. This was Ellis's final film before his death.[2]

Plot

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Jess goes for a swim in the lake. Her boyfriend scares her and takes her bra off. He leaves and she goes to retrieve it. She is then attacked and devoured by a shark.

At Tulane University, Gordon and Nick are in their dorm when Malik bursts in. Malik tells them that he got a B+ on an exam and that they are going to Sara Palski’s house for the weekend to celebrate. As the three walk out, Malik says he is going to marry his girlfriend Maya. Maya pulls up in a car with Beth. Blake and Sara arrive. The kids drive toward the lake and stop at a bait shop. They meet Dennis Crim and Red. The seven college kids drive toward the lake until Sheriff Sabin appears. Malik, Maya, Nick, and Blake take the boat out to go water skiing. Malik is attacked by a shark and loses his arm. Maya, Nick, and Sara take him in the boat to the hospital. Malik is still bleeding from his arm. It bleeds into a hole in the boat, leaking blood into the water. A shark bumps the boat and devours Maya. The other three are forced to jump off the boat as the steering and brakes stop working.

By night, Red and Dennis appear and offer to take two people to the hospital. Beth and Gordon decide to go. While on the way Dennis explains that he and Red put the sharks in the lake. He then shoots Gordon in the arm. Gordon swims towards a tree and climbs it but is caught by a shark. Beth gets thrown into a net and gets attacked and killed by a pack of cookiecutter sharks.

Blake tells Malik that Maya is dead and in a burst of rage, Malik tries to kill the shark responsible. Nick notices a camera attached to the shark. Blake tells the others he is taking Malik to a hospital on Sarah’s WaveRunner. As they drive toward the hospital, Malik sees a Great White Shark following them. He sacrifices himself and is killed. As Blake tries to escape, the shark jumps out of the water and decapitates him.

Sheriff Sabin arrives at the house, where he notices the dead shark on the shore. He radios for backup. Nick passes out, knocking over a container of chicken noodle soup that the sheriff had. Sherman, the dog eats it. Sara overhears on the radio about Beth’s death. She and Nick are kidnapped by Dennis and the sheriff.

Nick wakes up tied to a chair. He panics as the sheriff explains that Sabin, Red, Dennis, and a bait store clerk were heavily influenced by Shark Week. They decided to record people getting brutally devoured by sharks. Sabin cuts Nick’s leg and spills gasoline. Nick uses his lighter to burn the rope to free himself. He then throws it at the sheriff who catches on fire. The sheriff falls into the lake and is devoured by a Sand Tiger Shark.

On the boat, Dennis chops up fish and dumps the blood and guts all over Sara who is in a shark cage. Nick jumps aboard with a dart gun aimed at Red’s head as he demands that Dennis bring Sarah back up. Dennis agrees, but then pulls out a knife and throws it, hitting Red in the heart. Nick throws the body overboard. Dennis and Nick fight. Nick knocks Dennis into the water and brings Sarah up out of the water. Dennis grabs a lever and pulls it re-submerging the cage.

The two start to fight again and a shark appears. Dennis gets his leg tangled up in the rope attached to the cage and is eaten. Nick dives down to retrieve a weapon from the ship and kills the sharks. Nick and Sara make it back to the boat along with the dog.

Cast

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Production

[edit]

Principal photography took place in the fall of 2010 in Louisiana around the Ark-La-Tex and at Caddo Lake in Uncertain, Texas.[3]

The sharks featured in the film were animatronic sharks built by Edge Innovations, who previously built sharks for movies such as Deep Blue Sea, Austin Powers in Goldmember, and even the Orca in Free Willy. According to Walt Conti, the head of Edge Innovations, two models for each shark were built, one "attacker" and one "swimmer", each of which required very different internal mechanisms. "Sharks are this total contrast of stealthy, cruising lurking and these intense bursts of power," Conti says. "We split those two behaviors into two different types of models, and optimized each to do one of those things best."[4]

Although the movie was always going to be titled Shark Night 3D overseas, Ellis fought for a name change for the North American release, at one point wanting to release the film under the title Untitled Shark Thriller 3D.[5] Bloody Disgusting would later compare the proposed title of the film to Ellis's previous film Snakes on a Plane (2006).[6]

"In the End" by Fade is the theme song for the Japanese version.[7]

Reception

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Shark Night received negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports that the film holds a 19% approval rating from 75 critics, with an average score of 3.42/10. The critics consensus reads, "A joyless excursion into the water that doesn't even produce good gore or nudity thanks to the neutered PG-13 rating."[8] The film has a weighted average score of 22 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[9]

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Shark Night (also marketed as Shark Night 3D) is a 2011 American horror directed by in his final directorial effort before his death. The movie follows college student Sara (played by ) and her friends as they arrive at her family's remote lake house in the for a weekend getaway, only to face a series of brutal attacks from various species of sharks in the freshwater lake. Written by Will Hayes and Jesse Studenberg, the screenplay draws on Jaws-inspired tropes but incorporates multiple shark types, including , hammerhead, and sharks, for heightened tension in its 3D format. The film features a cast including as the protagonist Sara, as her ex-boyfriend Nick, as the antagonistic Blake, as Beth, and supporting roles by , , , and . Distributed by and produced by Sierra Pictures and others, Shark Night had a reported budget of $25 million and was filmed primarily in 3D to capitalize on the era's trend for immersive horror experiences. took place in and around New Orleans, Louisiana, utilizing real water locations and practical effects combined with CGI for the shark sequences, though the production faced challenges from humid conditions and water safety protocols. Released theatrically on September 2, 2011, by , it opened in 2,806 theaters across the , coinciding with the weekend to target summer audiences. The film earned $8.4 million in its opening weekend, ultimately grossing $18.9 million domestically and $41.4 million worldwide, falling short of blockbuster expectations but performing adequately for a mid-tier horror release. Critically, Shark Night received largely negative reviews, holding a 19% approval rating on based on 74 reviews, with critics decrying its formulaic plot, wooden , and overreliance on jump scares over character development. It also scored 22/100 on based on 15 critics, often labeled as a "so bad it's good" entry in the subgenre, comparable to films like Deep Blue Sea or The Shallows. Despite the backlash, the movie found a among horror fans for its campy elements and enthusiastic 3D visuals, and it later became available on streaming platforms like , contributing to its enduring B-movie status. The film's , composed by , emphasizes suspenseful underwater motifs, while its marketing heavily promoted the novelty of freshwater sharks to differentiate it from ocean-based predecessors.

Narrative elements

Plot

The film opens with Jess, a young woman, swimming in Lake Crosby at night. She is startled by her boyfriend and pulled underwater by a , which devours her off-screen. A group of seven college friends from —Sara, her ex-boyfriend Nick, his best friend and 's fiancée Maya, 's teammate Blake, geeky Gordon, and aspiring singer Beth—arrive at Sara's family's remote lake house on Lake Crosby in for a weekend of relaxation and partying. The serene freshwater setting quickly turns horrific when, during a water-skiing outing, is suddenly pulled underwater by an unseen predator and emerges minus his right arm, severely injured by what appears to be a . As Nick, a pre-med , amputates the to stop the and the group rushes to get medical help, tension escalates with their cell phones out of service and the realization that —unusual for freshwater—lurk in the lake. In their haste to escape via Sara's speedboat, Maya is knocked overboard amid another shark assault, where she is viciously attacked and devoured by a , her body torn apart in the chaos. The survivors discover a waterproof camera lodged in the gills of a beached , hinting at human involvement. Seeking aid, they encounter three locals: the disfigured boat mechanic , his crude partner , and the seemingly helpful Greg Sabin. As attacks intensify, the group uncovers that the trio has deliberately introduced over a dozen species—including great whites, hammerheads, , makos, tigers, and even schools of cookie-cutter sharks—into the isolated lake by dumping them from the . The antagonists' twisted motive is to capture authentic footage on video for upload to the , seeking viral fame akin to specials and shock sites like , profiting from the gruesome content. The nightmare unfolds with a series of brutal killings: Gordon is forced into the water at gunpoint, shot in the chest by , and then mauled and dragged away by a . Beth, after stabbing in , is overpowered and thrown into a net teeming with cookie-cutter sharks, where the small but voracious fish strip her flesh in a prolonged, agonizing by and disfigurement. and Blake attempt to flee on a , but heroically sacrifices himself by jumping into the path of a pursuing mako shark to save his friend, only to be dragged underwater and devoured. Blake is then plucked from the by a massive , which bites off his head in a fatal strike, his body impaled and left dangling on the dock wreckage. In the climax, the remaining survivors—Sara and Nick—confront the locals in a desperate showdown at an old dock and . Nick sets Sabin ablaze with a makeshift firebomb, causing the corrupt lawman to fall into a flooded area swarming with tiger sharks that tear him apart. is betrayed and stabbed in the chest by his partner before , while handcuffs Sara to a shark cage and lowers her toward the ; she breaks free and uses the setup against him, resulting in the ripping in half. Nick finishes off the great white with a spear gun loaded with an powerhead. The duo, along with Sara's loyal Sherman, escapes the carnage on an , finally reaching safety as dawn breaks. The film's 3D format heightens the visceral impact of the underwater attack sequences.

Cast and characters

The film Shark Night () assembles an ensemble of primarily young actors to depict a tight-knit group of friends whose diverse personalities create interpersonal friction during their lakeside retreat, contrasted against antagonistic locals who introduce external threats. This choice emphasizes relatable youth dynamics in a horror context, with characters ranging from intellectuals to athletes fostering both camaraderie and conflict without relying on established stars.
ActorCharacterRole and Traits
Sara PaxtonSara PalskiThe protagonist, a resourceful college student from who hosts her friends at her family's remote lake house in , serving as the emotional center of the group.
Nick LaDucaSara's thoughtful ex-boyfriend and pre-med student, acting as the group's rational, intellectual anchor with a focus on problem-solving.
Blake HammondSara's bold, athletic new boyfriend, characterized by his cocky demeanor and competitive spirit that often clashes with others in the ensemble.
Beth MazzaSara's loyal but insecure friend, marked by personal vulnerabilities like that underscore her emotional fragility within the friendships.
MayaMalik's fiancée and Sara's vibrant, outgoing friend, bringing enthusiasm for boating and a positive energy to the group's interactions.
GordonThe quirky, tech-savvy nerd of the bunch, providing through his gadget-oriented hobbies and lighthearted banter.
MalikThe athletic, water-loving member of the group, contributing physical prowess and a love for sports that amplifies the weekend's recreational vibe.
Supporting characters include locals who heighten the isolation and suspicion: as Dennis Crim, the disfigured boat mechanic, Sara's ex-boyfriend, and primary antagonist; as Red, a crude and vengeful harboring a deep-seated grudge; and as Greg Sabin, the authoritative but corrupt lawman overseeing the area. These roles add layers of regional tension to the core , portraying outsiders as untrustworthy foils to the urban visitors.

Production

Development

The screenplay for Shark Night was written by Will Hayes and Jesse Studenberg, who drew inspiration from Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) and the Discovery Channel's annual Shark Week programming to capitalize on public fascination with shark attacks. To add novelty to the creature feature genre, the writers centered the story on a group of college friends encountering aggressive sharks in a remote Louisiana lake, emphasizing bull sharks' rare ability to survive in freshwater environments as a key plot device. In early 2010, director , best known for helming horror sequels such as (2003) and the 3D hit (2009), became attached to the project following its acquisition by . Ellis's involvement, leveraging his experience with high-stakes action and 3D spectacle, marked this as his final completed feature before his death on January 4, 2013. served as the primary production company, partnering with entities like Sierra Pictures and NextFilms to finance and develop the film, which carried a $25 million budget. The project originated under the working title Untitled 3D Shark Thriller (also referred to as The Untitled David R. Ellis 3D Shark Thriller), reflecting its emphasis on immersive 3D shark encounters to heighten tension in confined aquatic settings. This was later finalized as Shark Night 3D to underscore the film's 3D format and nocturnal horror elements, aligning with Relativity's strategy to market it as a visually dynamic summer thriller. Conceptual choices during development blended pure creature horror with slasher tropes, incorporating multiple shark species—including bull, hammerhead, and cookiecutter sharks—for varied attack sequences, alongside human antagonists who deliberately stock the lake with the predators for illicit purposes. To maximize audience appeal within the horror genre, the team targeted a PG-13 rating from the of America, focusing on intense peril and implied violence while curbing explicit gore, nudity, and language to attract a broader demographic beyond R-rated enthusiasts. This approach, as articulated by , aimed to deliver a "fun, comedic, and scary" experience with relatable characters, distinguishing it from more exploitative shark films like Piranha 3D (2010).

Filming

Principal photography for Shark Night commenced in August 2010 and concluded on November 21, 2010, spanning locations in and . Exteriors were primarily shot at near , and in the region of , while interiors utilized soundstages at Millennium Studios in . To achieve authenticity in the water-based horror sequences, the production relied on real lake locations rather than simulated environments, incorporating stunt doubles for high-risk shark encounter scenes and coordinators to oversee actor involvement in aquatic activities. Filming presented significant logistical challenges, including the coordination of boat maneuvers and amid the demands of 3D camera rigs, which were bulky and cumbersome in aquatic settings. Director noted the technical difficulties of deploying dual-lens 3D systems underwater, requiring specialized crews to manage the equipment effectively. Fall weather conditions in the region further complicated the shoot, with unpredictable storms causing delays in outdoor water sequences. Ellis prioritized practical effects for the film's initial shark attacks, employing to capture immediate, tangible interactions between performers and the creatures, thereby grounding the horror in physical realism before any digital enhancements. No major injuries were reported during the production, thanks to the implementation of these protocols and stunt expertise.

Post-production

Post-production on Shark Night began in November 2010 following in the fall, with the process focusing on enhancing the film's suspenseful horror elements through , practical effects integration, and digital enhancements to support its 3D presentation. was handled by Dennis Virkler, who assembled the 91-minute runtime to alternate between building tension and delivering action sequences, ensuring a brisk pace for the thriller's lake-bound attacks. The visual effects emphasized practical animatronics for the primary s, crafted by Edge Innovations under Walt Conti; these included life-sized models of a and a hammerhead, with "attacker" and "swimmer" variants for each to capture dynamic movements during key scenes. CGI was used sparingly by studios like Studio and Reliance Media Works VFX for supplementary elements, such as additional , blood effects, and extending underwater shots beyond the practical limitations of the Louisiana lake locations. The film was shot in 3D using and formats, with adjustments to emphasize depth in attack sequences for enhanced "pop-out" effects, such as sharks lunging toward the audience. incorporated specialized underwater audio mixes to convey shark movements and ambient lake tension, complemented by a score from composer featuring urgent strings and percussion to underscore the peril. Final amplified the murky, foreboding atmosphere of setting with desaturated greens and amber tones, wrapping up by mid-2011 ahead of the September release.

Release and reception

Marketing and distribution

Shark Night 3D was distributed in the United States by , with a wide theatrical release on September 2, 2011, primarily in format to leverage the ongoing popularity of 3D cinema following the success of films like Avatar. The campaign highlighted the film's immersive 3D sequences, with the official trailer released in late June 2011 emphasizing visceral underwater terror and group peril to appeal to horror enthusiasts. Posters featured dramatic imagery of bloodied waters and the "Terror runs deep," underscoring the film's aquatic horror theme. The film's PG-13 rating was positioned to attract a broad teen and young adult audience, aligning with its plot centered on friends facing deadly encounters, though this choice drew later criticism for toning down gore to achieve wider accessibility. Internationally, distribution began shortly after the U.S. debut, with releases in on November 10, 2011, and the on September 30, 2011, through local partners like . A premiere took place on September 1, 2011, at , attended by cast members including and , generating pre-release buzz through coverage. The overall strategy focused on summer thriller vibes, tying into seasonal lake vacation fears without formal partnerships like those with Discovery Channel's , though the narrative drew informal parallels to shark-themed programming.

Box office

Shark Night had a of $25 million. The film earned $8.4 million during its opening weekend across 2,806 theaters in the United States, placing fourth at the behind , Apollo 18, and . Its domestic total reached $18.9 million, benefiting from the extended holiday weekend. Internationally, Shark Night grossed $22.5 million, with the strongest performances in and the CIS ($5.4 million), ($1.6 million), and ($1.5 million). The film's worldwide total of $41.4 million made it profitable given its modest budget, though it underperformed relative to expectations for a 3D horror release. In comparisons to similar shark-themed films, Shark Night outgrossed the direct-to-video Deep Blue Sea 2 (2018), which had no theatrical release, but fell short of the animated Shark Tale (2004), which earned $374 million worldwide.

Critical response

Shark Night received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics, who largely dismissed it as a formulaic and uninspired entry in the shark horror genre. On , the film holds a 19% approval rating based on 74 reviews, with an average score of 3.4/10. The site's critics consensus describes it as "a joyless excursion into the water that doesn't even produce good gore or thanks to the neutered PG-13 rating." Similarly, assigns it a score of 22 out of 100 from 15 critics, indicating generally unfavorable reception, with only 7% positive reviews and 67% negative. Key reviews highlighted the film's predictable plotting and failure to capitalize on its B-movie potential. Variety's Rob Nelson criticized the "ludicrous script" and "inane plot" as a poor imitation of films like , noting that the so-so 3D effects could not compensate for the minimal gore, which made the attack scenes "nearly toothless" due to the PG-13 constraints. The Hollywood Reporter's John DeFore labeled it a "bottom-feeding exploitation flick" that offers "just enough giggles" for low-expectation audiences but lacks the self-aware charm of director David R. Ellis's earlier . Some positive notes focused on performances, with praising Sara Paxton's lead role as one of the few engaging elements, though primarily for her appeal rather than depth. Common critiques centered on the film's derivative nature as a Jaws rip-off, featuring underdeveloped characters who serve mainly as fodder without meaningful arcs or tension-building. Reviewers frequently lamented the missed opportunities for deeper horror or exploitation elements, such as explicit or visceral gore, which the PG-13 rating suppressed, resulting in tame thrills and a lack of scares. The film earned no major accolades.

Home media

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on January 3, , distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The standard Blu-ray edition is a 2D presentation despite the film's original 3D theatrical format, packaged in a combo set with a ; it features behind-the-scenes content including the 10-minute "Fake Sharks Real Scares" making-of segment on the animatronic and CGI sharks, the 4-minute "Shark Night's Survival Guide" trivia reel using film clips, and a 3-minute blooper reel. No deleted scenes are included on the disc. Digital downloads became available concurrently via platforms such as iTunes and Amazon Video, bundled with the physical releases. Streaming availability followed, with the film appearing on Netflix in the U.S. from November 2019 to November 2020, and returning to the service in July 2025, and remains available as of November 2025, until at least January 2026. It has also streamed on services like Shout! Factory TV and YouTube TV in subsequent years. Domestic home video sales totaled approximately $4.3 million, providing a secondary revenue stream after the film's modest theatrical performance. A 3D Blu-ray edition for home viewing was released in select international markets starting in early 2012, with further 3D variants emerging for enthusiasts, including a 2021 edition. International home media variants include subtitled versions in languages such as Spanish and French. Over the years, Shark Night has developed a minor , particularly through late-night cable TV airings and online discussions, positioning it as a 2010s in shark horror retrospectives. No sequels were produced, despite occasional fan expressed in genre forums.

References

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