What if the scariest monster in a horror movie was the one you never saw?That’s the paradox Jaws (1975) pulls off without flinching. For nearly half its runtime, there’s barely a glimpse of the shark. No close-ups. No massive jaws chomping into swimmers. And yet, your heart pounds every time someone dips a toe into the water.The fear is alive, and it’s everywhere. But where’s the shark?Here’s the trick: Spielberg and screenwriter Carl Gottlieb didn’t really write a movie about a monster; they wrote around it. They built suspense by handing the reins over to your imagination. And nothing the audience’s eyes saw could be scarier than what your brain conjured.In a time when horror often means bigger monsters, louder screams, and bloodier close-ups, Jaws whispers its terror—and somehow, it hits harder.It’s a textbook case of how less can be much, much more. And if you’re writing horror, thriller, or anything that relies on tension, this is one writing decision worth dissecting.The Art of the Unseen: Why Less is MoreThe Shark’s Absence as a Narrative WeaponLet’s start with the wildest stat: the shark only has about four minutes of total screen time in the whole film. That’s it. Yet somehow, it haunts every frame.From the very first attack—when Chrissie is pulled under during a nighttime swim—we don’t see the creature. We hear splashing, gasping, and screaming. The camera yanks us underwater for half a second, but we never lay eyes on what’s doing the damage. The scene does more with...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Today