Steven Spielberg has more than 30 directorial credits to his name, so it’s only natural that there’s no general consensus about what his best film is. However, one movie that always manages to enter the discussion about Spielberg’s greatest works is his 1975 thriller Jaws.

One of the greatest achievements of 20th-century American cinema, Jaws is an ingenious thriller which revolves around a bloodthirsty shark terrorising a resort town. The first summer blockbuster of its kind, Spielberg’s innovative work is also categorised as a horror masterpiece by fans and critics.

The production process for Jaws was notoriously arduous, almost ruining Spielberg’s burgeoning career as a director. However, he persevered and managed to turn it around, delivering one of the most entertaining and gripping films of the decade. In addition to its influence on the genre, Jaws also played a vital role in shaping commercial trends in Hollywood.

During an interview with Edgar Wright for Empire, Spielberg revealed that he used his 1971 television film Duel as the basis for Jaws. Spielberg said: "I was conscious of that when I put myself up for the job to direct Jaws. I told David Brown and Dick Zanuck, please watch Duel, because Duel is basically Jaws on land. I really think it qualified me to direct Jaws."

Operating on the same principles of horror, Duel tells the horrifying tale of a business commuter who is chased by an anonymous trucker. The two films aren’t just thematically similar. Spielberg actually used the sound effect of the truck going over the cliff in Duel for the scene where the shark descends to the bottom of the ocean.

While talking about that parallel, Spielberg told Wright: "Not only is it a similar sound, it’s the same sound. I asked the sound effects editor on Jaws to go into the library and find the death rattle of the truck of Duel and put it underwater with the shark, and he did."

According to the filmmaker, both Duel and Jaws were based on personal insecurities in school. Spielberg reflected: "Years later, I look back at Duel and, to some extent, Jaws and say that some of my earlier films were either about my fear of going to school because there were big kids who would go after me and would make my life a ruin."

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