To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg‘s screen adaptation of Peter Benchley‘s “Jaws”, Ross Williams, founder of The Daily Jaws, has recorded a series of interviews with famous fans, filmmakers, shark experts and those involved in making the movie. The definitive series of conversations about the greatest movie ever made, this is The Daily Jaws‘ most ambitious project to date. As part of this 50th anniversary special, The Daily Jaws sat down with rock drumming legend Charlie Benante, best known for his work with ANTHRAX and currently touring with PANTERA, to explore his lifelong obsession with “Jaws”. Charlie shares vivid memories of seeing the film on 86th Street in Manhattan with his sisters, the thrill of the lobby photos, and how “Jaws” changed his life forever. At the very end of the episode, PANTERA frontman Philip Anselmo also chimes in, telling Benante about “Jaws”: ”Well, I was nine, so any time a horror movie would come out, it would depend on the rating or whether I could see it or not. And then ‘Jaws’ had this massive reputation. The commercials were practically famous because of the soundtrack. Every kid in the school was talking about it — all your friends were talking about it. Some friends got to see it before other friends. So I was late in that regard because I had a bunch of friends who did see it and raved about it and built the horror mystique up a whole lot, which I love that. I love that kind of young-minded hype over a horror film. I liked it. And then when I did finally see the movie not that much longer later, I loved it, because it’s not just a horror movie; it’s an action film.”
Anselmo continues: “It’s a fucking Spielberg movie, so you fall in love with all the characters, you identify with people, and then there’s the obvious, the shark attacks and a lot of suspense. And the way it was shot was great for the time — clever and stuff like that. The opening scene with the girl going out in the night, swimming in the water. [It was] creepy as fuck, just the thought of being in a body of water at night and not being able to see what’s underneath you deep, deep, deep. That’s a creepy feeling. I know it’s probably called something — sub-something-phobia or whatever, but I got it, for sure, man. It affected me, for sure. And I was gonna say like ‘Halloween’, when I finally saw ‘Halloween’ one, after all that hype, too — that’s another hype movie — I was surprised, like ‘Jaws’, [at] the lack of gore, the lack of blood.”
Philip adds: “I had a friend who didn’t see the movie, and because we were going to see the movie, he started crying in the car. And I was, like, ‘What in God’s green beard are you crying about?’ And he said, ‘A friend of mine told me that the whole screen was covered in blood at one point.’ And I’m, like, ‘Why are you crying?’ ‘I’m scared of seeing the whole screen covered in blood, man.’ I was, like, ‘Okay, I’m ready to see the whole screen…’ And you never see a bloody screen — nothing like that.
“But you cannot deny a fucking Spielberg movie, man,” the singer concludes. “The dude’s a genius. He tells a great story, and he builds characters that you care about instead of paint-by-numbers characters.”
“Jaws” made history in 1975, turning a young Steven Spielberg into a household name and boldly establishing the summer blockbuster spectacle that revolutionized the film industry. Winner of three Academy Awards, including “Best Original Score”, “Jaws” has become a global phenomenon, and half a century later, it still holds a grip on audiences around the world.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment recently celebrated this cinematic milestone with the “Jaws 50th Anniversary Edition”, available on June 17, 2025 in 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and digital. This combo pack featured the never-before-seen documentary “Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story”, a brand-new look at the making and legacy of the film directed by Laurent Bouzereau and from National Geographic, in partnership with Steven Spielberg‘s Amblin Documentaries, Nedland Media and Wendy Benchley. The disc and digital included over five hours of bonus features with an inside look at the making of the film, deleted scenes, original on-set footage, and much more.
Directed by Spielberg, “Jaws” set the standard for edge-of-your-seat suspense, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry 50 years ago on June 20, 1975. When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police (Roy Scheider),a young marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a grizzled shark hunter (Robert Shaw) embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again. Featuring an unforgettable score that evokes pure terror, five decades later, Universal Pictures‘ “Jaws” remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history.
