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5 Times The ‘Jaws’ Plot Was Like Coronavirus Pandemic

Published

4 years ago

April 20, 2020

Memes have been floating around the internet lately comparing the coronavirus pandemic to certain plot elements of Jaws. While we try to get come to terms with all that’s going on in the world and at the same time remain sheltered in place, there are people who want to throw caution to the wind.

If we learned anything from the 1975 blockbuster it’s that you shouldn’t act hastily just because life doesn’t suit you or your bottom line favorably.

Here are five times that the plot of Jaws mimics the real COVID-19 pandemic.

Mayor Larry Vaughn

(Universal Pictures)

Despite constant warnings that fishermen caught the wrong shark, Amity Island’s Mayor Larry Vaughn is insistent that the beaches reopen even though the waters are still red from the blood of recent victims. Perhaps worried that he won’t get re-elected, Vaughn re-opens the beaches with added security. Things don’t go so well and once again science prevails.

Money, Money, Money

(Universal Pictures)

The economy is almost more of an antagonist than the Great White in Jaws. Normally Amity island is a tourist mecca on the Fourth of July weekend, to close the beaches means certain ruin for businesses that rely on that trade.

Much like the coronavirus quarantine, businesses are struggling to remain open. Which brings us to number three.

The Beaches

Florida beaches in April 2020

Like in Jaws, beaches play an important part in the pandemic, especially this week. Over the weekend, in Jacksonville Florida, people rushed to the shores once an order to re-open them went into effect, the same day the state documented a record number of coronavirus cases.

“We all live on it, so it has been torture looking at it and not being able to be out here,” one beachgoer told CNN.

Cue the “Mrs. Kintner slap.”

Versus Scientists

As healthcare workers and scientists race to reduce the number of deaths, people are under the impression that freedom is another word for immunity. Oceanographer Matt Hooper in Jaws tried to warn the mayor, in the same way, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is pleading their case for safety.

In the movie, tourists and locals were apprehensive to return to the water, but with a little encouragement from Mayor Vaughn, they eventually did, regrettably so.

With COVID-19, the aggressors who are eager to return to normalcy are questioning science or ignoring it. They have also received some political support from the county’s highest authority. Which despite being ill-advised, in Mayor Vaughn’s case, led to re-election and a role in Jaws 2.

Oxygen Tanks

Oxygen tanks are important in the movie for a much different reason than they are in the real-life pandemic.

Since COVID-19 reportedly attacks the respiratory system, oxygen is an important resource for patients who test positive and are recovering.

In the movie (spoiler alert) they are used to kill the shark, blowing him to smithereens.

A Word About Safety

Wherever you stand during this unprecedented time in history it’s important to follow the guidelines as presented by the CDC. Unlike the magic of the movies, people are really dying and those numbers could be reduced as long as we are accurately educated, cognizant and use common sense.

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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage

Published

28 mins ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.

Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:

“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”

Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.

FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN IS NOW IN PRODUCTION 🩸 Welcome to Shadyside High. We're gonna have a killer time. pic.twitter.com/jDl0zRa2CH
— Netflix (@netflix) April 30, 2024

Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).

No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.

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Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix

Published

2 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.

If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.

Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.

Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.

Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.

Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.

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BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway

Published

2 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Cameron McFarland

BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.

Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.

The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).

Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”

The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.