Steven Spielberg's Jaws was a revolutionary film in 1975, as it helped solidify the summer blockbuster. However, as a by-product of the film's story, it also made audiences petrified of stepping foot into the ocean. While the 25-foot great white shark is one of the most iconic movie monsters to date, its origins as a character have been shrouded in misinformation. But the truth behind the shark and the story was actually far less scary than the film itself.

Jaws followed Police Chief Martin Brody on the island of Amity, who was tasked with ridding the beaches of a man-eating great white. Unfortunately, the town's mayor had no interest in sacrificing summer dollars to do it. As a result, Brody and others were tasked with hunting and killing the creature on its turf in a terrifying man vs. nature story. The film was based on a novel by Peter Benchley of the same name, who got the idea after seeing a picture of a fisherman named Frank Mundus who killed a 4,500-pound great white. In that instance, Benchley thought of the terror a creature like that could create in a community and used that as the foundation for his story. In fact, Mundus' catch was such an inspiration that the fisherman, Quint, served as an avatar of sorts for Mundus.

RELATED: The Fright Night Remake Is the Most Underrated Creature Feature of Its Time

Picture of Quint's death in Jaws (1975)

Since the film's release, the story of Mundus has often been overshadowed by the 1916 shark attacks in New Jersey being the inspiration. The first publication of this false idea came in a 2001 New York Times article that was later fixed after Benchley noted it. There was also the mention of the attacks in the film by Brody and Hooper when they tried to convince the mayor to close the beaches. However, even though Benchley was aware of the attacks, they were never the basis for the story.

Jaws always showcased the shark's size, whether in overhead shots, wide-angle shots or close-ups. The goal was to make audiences feel dwarfed next to this creature, and it worked. Whether or not this was meant to call back to the picture that started it all is uncertain, but it was surely in the back of the minds of those that knew the story. Even now, sharks of the size that Mundus caught are hard to come by. But even though it served as the source for a famous story, the picture should also be a lesson to others.

RELATED: Could Avatar: The Way of Water Save Movie Theaters?

10 Movie Monsters Who Still Scare (And 10 That Should Stay Scarce)

While Jaws is a hit in science-fiction and horror, it also created a lot of false information about sharks. For instance, they aren't man-eaters. In fact, sharks prefer to eat other animals than humans. They would also never go rogue and hunt people in a beach community. As a result, it's important to note that these creatures deserve respect and admiration, as they are one of the oldest on this planet and often the most misunderstood.

Since 1975, Jaws has shown filmmakers and fans how terror can come from the most unlikely places. Ironically, this was how Peter Benchley was inspired to tell the story, as it was an unlikely picture that sparked an idea that has scared people for generations. Frank Mundus' catch is undoubtedly impressive but still an important lesson in understanding animals since, ultimately, it was the shark who was the victim, not the human.