Ep. 43 - Jaws with Devan Scott
What more can be said about Jaws (1975)? For the 50th anniversary of the original summer blockbuster, we invited filmmaker and podcaster Devan Scott to help us unpack how it quietly became one of the most referenced movies in the classic years of The Simpsons.
Also in this episode:
The many parodies of Quint and his iconic introduction, including our Simpsons double feature, “The Joy of Sect” (S9E13)
A deep dive on the dolly zoom, from Hitchcock to Spielberg to The Simpsons
How Amity provides a template for the small-town politics of Springfield
Why does The Simpsons leave the climax of this movie untouched by parodies?
Next time, for our season finale, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of the most memorable Simpsons finales of all time, “Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One” (S6E25) and its parody of Goldfinger (1964).
For more of Devan Scott’s film content, check out the complete podcast How Would Lubitsch Do It? and his video essays on YouTube, or follow him on Bluesky, Letterboxd, and Instagram. Plus, check out Arrow Video’s new definitive 4K UHD release of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966), which Devan consulted on as part of a “weird Leone amateur brain trust.” (Nate has already pre-ordered.)
Every Simpsons Reference to Jaws
By our count, Jaws has been directly referenced 19 times in the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons. The first reference appears in “Treehouse of Horror” (S2E3) from 1990, 15 years after the release of the movie.
The Simpsons Dolly Zoom
New • Treehouse of Horror (S2E3), Lisa’s Substitute (S2E19), Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily (S7E3), Realty Bites (S9E9), It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge (S11E21), The Great Money Caper (S12E7), Homer the Moe (S13E3) & The Frying Game (S13E21): On the commentary for the very first “Treehouse of Horror” (S2E3), Al Jean credits a disorienting shot of a shocked Lisa—mimicking a “dolly zoom” (AKA Contra Zoom)—to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958). So why do we give credit to Jaws instead?
While Hitchcock claims to have invented the dolly zoom for Vertigo working with cameraman Irmin Roberts, his version never included close-ups of people, focusing instead on long shots of sets that appear to spontaneously elongate. To see a Simpsons parody of this kind of dolly zoom, check out “Principal Charming” (S2E14).
Steven Spielberg’s innovation in Jaws was to put an actor’s face in the middle of the frame and use the disorienting perspective shift to communicate Brody’s state of mind when he first sees blood in the water (finally fulfilling how Hitchcock first dreamed of using the effect for Rebecca in 1940, but couldn’t). In short, the Jaws dolly zoom has a face in it; the Vertigo one doesn’t.
But what started out as a one-off homage to this movie’s famous dolly zoom eventually became part of The Simpsons’ house style.
Particularly starting in season 7, The Simpsons adopted this type of dolly zoom as their go-to move in any moment of shock and terror, from dramatic reveals to courtroom verdicts to encounters with ghosts and murder scenes. There are lots of ways to use a dolly zoom (see our Further Reading & Viewing section!), but when The Simpsons uses this technique, it almost exclusively uses the Jaws version.
Scene References
Bart's Dog Gets an 'F' (S2E16): The first full-on parody of Jaws on The Simpsons is also perhaps the most quintessential one. Featuring a shot from the POV of Santa’s Little Helper and a soundalike of that classic “duh-dum” score, it hones in on the same iconography as many other parodies, like the opening of Airplane (1980), for example.
Radio Bart (S3E13), Homer Goes to College (S5E3), The Joy of Sect (S9E13) & Papa's Got a Brand New Badge (S13E22): One of the most frequent Jaws references on the show, however, is a bit more unlikely. In a movie where the most dramatic scenes involve shark attacks, The Simpsons writers instead focus on the very human character of Quint, and his memorable introductory scene.
The chalkboard scratch, the slow dolly through a crowded room, and Quint’s ultimatum to the town—starting with “you all know me”—are all parodied in various combinations. When Bart tricks the town into believe a boy has fallen down a well in “Radio Bart” (S3E130), Quint himself even shows up to offer his services.
Itchy & Scratchy Land (S6E4): One of the reasons the Simpson family ends up going to Itchy & Scratchy Land is that they’ve been banned from so many other destinations, like Amity beach where Bart and Homer try to replicate the shark fin prank from this movie. Too bad Homer is so dumb he confuses his own son for a monstrous shark-boy hybrid.
Treehouse of Horror XI (S12E1): Lenny’s death by dolphin at the beginning of the segment “Night of the Dolphin” strongly resembles the famous opening sequence of this movie, including the shot of a swimmer from below. Lenny even offers some meta commentary on this horror trope-making scene, muttering to himself, “Ah, alcohol and night swimming, it’s a winning combination!”
Other Small References
Bart the Daredevil (S2E8): The Simpsons Wiki claims that the way the lion drags Lance Murdock back into the water seems modeled after the shark attacks in this movie. (Unconfirmed)
Lisa's First Word (S4E10): When Marge and Homer go to see the Sea Captain’s house boat, a shark jumps out of the water behind them, briefly posing like the shark on the poster for Jaws. This scene is also reminiscent of one of the movie’s best jump scares when Brody is scooping chum off the side of the boat.
Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment (S2E13): When the Simpson family steals cable, they watch Jaws on TV, among many other movies. (Maybe this is where Bart learned to imitate Robert Shaw…)
Last Tap Dance in Springfield (S11E20): When Bart and Milhouse run amok at the Springfield Mall, Chief Wiggum blames the carnage on giant rats, and in an uncharacteristic moment of sober second thought, demands the mall close on a busy holiday weekend, just like Brody in this movie.
Bonus: References to the Jaws Franchise
Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
New • Sideshow Bob Roberts (S6E5, unconfirmed), The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase (S8E24) & When You Dish Upon a Star (S10E5) & Simpsons Bible Stories (S10E18): The phrase has become such a cliche that it’s easy to forget the line “this time, it’s personal” started its life as the tagline for the fourth entry in the Jaws series. Oh, and lest we forget, the ridiculous premise of this movie is that this time, it’s personal for the shark, which is seeking revenge on Brody’s family.
Much like with the line “they’re the original Odd Couple,” The Simpsons writers love to intentionally use a tired formulation again and again until it comes back around to being funny.
Extra Credit
Looking for more like this or an interesting double feature? Here are our recommendations.
From Devan: Duel (1971, theatrical cut, but in 4:3 aspect ratio), plus go check out Devan’s Letterboxd list Now This Is ‘Scope for more masterpieces of the wide aspect ratio
From Adam: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), also celebrating its 50th anniversary
From Nate: Tremors (1990)
Plus, here’s a bonus, mostly unrelated double feature recommendation from Devan: Airplane (1980) and Zero Hour! (1957).
Further Reading & Viewing
Article: James Bernstein, “Even Peter Benchley Knew That Jaws Got It Wrong,” LI Herald.com, July 21, 2022.
Article: Dean Newman, “Quint’s Original Intro in Jaws Was Very Different,” The Daily Jaws, May 18, 2021.
Documentary: Laurent Bouzereau, The Making of ‘Jaws’, November 28, 1995.
Video: Michael Jackson, “HIStory Teaser,” YouTube, June 20, 2020, originally released June 16, 1995. This trailer is also parodied in “The Joy of Sect.”
Video: Berliner Philharmoniker, “Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" / Karajan · Berliner Philharmoniker,” July 11, 2014, originally released January 1966. An inspiration for John Williams’s Jaws score.
Encyclopedia Entry: “Jaws,” AFI Catalog, accessed April 12, 2025.
