Open Water (2003)

Film details

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DirectorChris Kentis
Year2003
CountryUSA
TypeMovie
Runtime79m
CastBlanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein, Michael E. Williamson, Cristina Zenato, John Charles

Review

"Chris Kentis, who wrote, directed, edited, and shot the film (with his wife, Laura Lau), is working with prime pulp material—but he doesn't have a pulp sensibility. I mean this as a compliment. Shot on digital video and micro-budgeted, Open Water is terrifying precisely because it doesn't go in for cheesy shock tactics and special effects. (Those sharks are real.) Strictly speaking, it's not even in the shark-attack genre—it's more like a black comedy about how things can go horribly wrong on vacation. You think you're safe, and the next thing you know you're lost at sea and something's nibbling your gams. That's an apt metaphor for a lot more than scuba diving." - Peter Rainer, New York Magazine

Ranking history

The 1,000 Greatest Horror Films

EDITIONS IN TOP 1,00011
HIGHEST#4162024
LOWEST#9502019
Top 1,000Outside Top 1,000Missing ranking data

Dashed lines indicate missing ranking data. Select a point to view that year's published list. The 1,000 Greatest Horror Films list was not updated in 2022.

The 21st Century’s Greatest Horror Films

EDITIONS RANKED6
HIGHEST#962024
LOWEST#2362026
#78#206#333Top 250Top 50020152020202120232024202520262020 — Not ranked · Outside Top 2502015 — #2352021 — #1752023 — #1792024 — #962025 — #2272026 — #236
Published rankingNot ranked (outside published list)

The list was not updated from 2016 to 2019 or in 2022. It expanded from a Top 250 to a Top 500 in 2021. Full rankings beyond the published lists are not available. Dotted segments and hollow points indicate editions in which the film was outside the published list; their exact ranks are unknown.

Lists featuring this film 34 lists

Addicted to Horror Movies' The 10 Best Horror Films of 20032017Ranked#2
Allocine's 200 films pour Halloween2011Unranked—
BFI's James Rose's 10 great shark attack films2025Unranked—
Bloody Disgusting's Meagan Navarro's 10 Chilling Horror Movies Based on True Events2019Unranked—
Bloody Disgusting's Trace Thurman's The Best Aquatic Horror Movies That Aren't 'Jaws'2015Unranked—
Chicago Film Critics Association's 100 Scariest Movies of All Time2006Ranked#90
Collider's Jeremy Urquhart's The 10 Greatest Shark Movies of the Last 50 Years, Ranked2025Ranked#2
ComingSoon's Kylie Hemmert's The Best Horror Movies Inspired by True Events2018Unranked—
Cosmopolitan's 15 Best Shark Movies of All Time2022Unranked—
Cosmopolitan's The 57 Scariest Horror Movies You Need to Watch Right Now2022Unranked—
ESplatter's Best of 20042005Ranked#7
FANGORIA's 300 Best Horror Movies2011Unranked—
FilmWalrus' My Top 200 Favorite Horror Films2013Ranked#120
Highsnobiety's Alec Banks' The 10 Best Horror Movies Based on True Stories2017Unranked—
Horror.com's The Official HDC Top 200 Of The 2000s - Honorable Mentions2011Unranked—
Horrornews.net's Adrian Halen's Top 15 Water Based Horror Films2019Unranked—
Horrornews.net's Mike Joy's The Top 10 Shark Movies2020Unranked—
Jarvis City's 15 Best Horror Movies Of 20032018Ranked#12
Mark H. Harris' The 15 Best Horror Movies That Spark Ocean & Water Fears2019Ranked#15
Parade's Samuel R. Murrian's 152 Best Horror Movies of All Time2025Ranked#109
Paste's Jim Vorel's 20 of the Best Wilderness Horror Movies2023Unranked—
Paste's Jim Vorel's A Century of Terror - The 100 Best Horror Movies of the Last 100 Years - Honorable mentions2019Unranked—
Psychobabble's 150 Essential Horror Movies - The Complete List2012Unranked—
Rotten Tomatoes' The 200 Best Horror Movies of All Time2019Ranked#198
Saturn Award for Best Horror & Thriller Film (All nominees)2018Unranked—
SlashFilm's Eric Langberg's The 15 Best Shark Movies Of All Time, Ranked2025Ranked#3
The Scariest Thing's The Top 500 Horror Movies of All Time2022Ranked#383
The Scariest Things' Eric Li's Top 25 Horror Movies2018Ranked#25
Time Out's Matthew Singer's The 17 scariest horror movies based on true stories2025Unranked—
Top 10 Films' Dan Grant's Top 10 Scariest Films Ever Made2011Ranked#1
Top 10 Films' Josh Millican's 10 More Horror Movie Vacations From Hell2015Unranked—
TOP 666 HORROR MOVIES (Freaky Fuckin Friday)2014Ranked#490
Yardbarker's Matt Sulem's 25 horror movies that were based on true stories2021Unranked—
ZekeFilm's Paul's TOP 100 HORROR MOVIES OF THE CENTURY2013Ranked#39