Kill of the Month: Chrissie Watkins - JAWS

It’s peaceful, isn’t it? The waves crashing onto the beach, the sun setting scaring the sky in tropes of pinks and orange. Serene. Feel the sand between your toes, the water lapping at your feet. It’s cold. It was colder on that fateful night. A night when this peaceful seaside community was rocked by the dark silhouette of a great white shark.

NAME: Christine Watkins

KNOWN AS: Chrissie

BORN: N/A  

DIED: The summer of 1974

KNOWN RELATIVES: Unknown

POLICE REPORT

The remains of the deceased were discovered washed up on the beach of Amity Island by Deputy Leo Hendriks.

The local coroner informed Chief Martin Brody that a shark was a responsible for her death however, upon pressure from local authorities, amended his report to state the deceased was killed in a tragic boating accident.

This report was amended for a second time after Matthew Hooper, oceanographer, upon seeing the remains. Under Hooper’s expertise, the report was finalized to show the cause of death was a shark attack.

MATT HOOPER’S FINDINGS

The height and weight of the victim can only be estimated from the partial remains. The torso has been severed in mid-thorax; there are no major organs remaining.

Right arm has been severed above the elbow with a massive tissue loss in the upper musculature. Partially denuded bone remaining.

The left arm, head, shoulders, sternum, and portions of the rib cage are intact.

This is what happens. It indicates the non-frenzied feeding of a large squalus – possibly Longimanus or Isurus glaucus. Now the enormous amount of tissue loss prevents any detailed analysis however the attacking squalus must be considerably larger than any normal squalus found in these waters.

It was a shark.

WHY IS THIS DEATH MEMORABLE?

This cinematic death kick-started the first ever summer blockbuster, drawing people into the story of a small island community being terrorized by a killer shark.

The score begins, a haunting and memorable melody that is as timeless as the film itself. The audience is treated to underwater shots, camera weaving through seaweed before cutting to a picturesque bonfire on the beach.

As Chrissie locks eyes with her love interest across the bonfire, she gets to her feet, causing him to give chase. When he asks where they’re going. “Swimming,” is her response.

Audiences are immediately drawn to the beautiful young woman as she strips before diving headfirst into the waves as the sun disappears from the sky.

As her love interest collapses on the beach in a drunken stupor, she swims out, treading water as she calls out for him to join her.

Audiences don’t see a graphic depiction of the shark’s attack in the opening sequence of Jaws. Instead, what we see is much more terrifying. The confusion crossing Chrissie’s face as something below the glassy surface of the water tugs on her leg. Confusion turns to panic when she is momentarily pulled underwater.

She is then dragged through the water, screaming “God, help me! God, help me!”

The shark releases her, and she clings to a waterline marker, the bell attached chiming out her death toll. She’s screaming in terror and pain, clinging to the buoyant marker.

The shark attacks again, thrashing her back and forth. Her final scream, “God please help me!” is in vain as she disappears below the waves.

Then nothing. The water is still.

Chrissie’s death is an announcement of the imminent threat circling the island. It serves as a very real warning about the dangers of mixing alcohol with water at dusk. A warning that we can all heed.  

Chrissie was portrayed by stuntwoman Susan Backlinie, who specialized in swimming work. Wearing a harness so she could be pulled easily through the water, Susan quickly became the face of cautionary tales of late-night swims in the ocean.

Contrary to rumor, Susan’s startled reaction and screams of anguish were not due to being injured on the set of Jaws. Rumor states that she was being thrashed around so much that she broke a couple of ribs. In fact, she was also attached to a line that was anchored to the ocean floor and she was intentionally not told when she would be first pulled underwater. This helped provoke a more genuine expression of surprise at the beginning of the scene.

While Susan did appear in a few other films, it was her role as the ill-fated Chrissie that earned her the most acclaim. She even parodied her role in the Steven Spielberg film, 1941 (1979). But instead of a shark, it was a Japanese submarine.

Being eaten alive by a shark is a common fear. Ironic that Jaws is often named the reason for that fear. But as you stand there on the shore, scrunching the sand with your toes, you look out at the ocean. The waves crashing on the sand banks. It’s inviting. You dip your toe into the water. Chances of being eaten alive are slim, right?

“Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies. Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain. For we’ve received orders to sail back to Boston. And so never more shall we see you again.”