A single image is often more than enough to let you know if you’re interested in seeing something, and that certainly applies to action-packed creature feature movies like The Meg.
If you don’t have any interest in watching Jason Statham face off against a giant shark, then Kohn Turteltaub’s blockbuster isn’t for you. However, over $500 million at the box office proves that a lot of people couldn’t wait to see it.
The following ten movies don’t all involve sharks, but they nonetheless share a lot of common ground with The Meg and will appeal to those who got a real kick out of it.
10 Shark Attack Movies Like The Meg
1. Jaws (1975)
It would be remiss to compile a list of movies like The Meg without including the king of the shark sub-genre, which remains as phenomenal now as it was 45 years ago.
The prototypical summer blockbuster, Jaws became the highest-grossing movie ever made at the time and is an undisputed masterclass in how to craft a near-perfect action-packed thriller.
Everything from the script and production design to the performances and score is impeccable, and you wouldn’t believe that it was also one of the most torturous shoots in history based on how it turned out.
2. The Shallows (2016)
Not all movies like The Meg have to be mega-budget summer blockbusters, and The Shallows tells the contained story of a woman stranded on a rock between the shore and a deadly shark.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra built his entire career on these sorts of B-level thrillers, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the filmmaker is firmly in his element here.
Blake Lively does a great job as virtually the only character in the movie, and the lean and mean creature feature is ideal late-night viewing that won’t have you back in the water for a while.
3. Deep Blue Sea (1999)
One of Samuel L. Jackson’s best monologues is the standout moments in Renny Harlin’s glorious straight-faced action thriller.
Deep Blue Sea follows scientists who have created genetically-engineered and super-intelligent sharks that are evolving at an ever-increasing rate.
The best movies like The Meg embrace the absurdity of the concept and draw as much entertainment value as possible out of it, which is something Deep Blue Sea does without any hiccups.
4. Anaconda (1997)
There’s no rule that says you can’t enjoy movies like The Meg unless they specifically feature sharks, and the remarkably cheesy Anaconda is one of the best that doesn’t.
A camera crew saddles up with a snake hunter who gets drawn into his manic desire to capture the monster reptile in one Luis Llosa’s best ever films.
Jennifer Lopez, Eric Stoltz, Owen Wilson, and Danny Trejo are all part of a surprisingly impressive ensemble, but Jon Voight walks away with the entire movie thanks to a wondrously hammy turn.
5. Lake Placid (1999)
Horror veteran Steve Miner tackles the story of a gigantic crocodile terrorizing a small town, with a band of plucky locals attempting to slay the beast.
Not many movies like The Meg can boast a scene-stealing Betty White, but the living legend is just one part of a strong ensemble that also features Bill Pullman, Brendan Gleeson, and Bridget Fonda.
Lake Placid will leave you with a grin stretched across your face as events conspire to become more shocking with each new set piece.
6. Eight Legged Freaks (2002)
If you prefer spiders to sharks, then Eight Legged Freaks makes a perfectly acceptable substitute for those seeking out more movies like The Meg that are firmly anchored to land.
Arachnophobes are best avoiding this one, that finds a chemical spill mutating spiders into the size of small vehicles before they decide to wreak havoc on the local residents.
There’s not a single serious bone in the body of Eight Legged Freaks, which only makes it that much more enjoyable because all common sense and logic have been firmly thrown out of the window.
7. Piranha 3D (2010)
From a technical perspective, Piranha 3D is awful. That being said, there’s so much gonzo insanity on display in Alexandre Aja’s creature feature that you can’t help but go with it.
The plot developments and piranhas themselves aren’t beholden to the laws of physics, logic, or gravity, but the whole movie is so self-aware and in on the joke that it actually works.
Piranha 3D delivers exactly what people were wanting and expecting from it, and the fact that the sequel was called 3DD just sums up how seriously the material was treated.
8. 47 Meters Down (2017)
Obviously, there is no shortage of killer sharks in our countdown of movies like The Meg, but 47 Meters down remains one of the more overlooked entries in the niche sub-genre.
Two sisters are trapped on the ocean floor in a protective cage, with their oxygen running out and a school of great whites circling in Johannes Roberts’ economical thriller.
Hardly the most substantial movie on offer, 47 Meters Down is nonetheless a compact and tension-fueled exercise in wringing every second of drama out of the thin plotting.
9. DeepStar Six (1999)
A good old fashioned monster movie, DeepStar Six follows a group of engineers who accidentally discover and awaken a gigantic and terrifying creature that doesn’t take kindly to their presence.
Clearly short in terms of both budget and star power, director Sean S. Cunningham pulls out every trick in his horror playbook as the cast are slowly picked off one by one.
Made for roughly the same cost as the catering budget on movies like The Meg, DeepStar Six is still a lo-fi underrated gem that squeezes every penny out of the budget to great effect.
10. Deep Rising (1998)
Stephen Sommers quickly worked his way to mega-budget blockbusters like The Mummy, but his first foray into horror might very well be his most underrated movie.
A tentacled creature threatens the passengers of a brand new ocean liner in a genuinely frightening B-movie that puts a heavier horror spin on the tropes found in movies like The Meg.
Deep Rising is a B-level movie with A-grade effects, and that juxtaposition ends up in an unremarkable story that’s frequently dotted with lashings of gruesome horror.