Peter Benchley

The Island (1980)

[6] Michael Caine stars as a reporter who takes his young son (Jeffrey Frank) to the Bermuda Triangle to investigate the disappearance of many ships and travelers. After a plane crash strands them on an island, the father and son are kidnapped by a band of modern-day pirates who have eluded discovery and prey on passers-through. The pirates, led by actor David Warner (Time After …

The Deep (1977)

[5] Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset play deep sea divers who stumble upon a sunken supply of morphine and Spanish treasure. They enlist the help of Robert Shaw (in one of his final performances) to excavate their findings, all while fighting off a giant moray eel and a voodoo drug lord played by Louis Gossett, Jr. The Deep, written by Peter Benchley, is an obvious …

Jaws (1975)

[10] Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Peter Benchley’s shark thriller is extraordinarily well made and far more sophisticated than your average monster movie. The first half is a solid scare-fest that unwinds beautifully, from the first vicious attack on a late night bathing beauty to the sensational tragedy during the town’s Fourth of July festivities. Once the people of Amnity Island have had enough the movie …