By Seth Jacobson | USA TODAY New England | July 1, 2024
Fifty years ago, film crews were all over Martha’s Vineyard, desperately trying to get a 25-foot robotic shark to work.
“Jaws,” the Steven Spielberg classic released in 1975, filmed in Massachusetts from May through October 1974, before going on to be one of the most enduring summer films.
The movie is set in the portrays a giant, great-white shark terrorizing the fictional seaside town of “Amity” over the July 4 holiday weekend.
But while the town is fictional, there are many real-world filming location that a movie buff can visit.
Here’s what to know.
What are some spots in the first ‘Jaws’ film that can be recognized?
The first move was filmed mostly on Martha’s Vineyard. Many of the places can still be visited. They include:
- The town center: This is where Chief Brody (played by Roy Scheider) gets materials for beach-closed signs, is the junction of Water and Main streets in Edgartown, a town on Martha’s Vineyard.
- The ferry launch: In the north section of Edgartown, at the end of Daggett Street, the Ferry to Chappaquiddick Island can be found. This is where the Mayor of Amity (played by Murray Hamilton) has a talk with Brody about the potential for disaster in revealing the recent shark attacks to the public.
- Joseph A Sylvia State Beach: North of Edgartown, near the town of Oak Bluffs, this is the beach where swimmers were panicked by a shark attack on a boy named Alex Kintner, who perishes in the film when he is swimming in the ocean on a raft.
- The American Legion Memorial Bridge: In the movie, the shark swims under a bridge to what was supposed to be a‘ safe’ inlet, Sengekontacket Pond. This bridge, located by Sylvia State Beach, is where the shark swims.
Where was ‘Jaws 2’ filmed?
A lot of the sequel was filmed in Martha’s Vineyard as well with Edgartown being the central location once again. Some of the places they shot that film, include the following, according to movie-locations.com:
- Oak Bluffs
- Menemsha
- Aquinnah
- East Chop
- Squibnocket
- Vineyard Haven
- Sengekontacket
- Harthaven
- Katama
- Mattekeeset
- Takemmy Trail
- Chilmark
- Pohognut
- Mayhew Lane
Worth noting, not all of the beach scenes are filmed in Martha’s Vineyard. The film suffered from production setback that meant many of the scenes were shot at Navarre Beach in the Florida panhandle.
Where was ‘Jaws 3’ filmed?
“Jaws 3” involves another great-white shark, except this time, it’s attacking an underwater park in Florida. Movie-locations.com stated that the aquatic park is Sea World, in Orlando, Florida. There are no scenes in Martha’s Vineyard in this movie.
Where was ‘Jaws: The Revenge’ filmed?
For the fourth movie in the franchise, they headed back to New England.
“Jaws: The Revenge,” begins in Martha’s Vineyard, specifically Edgartown once again. But the film moves to the Bahamas “when Chief Brody’s widow (Lorraine Gary) hops off to the Bahamas (and) the great white shark follows – on a personal vendetta,” according to movie-locations.com.
The Amity scenes were shot on location at Martha’s Vineyard for this movie.
What was “Cruel Jaws” filmed?
The fifth and final movie in the franchise was both filmed and set in Florida.