2. The Reef (2011)

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is known for being a shark hotspot, but that doesn’t stop five friends from partying there on a yacht, which ends up capsizing. Director Andrew Traucki was already known for another white-knuckle creature feature, Black Water, about a group of people stalked by a relentless saltwater crocodile in a swamp. Instead of clinging to the tops of mangrove trees, the protagonists in The Reef are forced to make a terrible choice: stay on board the sinking ship or swim twelve miles to the nearest island while a great white shark waits in between. The suspense of this decision, as well as who will be taken by the shark and when, is as razor-sharp as the predator’s teeth. Traucki’s use of actual shark footage gives the water scenes a chilling authenticity. The sequel, The Reef: Stalked (2022), follows an entirely different story in which a kayaking trip goes terribly wrong and is just as intense.