The Devil’s Mouth – the third new killer shark film released this July (along with Above & Below and The Bay), the fifth new killer shark film released this summer (along with Chum and Deep Water), and the sixth new killer shark film released this year (along with Thrash) – is the best new killer shark film of 2026.
That alone might not necessarily sound like high praise given that the rest of the aforementioned movies are pretty bad to merely okay, so allow me to drive the claim home even further. The Devil’s Mouth is a good, fun, and frequently thrilling killer shark film.
I know. I’m as surprised as you are.
Five friends are enjoying a vacation in Thailand as one last hurrah before deciding what to do with their lives. They’re all in their twenties and really should have some inkling of that by now, but whatevs. Carpe diem, yolo, and all that jazz. A boating excursion goes slightly sideways, leaving Sara (Kathryn Newton) temporarily marked up by jellyfish stings, but it’s not enough to make her rethink plans for a freshwater cave swim the next day.
There’s a guide (Tayme Thapthimthong), the freshwater means there won’t be any dangerous ocean animals, and her coupled-up friends – Max (Lana Condor), James (Nico Hiraga), Adrienne (Tommi Rose), and Greg (Gavin Casalegno) – are all really excited for the adventure. For Sara, it’s also a chance to visit one of her recently deceased father’s favorite vacation spots.
It’s not long, though, before they realize something is amiss. Recent storm surges have pushed ocean creatures into the caves, and while most have died from the fresh water, one animal is trapped and thriving. An ornery bull shark is biting its way to the top of the food chain, and the survivors are forced to swim their way through an increasingly claustrophobic and crumbling cave system if they ever want to make it back to dry land.
The usual killer shark movie ingredients are present here, from the attractive ensemble and exotic location to the CG creature and increasing body count, but The Devil’s Mouth executes each of them a bit better than fans of the subgenre are used to seeing in recent years. Set pieces are well crafted with both suspense and thrills, and the whole works well to entertain and hold your attention through to the final shot.
The Devil’s Mouth teases the natural, sunlit beauty of Thailand before heading into the caves, but that shift doesn’t diminish the film’s visual engagement. The water-filled caves instead deliver eye-catching extremes from jagged rocks to bioluminescent water trails, and from giant, bat-filled caverns to tight, breathtaking passages. The environment calls to mind previous and equally entertaining animal attack films like 47 Meters Down: Uncaged and Black Water: Abyss, and the blend of real locations, practically (and impressively) built sets, and some probable CG extensions is perfectly convincing.
The shark finds life in both CG effects and prosthetics, and both deliver as the beast cuts through the water and attacks its prey. Some exaggerated third-act action sees the digital effects take a noticeable hit, but the bulk of the film captures the creature with respectable effectiveness. While too many of the CG shark movies deliver quick kills with the effects at the forefront, there’s a more harrowing approach here. Tasty human morsels are grabbed by the shark’s teeth and thrashed about – it’s something Jaws does so well but that most CG shark movies neglect – and plowed through the water. It looks fantastic and terrifying, and the victim’s screams only add to the horror as they’re bashed into the cave walls and dragged to their doom.
The cast does competent enough work even as some of them fall into their roles as “ugly Americans” who ignore their guide’s warnings in favor of boisterous, disrespectful antics that you know will lead to their deaths. Condor takes on a difficult balancing act as Sara’s best friend who’s also something of a bossy bitch – you believe her compassion and love for Sara, but you also want someone to slap her, gently, and say “No!” Hiraga plays her loyal boyfriend, and he reveals some genuine humanity beneath the otherwise straightforward character while delivering the film’s most emotional beat. (Arguably its only real emotional beat, but eh.)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s Newton who stands apart from the bunch. She’s as fun and charismatic as ever, playing someone who’s clearly the most level-headed of the group even as she’s unpacking her emotional baggage. Her dad’s death pushed her into a hole, but Max forced her back out, leaving her indebted to a friend who she subsequently let drive her life. Newton’s patented semi-smirk is evident through much of the film, but it feels rightfully fueled by different things at different times.
Given the two lead character threads here, the film is, in some ways, a story about redemption. Sara is learning to trust herself again after loss and the willing surrender of control, and Max acknowledges her own deadly mistakes while making a case for a second chance. It’s fitting, then, that The Devil’s Mouth is also a redemption, of sorts, for its director, Jeff Wadlow.
If the name doesn’t quite ring any bells, perhaps a brief rundown of his previous horror efforts might jog those memories that you probably buried for a reason. Wadlow directed Truth or Dare, Imaginary, Fantasy Island, and Cry_Wolf, and it turns out his fifth stab into the darkness was the charm, as The Devil’s Mouth is not only the year’s best killer shark film, but it’s also the best film in Wadlow’s entire nine-movie filmography.
For one thing, the movie looks good. From the lighting and effects to the production design and cinematography, it’s a vast improvement over his previous efforts. A cave setting risks becoming visually dull or redundant, but Wadlow captures it all with a sharp eye and a sense of geography that never grows confusing. The inevitable kills come with varying degrees of suspense and visual thrills – one shot of the shark lunging out of the water towards Sara surprises, an underwater chase between air pockets and holes in the rocks finds real excitement – and what seems relatively grounded early on transitions away from reality, feeling more fun than stupid.
The Devil’s Mouth is a good time for genre fans who simply want to enjoy the ride of well-crafted survival horror. Does it grow increasingly silly? Sure, but it never stops being entertaining and compelling enough to keep watching as it delivers a cool shark, gripping kills, and a memorably claustrophobic setting.
If nothing else, this is the last killer shark movie being released in 2026. There definitely won’t be any more this year. Nope. Not a single one until the cycle starts again next spring. Right? Right?!
The Devil’s Mouth debuts globally on Prime Video today, July 29.
