Jaws Mastermind Steven Spielberg Says He Still Hasn't Made a True Horror Movie — Yet

Let‘s be real: Jaws is the OG blockbuster. It practically invented the summer event movie, turned actors into household names, and, of course, made everyone a little iffy about swimming in the ocean. But here‘s the funny twist—Steven Spielberg himself swears up and down that he‘s never actually directed a horror movie. Yeah, seriously.

Spielberg Doesn‘t Think Jaws Is Horror?

The man behind the shark (and way too many nightmares) was chatting with Empire Magazine and dropped this mini-bomb:

'I haven‘t directed a horror film yet, and I‘ve always wanted to, and someday I may.'

Which, frankly, is wild. This is the guy who taught an entire generation to be suspicious of shallow water. If you ask basically anyone who‘s seen Jaws, they‘ll probably call it the best horror film out there—giant shark stalking innocent swimmers, orchestral stings, buckets of tension, the works. But Spielberg just doesn‘t see it that way. And get this, he apparently doesn‘t even count Duel (his early flick where a faceless truck driver terrorizes a poor salesman) as horror either.

So What Is Jaws To Spielberg?

For Spielberg, Jaws is an adventure movie. Sure, the threat is from the deep and the kills are brutal—and yeah, people in the 70s freaked out enough to avoid beaches for years. But he seems to look at it as more, with humor, heart, and the whole 'bigger than life' energy. Not a pure horror experience. (Meanwhile, the rest of us are still checking for fins every time we hit the beach.)

Quick Timeline of the Jaws Saga

• Based on Peter Benchley‘s novel.
• Spielberg‘s production plagued by setbacks: malfunctioning mechanical shark, budget headaches, endless delays—let‘s just say it nearly sank multiple times before ever reaching theaters.
• Finished product mixed big scares with actual character depth and some solid laughs. The shark didn‘t even show up that much (thanks to technical problems)... and that probably made it even scarier.
• Became a cultural phenomenon—and a horror classic to most people, Spielberg notwithstanding.

Will He Ever Do 'Real' Horror?

The director tossed out that he wants to make a straight-up horror film 'someday.' So, apparently, we haven‘t even seen Spielberg‘s actual idea of horror yet. (Seriously, what would that even look like?)

Disclosure Day is rolling out in theaters this summer, but if Spielberg ever decides to give us his version of horror, you know I‘ll be first in line—even if I‘m checking under my seat for sharks.